Turning the page: New library center leaps into future

To enhance their butterfly unit and learn more about the butterfly’s life cycle, students at the Chestnut Street elementary school in West Hempstead visited a puppet theatre in Atlanta. They’ll visit the Atlanta puppet center once again later this year to enrich their studies of children’s authors Jan Brett and Eric Carle.

How did students in kindergarten, first and second grades accomplish this trip? Through videoconferencing at the school’s new library-media center. In addition to adding an extensive collection of hard-cover books and an interactive white board to its library, the district brought videoconferencing equipment into the center to give students the opportunity to shoot across the country in a matter of seconds. The new center also provides access to iTouches and iPads.

“Research repeatedly shows that a well-funded library program enhances reading development and learning in all content areas,” said assistant superintendent Ann Peluso. “Studies have demonstrated that students in schools with good school libraries learn more, get better grades and score higher on standardized test scores that their peers in schools without such resources. Chestnut students will benefit from the resource of this new library media center for years to come — this is an investment in the school and our learning community. The center builds a strong foundation of literacy, learning and technology for students as their educational journey is launched in our district.”

It was through a variety of federal, state and legislative grants, some of which came from the office of state Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Centre) that the district was able to create the new center, Peluso said. She noted that the district had automated the libraries at the George Washington and Cornwell Avenue elementary schools throughout the last two years.

“An electronic database allows for more efficient searches and easier access to the resources,” Peluso said. “The district views the school library-media center as the hub of literacy, learning, research, inquiry and access to technology.”

The library-media specialist working in the new center and key members of the district’s instructional team, the assistant superintendent said, as they teach information skills and link classrooms to outside resources, which enrich and enhance the curriculum.

At Chestnut, the center will also provide access to technology for all kindergarten students and allow teachers to borrow iPads, iTouches and iNanos for use in the classrooms, from which they will also be able to access the library’s collection.

Not only has the new center enhanced the library’s collection of fine literature, it has enabled students to borrow books and enjoy them at home with their families, according to Peluso. Previously, students could only access the books in the library with a librarian present.

The library will official open with a ceremony on Dec. 8 at 9:30 a.m. Local officials, district staff members, school library-media specialists and a representative from the West Hempstead Public Library will be on hand to celebrate.