Every teacher and student alike has been through the library’s doors at some point or another during their high school experience. However, most do not understand all of the exciting things that happen there, along with how much it means to people. The library is a great space for a lot of kids to have an escape from the everyday struggles they face. Students go to the media center for everything from working on class projects to socializing with friends in the morning. It is truly a special place where creativity can grow and ideas can flourish. But what about the people behind the mystical decor of the Loganville High School library? While in the library, you may find students checking out books, working in groups, researching and printing articles for class assignments, purchasing items from the school store, or taking their Chromebook to the clinic for repairs. HRRB (Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl), and Fire Book Club - along with other meetings - are held there weekly. The library is an excellent space for them to discuss novels, practice for competitions, and throw occasional parties to celebrate their accomplishments. Our librarian, Mrs.Crowe, grew up reading books and going to the library in the summertime. Her family never went on vacations so literature was her outlet of discovery and escape. When asked about how literature has affected her life, she responded: “My family never had a lot of money growing up; my dad had cancer when I was younger. Anyway, we never got to go on any vacations. We just didn’t have the money. So literature and books were a great place; literature, reading, they would take me to other places when I had to be at home all the time. So it had a big influence on my life.” She believes that reading is a stress reliever, and expounded, “If you can find a good book and get lost in it, you can forget about everything else that is going on.” At first, Mrs. Crowe wanted to be a counselor. However, she started out teaching in order to better understand the students. As she was teaching, she was studying for her masters in order to figure out where to go next. After careful evaluation, she realized that she loved taking her students to the library; as a former social studies teacher, she would take her classes there for research projects. She really enjoyed the atmosphere it had. A media specialist job opened up here at Loganville High, right after she finished her masters. So she took the job, working at the same school she graduated from. We also interviewed Mrs. Childs, the library parapro here at LHS. She told us that she loves mystery and suspense novels. Her favorite book is the Bible. In addition, she loves technology. She said literature helped her learn about new places, understand different people, and increase her language and writing skills. Literature impacted her life greatly growing up. She recalls, “We spent summers at my grandparent’s farm, and my grandmother always had a new Reader’s Digest magazine for me to read on the front porch. There was always a new word section that we had to learn and use in our conversations with him during the week.” The library is crucial to the people here at LHS. When asking students mingling around the media center what they liked about it, they described the library as “comfortable” and a “place to escape.” Others described it as "a quiet space” and it “calmed their anxiety.” Some said reading inspired their imagination or that they liked the interesting action scenes in novels. One told us she loved reading stories because they helped her “learn how to write” stories of her own. One would think that the use of Chromebooks would cause fewer students to visit the media center. However, Mrs.Crowe argued that it, in fact, caused an insurgence of newcomers. Many new faces now enter the library’s doors for Chromebook charging and repairs. “They [the Chromebooks] bring in a lot of people who normally wouldn’t be there, and maybe they check out blind date with a book. Even people who come in to break change or go to the school store, they might stick around and check out some books. That’s what I love to see," remarked Mrs. Crowe. Many may have noticed the decorations that always seem to be adorning the media center. Often the walls are decked out in themes relating to what’s going on in the world around us: cobwebs and spiders in October or pink sparkly hearts in February. Decorating is a good way to add vibrancy to the older space and include others who want to help set up; it’s also a good way for BETA members to earn hours. Mrs. Crowe explained that she was inspired to start this decorating tradition because “We all have a little child in us.” It is a nice visual representation of the student’s creativity which many seem to admire and enjoy. In all, there is something for everyone in the media center, no matter who you are. The library is a place of inclusion, education, and creativity where many adventures can happen. It is truly an incredible space that’s unique to anywhere else in the school.