A student browses the library bookstacks.
Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the 14th Century, by Ross E. Dunn, may seem like an odd choice for the most frequently checked out book at the library this September. But for the first time this year, librarians worked with the fourth form history department to create a new lesson plan for the course. The course emphasizes project-based learning over critical-essay writing and suggests that when librarians and classroom collaborate the books in Choate’s stacks circulate.
It might make sense that the most popular books that are checked out are ones that pertain to school classes, but it is surprising how few Choate students take advantage of all the reading resources that the library has to offer.
With the exception of papers that require library sources, Choate students often find themselves browsing other venues for books. For leisure reading, nine out of ten students say that they would rather order a book directly from Amazon or another online retailer than attempt to find it in the library.
“There’s nothing wrong with going to the library and it’s a great opportunity to find books that you wouldn’t normally come across,” Elyse Cornwall ’18 said, “but I prefer to have a book that I can write in and not worry about having to return it.
In an increasingly digital world, libraries seemed to have lost their traditional footholds in the center of community culture. Choate’s extensive library is filled with countless resources as well as an incredibly well-stocked archive. Students still, though, seek PDF versions of stories and plays on the internet, order paperback books. The free books of the library collect dust on the shelves.
