Thinking beyond the page

Both libraries also now serve as dynamic hubs of community, fostering not only reading and research, but also social connection, creative expression, and the celebration of scholarship.

Librarians tend to see the world from an interdisciplinary perspective, and Upper School Librarian Aquita Winslow is no exception. Since joining Poly in 2011, she has undertaken an array of tasks that read like a (somewhat unusual) guide to life at the school: Learn the curriculum of each academic department. Study when and how students are accessing new media. Monitor Library traffic patterns and report back to architects. Explore the school archives.

Her efforts have centered around a librarian’s dream project: building a new library from the ground up. “I’ve been a librarian for 17 years,” she explained, “and this project presented a once-in-a-lifetime challenge. It’s such an exciting time to be thinking about what makes a great library and how to balance the diversity of roles a modern library needs to play.”

With the opening of Poly's new science-math-library building last year, Aquita set to work immediately, helping individual students on a daily basis. “It’s so rewarding to work with Poly students,” she said. “They are motivated to engage with the ambitious curriculum we have here and are constantly coming in with interesting research questions. My job is to make sure they learn to focus those questions and hone the research skills they will need to excel in college.”

At the same time, Aquita had been working with Head of School Debbie Reed and Upper School faculty on the broader task of defining how the new library can best support Poly’s energetic intellectual culture. Ultimately, the facility must welcome the entire school community.

Frances Callero, director of the Lower and Middle School Library, was also an integral part of the planning process when the North Campus saw extensive renovations and new construction, which was completed in spring 2012. A new two-story space, complete with media center and outdoor deck with a view clear across campus, now houses a teaching theater, computers and printers for student use, a quiet reference room in which students can work independently or cooperatively, and intimate spaces throughout for students (and parents) to relax, research, and converse. "Our new facility has created an open environment that fosters collaboration and provides the tools for interdisciplinary project learning," Callero shared. 

“Library activities have diversified,” Aquita explained. “A library is no longer just for quiet study. We now think as much about collaborative group projects, spaces where we can teach information literacy, and technology access to all kinds of media, as well as community activities and meetings. Poly's new Upper School library can meet the modern needs of our students as a larger, more flexible, and technology-friendly space.”

Aquita now oversees the plentiful opportunities the space affords: an innovative information literacy program, more online resources that connect to specific classes and academic departments, and archival displays about Poly history. Her ideas are almost as exhaustive as the proverbial card catalog ... or a Google search.