Just throw the book
By Alan Motoki
at library limitsI have a question. Where can individuals of any race, sex, age, with no money, go to get something worth more than money? Any guesses?
I will tell you the answer. The one place where anyone can go to get something worth more than money is ... the public library.
I'm a student at Mililani High School, a public school. Wouldn't you assume that students at Mililani would be able to go to their school's library?
The answer, a lot of times, is no. Can you believe that in my own school, on my own time during lunch, I was not able to enter my school's library?
The reason is that I was not one of the first 25 students in line for admission. Now, 25 students is not a lot for our campus. The average number of students in each of my classes is around 25 to 30. The total number of students on campus is about 2,400. There is definitely something wrong with this picture.
The library has four librarians. Now, I believe one librarian, like one teacher, is enough to handle 25 students. I think four librarians should be able to keep an eye on 100 students.
My friend Daniel and I thought it was worth a try to enter later, after we saw a student leave, but with two of us, the student tally came to 26. It turns out that 26 students is just too much for our poor, tired, stressed librarians.
I really feel for teachers, being a student and a son of a teacher. I know my mom gets stressed out while trying to control a classroom filled with 25 or 30 students. But I know that if she worked in an air-conditioned room with three other teachers helping her, she would be glad to take in two more students who just want to expand their knowledge.
A Mililani High School librarian who did not want her name used responded that the 25-student limit was instituted to accommodate teachers who reserve the space for their classes for research or instruction. The limit is in effect whenever teachers sign up for the space, and school bulletins distributed Mondays alert students to the schedule.
Mililani has a double lunch period which means that half the students are at lunch while the other half are in class. This is the reason for the overlap between some students' lunch hour and the classes in the library.
The librarian said, "Students want unlimited access, but the teachers want an environment that is conducive to learning. We thought this was a good compromise. We feel we're meeting the needs of both segments, but there's always going to be some people who are disappointed."
She said that the procedure is subject to review, and that students who wish to offer input are welcome to talk to any librarian or administrator.
Alan Motoki is a senior at Mililani High School. Rant & Rave is a Tuesday Star-Bulletin feature
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