The Space and Physical Access

This school library is located inside Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School, home of the Wildcats, in Woodbridge, VA. To get to the library it is necessary to enter the elementary school. Entering through the front office will put you very close to the library entrance. I may be biased since this is where I currently work, but I feel the entrance to the school and the library are inviting. There is always a kind face to greet you in the office of the school and in the library (during the school year).

When you enter the library, you see the circulation desk to the left, where students (and teachers) check out books). To the right (out of shot in the picture above) are computers where students can use Destiny Discover to look up books they would like to find in the library and color printers for teachers to use. Also, to the right is a wooden table and chairs where students sit to read after checking out before their classroom teacher picks them up from the library. As you move toward the back of the library you will walk between shelves of books before arriving at carpeted riser seats (they look like giant carpeted steps) where students can sit to read or sometimes sit for a lesson from the librarian. After the riser seating is the back of the library, which is set up like a small classroom with a dozen or so wooden tables and chairs facing toward an Interactive Screen that the librarian can use during lessons. Throughout the library are little mushroom shaped stools where students can sit and read. Since the library is located inside an old school building, there really is not an outside space where students can go to read. The books are accessible to most, however, students in a wheelchair would have trouble reaching books located on higher shelves and would need to ask for assistance from the librarian. This school has a large Hispanic population and one aspect in the library that is inviting is the classic book quotes found on the walls that are in both English and Spanish. It gives a sense of inclusion.

Services and Intellectual Access

The library at Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School welcomes students and the staff who work there. When students or teachers explore the library, they use the signs located throughout the library to navigate their way to the books they desire. You will see signs for Fiction, Biographies, Bilingual Books, Magazines, Professional Books, and more. If you have a specific book in mind, you can access the library catalog via computer to look up the book and find its location within the library. This library is organized using a number of ways. The Dewey Decimal system is used for the nonfiction books, except the biographies, which are in their own section. There is a Fiction section that is organized alphabetically by the author’s last name. The magazines are located in their own little spot in the library and there is yet another section for bilingual books. Behind the circulation desk is a section for Reading Kits that can be checked out by the teachers for book club or however the teacher chooses to use them. There is also a separate section for Professional books for teachers to use. These books are marked with a capital P for professional and the first few letters of the author’s last name.

Patrons and Staff

This school library does not only service the staff and students, but it also services the families of the students through programs offered. One such program is teaching English to parents that would like to learn it. During the school year students are engaged in a lesson from the librarian, or they are eagerly browsing the various sections looking for their next good read, or they are reading the books they just checked out with other students (often showing their books to each other and chatting about them). There are other times when the students bring their devices to the library and learn how to create their own electronic books, which they absolutely love. Rubin and Rubin (2020) stated “there is a clear need to teach students how to locate and evaluate valid information” (p. 179). The librarian at Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School does a great job teaching students how to locate and evaluate valid information during the research unit. There is a research unit for each grade level, and she teaches each student how to properly research. This school library has one librarian and one media assistant. They collaborate with each other all the time, but they also reach out to collaborate with the staff and even the students. Elizabeth Vaughan has a very diverse population and welcomes all types of students.

Collections

The collections at the Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School library consist mostly of print books, which is the format most elementary students enjoy, and some digital books. Students at the school also have access to the county public libraries and the do not even need a library card. This opens the door to a lot more material. There are materials that teachers may utilize, like professional books or Book Kits, and these are located in specific sections of the library.

Digital Access

The Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School library website is found on the school’s webpage. Once on the Elizabeth Vaughan webpage you would click the tab at the top labeled ‘Our School‘ and a drop-down menu appears. Select ‘Class Pages,’ then select ‘Specialists,’ and finally select ‘Vaughan Library.’ If you are not familiar with school websites, then locating the library website can be a little challenging. Once you are on the library site it is very friendly and easily used by students (or anyone). The opening page shares important information about the library, has a picture of the library, and introduces the staff. The librarian’s email address is listed in case anyone needs to contact her and the phone numbers to the school are listed as well. As patrons explore the website, they will notice they have access to virtual library lessons (created for online teaching during the pandemic, but still very useful), the catalog, eBooks, links students use often in the library (or even in the classroom), Prince William Public Library resources, the library gallery which shows pictures of activities completed by students, PWCS home learning resources, and even a calendar of events. The website feels inviting, but may lack accommodations for certain groups of people, like the visually impaired.

Explore the Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School library website.

Overall

When visiting the Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School library, you know without a doubt that it is a school library and that the main patrons are students and the staff of the school. There was not really anything surprising or disappointing about my visit to this library because I see the library almost every day when I am working. Since this particular visit was conducted during the summer, I found it was not quite the same as during the school year. The laptops for the students were being housed in there, which is not typical, and it just was not very lively, since there were zero students there. The best time in this library is when it is bustling with students and staff.

References

Padden, C. (2022). Entrance to Elizabeth Vaughan elementary school, Entrance to Elizabeth Vaughan elementary school library, Tables and chairs in the library, Cozy mushroom stools in the library, Reading kits and circulation desk, Biography section [Photographs of Elizabeth Vaughan Elementary School Library].

Rubin, R. E., & Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.