Moving tables around and setting up chairs, librarians Debbie Reed and Ginny Parr prepare the library for the lesson. Hosting educational student lessons has been a long-time tradition. Sometimes it’s English classes but sometimes it’s not.

When teaching a lesson, the librarians will keep in touch with the teachers they are collaborating with, and each lesson usually lasts around 20 minutes. Even if it gets too busy in the library, Reed and Parr do not cancel a lesson, because they plan the lessons ahead of time.

“We start with talking to the teacher and finding out what the teacher needs,” Parr said. “[We find out] the teacher’s goals, and then we fill in the gaps. Then we finish up and double check with the teacher to see if the teacher approves of the lesson. It’s enrichment for what the teachers are already teaching. We just provide another experience.”

Even when a lesson is being taught, Reed and Parr continue to take care of their first priority-being librarians.

“We hosted Project Lead The Way. We help provide the facility, whether it be setting up tables or moving things around,” Parr said. “But while all those big things are going on, we [are still] in the background taking care of, ‘Hey, I need to check out a book,’ or [helping] somebody who needs to able to print and can’t get the computer to work.”

Since this is Parr’s first year as a librarian, she finds these lessons especially memorable. Reed has been a librarian for seven years.

“My favorite lesson was [for the book], ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’” Reed said. “People learned about food and clothing.”

Each lesson is always different, and the librarians enjoy the students’ reaction. Both said they do the lessons to get people interested in the library and learning.

“[The reaction is] different with each student group,” Parr said. “It’s that ‘oh’ or ‘aha’ moment, everything from helping a student find a book, to helping a student understand the plot to ‘The Crucible’ or getting students excited about learning. Even the little day-by-day interactions we have with our volunteers that come help us and our relationship with other student aides, because it’s more than just being a better person; it’s about helping other people.”