Timberland alumna, head librarian Elizabeth Faron returned this year. She is not new to Timberland, as Faron graduated and then became a teacher before becoming the school’s new librarian.
Since the beginning of the school year, several changes have been made to the library under her leadership.
“I loved English in high school. I love being able to come back and pull the things I loved…from my own experience and what I learned,” Faron said.
Elizabeth was an English teacher before becoming the head librarian. She taught at Timberland before getting her masters in Library Science. She then became an elementary school librarian before coming back to Timberland.
“Timberland is home for me. It’s always been home. I went here and by chance ended up back here…It is a special place to be,” Faron said.
The changes made under Faron’s leadership of the library includes a new organization of books—the new organization will consist of genres, like mystery, fantasy, romance, rather than just fiction or nonfiction— a new mural, an upcoming aquarium, a student art gallery, board games and speakers who come into the school during DEN time to talk with students. Faron said she makes sure the speakers reflect students’ interests to increase engagement and attendance.
“[The speakers] are a wonderful thing because it offers a chance for more engagement. It offers a chance for people to come into the library and see things from a different perspective, which is what books do too,” English teacher Jeremy Boesch said.
Boesch often brings his students into the library during class time.
“The atmosphere in the library is not the same as a traditional library… Students can get up and move around. It is a different space to do different things. It offers more variety for teachers, so it is a great place to come in,” Boesch said.
Though food is not allowed into the library to keep it clean, students are. Library assistant Kaci Manley said there are, on average, 50 students present during DEN time. Senior Kendall Kuhlmann is one of the many students present during lunch.
“When I’m done eating, I go into the library and play games with my friends. It’s a lot better than it was in previous years. It gives more space for people who would want to hang out in the library. My favorite change is that they’re getting an aquarium,”Kuhlmann said.
The library is open from 7 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. on weekdays. Students are welcome to drop by whenever testing is not going on. The library is also somewhat restricted, for quiet usage only, during Tuesdays and Thursdays after school for test proctoring. The library is located above the cafeteria, room number 200.
