Ready. Set. Read.

With 916 new books in the OHS library, the 2016-2017 school year has shown to offer a surplus in reading possibilities for students.
The budget for new books was released at the end of the 2015-2016 school year and was not in effect until Jan. 1, which is when the order was officially placed.

The process of getting new books for the school starts with the librarians. Throughout the school year, they were constantly reading book reviews and attending workshops, hoping to find the right books for the school’s culture. The Young Adult Literature Conference (YALC) is a major workshop that OHS librarian Kathy Hayes tries to attend every year.

“There is a speaker that we really enjoy listening too and she will review a hundred books,” Hayes said.

In addition to the conference, the librarians selected the incoming books through student requests, popular series, and credible online reviews. They were able to keep a running tally or “wish list” of desired books for the students.

After the new books arrived, they were placed on the bookshelf to the right of the entrance in the library and are mentioned to student during freshmen orientation and class projects. The students are encouraged to take advantage of the new materials.

After the books leave the “New Books” shelves, they will reside next to their own genre. According to Ms. Hayes, finding the right fiction section is the hardest idea to grasp for students, especially with there being so many options.

Ms. Hayes will be attending the YALC Jan. 27 in hopes of having the budget for more books next year.