There is a common assumption between High School and Middle School Students alike that the Santa Rosa Academy (SRA) Carmel Library is off-limits to anyone but Red Track students: homeschool students who meet weekly with their Educational Advisors (EA) in the library. This isn’t exactly true but many things prevent the school from allowing students into the library.

If anyone has noticed, the library is empty almost every day of the school week except Wednesday when high school students with gaps in their schedules are monitored by Red Track teacher and EA, Mr. Joshua Castro. Any other time, one may see elementary being read to throughout the week but besides that, one may say the library looks deserted.

SRA Carmel Library (Trinity Horak)

As Senior Kimberly Sperling put it “The library is too empty now, the library used to be so full.”

Sperling also noted that a few years ago, the library was a place where many students would study, read, or wait for their siblings after school. This was also a time in which Red Track EAs were not present in the library in cubicles taking up the back of the library.

Secondary Education Principal, Michael Gray, shared his insight as a new member of the SRA administrative staff. While new to the school, Mr. Gray was able to explain the regulations and restrictions of the library when it comes to student use. When asked why students were not allowed to use the library unless on Wednesday for gap periods, Mr. Gray stated that there is no one within the library with the certification to oversee students within the library throughout the day.

“I would love to utilize the library more,” Mr. Gray said.

Someone is needed to watch students as it is a liability to have students on campus without being monitored. Understandably due to this, the librarians to librarians are non-certificated members of our staff as Mr. Gray noted.

If the school would like students to utilize the library more, librarians can be certified to monitor students as well as give students access to more books than the two bookshelves for high school and middle school students combined. If one looks at the Menifee Library, books are constantly being added to the library and librarians help all ages find books of their liking. Meaning, that the librarians should be able to help assist students access popular books and more than just the few that the school does have.

Many believe that books are a dying art but it is rather the opposite. NBC News and the American Library Association say others. Generation Z and millennials are visiting libraries more than many generations before. This further expresses the need that this generation has to have a library at school that students are allowed to use.

Other staff members such as Sofia Chapman, Education Services/Student Services Coordinator shared that the library is a great tool that sadly does not have the people or funding to afford to have students in the library. Mrs. Chapman shared that Ms. Karla Galicia used to be in the library daily, allowing students to roam and enjoy their time within the library. After Ms. Galicia’s move to the Tech Office and later promotion to Assistant Principal, there is no one in the library who can monitor students.

“In my honest opinion, we have a beautiful library that I would love for students to be able to use more; however, to do so, there are some logistical pieces that would need to be worked out for that to happen,” Mrs. Chapman said.

Unfortunately, the library remains closed to students unless on Wednesday for high school gap periods. Without the money and certification needed, the student library simply isn’t for the students.