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Susan Hunter, Librarian, and Renee Phelps, Library Clerk, ready to be of service.
Welcome to Riverside Middle School Library, a dynamic learning center located across the hall from the Computer Lab. The Library is open all day, offering flexible scheduling and a collection of over 14,500 books, 130 books on tape, films in both VCR and DVD format, and 20 Mac computers.
The Library has grown over time ......
History of The Library
The Library at Riverside Middle School opened in the fall of 1956 as an integral part of the new school serving students in grades 6 through 8. It was located on the upper level of the school in the space that would have been classroom 204.
The first librarian was Jean Stearns, who served from the opening day in 1956 until her retirement in 1974 . Patricia A. Whitney then took over as librarian until the fall of 1978, when Nancy Egan Sternbach took the helm. Nancy left Riverside in 1980 to become the librarian at Springfield High School, and Willie Hoffman replaced her, serving until October of 1984, when he resigned to take a job elsewhere. Susan Wickenden Hunter became the long-term substitute in October 1984 and was hired as permanent librarian in May 1985.
A part-time library clerk position was created in 1985-86. Kay Mitchell was the first clerk, then Fran Campbell, followed by Lynn Lashua and Anna Cederholm. Renee Phelps has been the library clerk since the fall of 2002.
The original size of the library was that of only one classroom. The need for more space eventually led to the breaking down of the wall separating rooms 204 and 205, allowing the library to expand into a space 100% larger. This expansion happened in 1972 or 1973, and it is presumed that the floor, which had previously been tiled, was carpeted at this time. That original carpeting, featuring tones of orange with green flecks, was replaced in the summer of 2000 with blue carpeting.
In the 1996 -97 school year, the library began the automation of its catalog and circulation. This involved sending our paper shelf list cards to a vendor in Texas for “retrospective conversion,” transforming cataloging information into MARC records. Automation also necessitated purchasing new computers, software and training in LibraryPro, a barcode scanner, and attaching barcode labels to every title in the collection. The automation process was completed in 1997-98, when both circulation and catalog became comuterized at a total cost of about $12,000. A year later, the old card catalog was finally eliminated.
The collection includes nearly 15,000 items - books, reference books, books on tape, videotapes, software, magazines, and newspapers. There are 23 computers in the library, three of which are dedicated to LibraryPro, the automated catalog.
The library is open for use throughout the school day and operates by a system of flexible scheduling. This means that teachers may sign up as needed for class use of the library. | |
