Photo by Tom Hermans on Unsplash

Jessica Mitford’s The Gentle Art of Muckraking teaches journalists how to uncover the truth. Ironically, one might need that very skill to understand the sudden transformation of Santiago’s library. Without clear communication from the administration, students and staff were left questioning why shelves were being removed, why fewer books would be easily accessible, and why Santiago’s most checked-out library in CNUSD was being altered. This article dives into those questions—and the ones that remain unanswered.

Santiago’s Library: Quiet Space and Quiet Changes:

After hearing about the construction taking place in the library, not by admin, but rather by word of mouth, I became increasingly interested in why our library was losing its shelving. After some investigation, I discovered that the library would be transformed into a “Multi-function meeting space” for admin and staff, with fewer browseable books for students in our student space.

Why Fix What’s Not Broken: Staff and Student Concerns:

Staff were informed of the changes one week before construction began and have yet to be told to students. Our librarian, Ms. O, worked extremely hard to clear the space and develop a system to keep all our books available to students. With the support of the teachers at Santiago, the staff could house all of our books and keep them accessible to students while complying with the admin’s decision to remove shelves. Ms. O said that more than a fourth of our twenty-seven thousand books on campus are checked out to students and staff. This is vital as Santiago ranks No.1 among CNUSD schools for the highest annual book checkouts. With that said, why fix what’s not broken?

The library changes shocked both staff and students. The irony is apparent: the school’s focus this year is literacy, yet access to browsable books is being reduced. It is also important to note that our #Santiagoreads program has not been as advertised to students as in previous years. This may be attributed to the lack of time that the #Santiagoreads team leads have met this year.

Dr. Torres Responds: Moving into the 21st Century:

To answer some of my questions, I met with Dr. Kenny Torres (Santiago’s Principal) to discuss the uncertainties that the Santiago family shares. The meeting was insightful, but questions still lingered around the fate of our library. 

Dr. Torres explored the school focus for the ‘24-’25 school year. Oddly enough, that focus is Literacy. With “literacy across the curriculum” as the focus, it’s alarming to see our physical books being reorganized and become less accessible. Dr. Torres attests that the change is not unusual for high schools in CNUSD. Claiming that “ Most of the district high schools don’t have libraries anymore.” While this is true, every other high school also has a significantly smaller collection of books and has incomparable numbers regarding checked-out books and literacy test scores. The question arises: why follow schools that have not received our levels of student support behind physical books and follow schools that do not have the numbers to prove usefulness? Dr. Torres describes the transformation as “bringing the library into the 21st century,” but what does that mean for students and their access to books? The majority of students prefer hand-held books over e-books as well. What is the significance of following other schools if their students are not at the same level as those attending Santiago? Will we see our scores drop with such a big change?

The Future of the Library: What now?

The library will transition into a multi-meeting space for “conferences, parent meetings, banquets, and all those types of things.” There will be new technology coming to our library as well. New TV screens and projectors will be installed by the fall if everything goes according to plan. Torres says the books aren’t being removed from our campus; they just won’t all be in our library. When the plans were finalized and books had to be moved, Torres said they “were surprised how many teachers took on those books.” As an avid reader myself, I was not. Our teachers, especially those in the English department, understand the importance of physical books in learning. Dr. Torres is unsure about how the library changes will affect our school numbers but hopes they won’t change, and if they do, they will improve. 

While questions and concerns still rise among students, the Santiago family faces significant changes coming to campus. What our library will be permanently transformed into will take longer than my time left on campus. I hope our school can remember that we find our students at the core of our campus. Listen to the voices that call out, and remember, there will always be a muckraker waiting to take their chance at the truth.