Equality Charter School in the Bronx, New York, serves students in grades 6-12. Overlooking the Hutchinson River, the school provides a fully inclusive learning environment and aims to ensure every student is college or career ready. When Cara Fitzgerald, Librarian/Literacy Coach and Academic Coordinator, joined the school in 2014, she set out to revolutionize the library, creating a welcoming space that fosters a love of reading.

The Challenge

Upon joining, Fitzgerald found a small collection of books spread across classrooms, cabinets, and student backpacks, making organization and access challenging. “There was a small collection of books that were spread out across the school in classrooms, cabinets, and scholar backpacks,” said Fitzgerald. “A great deal of time and energy had been devoted to collecting and sorting the books we had, but limited resources and an ineffective tracking system made organization challenging.”

Fitzgerald’s goal was to create a library that offered a rich reading experience for students. “In the classroom libraries I created as a teacher, I always avoided organizing books by level,” she explained. “Instead, I wanted the library set up to reflect the questions I asked of my students: What kinds of books do you like? Do you like to laugh when you read or do you like an adventure? Do you want to read about kids who live like you or do you want to read about a different time and place?”

The Solution

In October 2015, Equality Charter School celebrated the grand opening of its newly genrefied library, thanks to the support of Follett Software. “We made the move to Follett Destiny Libary Manager® and relied heavily on Follett’s help in ‘genrefying’ the library,” Fitzgerald said. The library’s collection was organized by genre to increase circulation and encourage further reading.

Fitzgerald collaborated closely with the Follett team, who provided exceptional customer service throughout the process. “When I realized that the cataloging process itself was more than I could tackle on my own, I turned to Follett for the next phase of the project,” she recalled. “We carefully shopped around to explore all of our options, but Follett was the only company that offered all of the services – including help with genrefication.”

The project involved sorting thousands of titles according to unique genre specifications and leading a team of volunteers through the tedious cataloging process. “The Follett team answered questions, offered suggestions, and resolved challenges. When scholars left at the end of June, I promised them a completed library by September. Follett helped me keep that promise,” said Fitzgerald.

The Results

The newly genrefied library transformed the reading culture at Equality Charter School. “It was an absolute honor to work with Follett’s dedicated team as we experimented with this new process. As is the case with any new project, we came across some challenges, faced a few unanticipated glitches, but ultimately created a welcoming space for all of our middle school readers,” Fitzgerald noted.

The library’s grand opening in October 2015 marked a significant milestone. “Parents, scholars, and community members explored the new library during the grand opening celebration,” Fitzgerald said. One scholar, Chizara Kwubiri, gave a heartfelt speech that captured the essence of the library’s impact. “Reading can create new worlds for you. It can help save the one you live in! That is why having this library in school is a gift I will cherish forever,” said Chizara.

Today, the library is a vibrant space where students eagerly look forward to independent reading time, create lists of books they want to read next, and recommend texts to each other. “Instead of hearing excuses like, ‘There aren’t any good books here,’ I am bombarded with requests to take out an additional book or visit the library more often,” Fitzgerald shared.

The transformation has had a profound impact on student engagement and enthusiasm for reading. “The other day, I was in the library sorting through a new donation when one of our eighth grade scholars walked in,” Fitzgerald recounted. “I asked her if she had a pass, and she said, ‘Well, sort of, but it’s to the bathroom. I just walk through here every chance I get. I just love this place!’ These are the small moments from which educators source their motivation.”

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