Mrs. Shuck and Mrs. Gallagher: Managing a Space for Student Success

By Isaac Worley

Students usually view school libraries with very little nuance—the library is a place to borrow books and, maybe, study. While the school library does offer these opportunities, Melinda Gallagher and Heather Shuck, the High School librarians, are constantly making changes so that the library is able to foster learning in all forms, ranging from literature to emerging technologies.

Throughout their time working as the librarians at the High School, Shuck and Gallagher have maintained one goal: create a place where students can freely learn about a variety of topics.

Gallagher explains “I want kids to feel comfortable. I want them to take ownership of their learning.”

Mrs. Gallagher. Photo taken by Isaac Worley

Both librarians feel that it is their job to manage the space, but that the library ultimately belongs to the students that use it. Because of this, Gallagher does not impose many of the restrictions that are seen in other parts of the school.

“I’m not going to sit and police kids that have food and drinks in their backpacks and pull them out. If [students] need to use their cellphones here, I’m not going to say anything about it,” Gallagher states.

Shuck expands on this idea by saying “[the library] is actually one of the only places students come where we don’t give them a grade, so it is a different relationship.”

As part of their efforts to reach students that are not necessarily interested in literature, both Shuck and Gallagher have made strides to open the space to be used for much more than just borrowing books. Students are able to access information and tools that are useful to their lives outside of school, including tools that help students enter the workforce.

“I’ve helped kids do research for college,” Shuck explains. “[And] we help students print job applications.”

Alongside helping students with research, job applications and recommending books, both librarians also aim to help students explore various interests, regardless of whether they are relevant to school.

“[The library] is really a place where you can explore what you are curious about and try to get the answers,” Gallagher remarks, “whether it is something school related or not.”

Both Shuck and Gallagher would consider themselves lifelong learners, and they aim to enable the same level of learning for the students that pass through the libraries.

“The goal is to be a knowledge commons. We’d like [the library] to be a place where people can come and share ideas,” Shuck states.

Mrs. Gallagher working in her office. Photo taken by Isaac Worley

In addition, Gallagher explains that she has the ability to impact the lives of every student in the school. Because of this, she invests most of her time toward making the library accessible and engaging for everyone.

“[The library] is the only place in school that every kid comes to,” Gallagher observes. “We take that seriously and want to meet all of the needs.”

In an effort to make sure that every student in the school is represented properly, the librarians are launching a student advisory group that will discuss new content, events and diversity in the library.

“We’ll definitely take into account a lot of their ideas. They’re looking at the collection as far as diversity goes,” Shuck says of the group’s role in the library.

The response to the advisory group demonstrates that the libraries have had an impactful effect on the student population; many students are looking at the group as an opportunity to give back to the library and help it become a better environment for everyone in the school.

“We had over 50 kids sign up for [the advisory group] so far. I’d love to see them help me plan some diverse activities here,” Gallagher adds.

Shuck and Gallagher recognize that every student has different needs and interests. They take a holistic approach to education that focuses less on the rigid world of academia and more on helping students achieve a unique measure of success. By directing the conversation about education toward individuality, Shuck and Gallagher have succeeded in their goal of making the library into an inclusive and diverse space.