As a child, most may have memories of sitting with a good book and going through it using an inventive imagination to create a world in thought, staying there for a while much like a vacation. At one point in time, the school library was the heart of any campus. It wasn’t just a room with books—it was a portal, quiet refuge from chaos, a space where students could dream and discover.
But over time, that dream faded as a technology took over.
First, the music room inside the library was replaced with digital playlists. Then, the movie rentals stopped. The computer lab was dismantled, replaced by student-issued tablets. The shelves began to collect dust. When the librarian retired, no one filled the role. Eventually, this lead to remodeling the space, and the Student Learning Center, better known as the SLC, was born. For most, the SLC serves as hub for students and teachers alike. Acting as a space for peers to come together, discuss topics, receive math tutoring, meet after school, or become a quiet place to study, is this “new library” the same as the more traditional venue.?
“They’re a thing of the past,” explained Mr. Gaston Arellano, Director of Campus Operations. “Everything’s online.”
The library didn’t disappear overnight. Its faded slowly, its purpose questioned in every budget meeting, its value measured against the speed of Wi-Fi. But in chasing efficiency, something quiet and essential has lost: the magic that comes with books and stories read, picture books shown to children, the safety one can feel within the sleeve of the book.
Students no longer have a space to wander curiously, to stumble upon a book they hadn’t searched for. Research turned into skimming search results. Group projects were completed over video calls, not around large tables with open notebooks and whispered debates.
“Reading is like a portal…And we’ve closed the door,” said Ms. Ana Lourdes Garcia, the Dean of Faculty, and an ILS alum.
Ms. Garcia did explain that although the SLC has evolved to suit today’s digital environment, public libraries and bookstores such as Books and Books as well as Barnes and Noble serve those traditional functions and are as popular as ever.
Because while technology evolves, the need for connection, for curiosity, for quiet—never goes out of date.Libraries might be fewer, but their value hasn’t faded. If anything, they are needed now more than ever.
