By Raelynn Harris ’25
Derby High School’s library, located in the center of the school, is a warm and welcoming space. The library welcomes students and staff to gather, borrow a book, and socialize.
The library is lined with big windows, letting in a comfortable amount of warm light without the overhead fluorescents. Open space gives a community feel to the library with places to sit and socialize as well as to get work done.
Amy Reilly, the school librarian, has worked at Derby High School for eight years. Reilly divides books into biographies, fiction, and nonfiction, and prioritizes getting new titles. Reilly said, “New books are placed by me through requests from students, requests of certain book titles or certain editions are then put in by me.” Reilly is currently working on updating the collection of books being kept in the library. The oldest book currently in the library is from 1995. Old books are being sent out to make room for a new wave of books to interest a new generation of students.
Reilly imagines the library as “a social space, a place to collaborate together, to hang out and work, and a safe space for all to have a break from the pressure of school. The library is seen as the best meeting place in the building and is a central meeting point to the school.”
The library is a space for students to collaborate together and work hard on school projects as well as get a positive amount of socialization with their peers, all of this makes up DHS’s very own community learning center.
Students share that sentiment. Gianna Akter ‘25 likes the library because it’s aesthetically pleasing and is a boost to her productivity. “I like how modern the library looks, it’s very clean and organized. It definitely encourages me to be productive. And I like the space there in general for when I’m doing work.” Quinlan Gray ‘25 said, “The library is a really nice place, and when help is needed everyone is very efficient in that way.”
The library was originally closed off and organized in a way you would consider a traditional library to be, there’s the encouragement to collaborate and socialize with students and staff instead of the pressure of staying quiet and studying independently, but the renovation that happened in 2015 turned the library from traditional to modern. In present times, a library is currently a social place for collaboration and learning.
The library welcomes all to borrow a book, hang out and socialize with others, or relax and take a break from stress!
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