English teacher Kay Zimmerman believes in the public library’s ability to help the community.

         

“Library are free resources for anyone in the community, where everyone can go with no limitations,” Zimmerman said.

         

One new opportunity for AHS to students to engage with libraries is the new Hayward Public Library that opened on Sept. 14. The new library is 58,000 square feet, and has 120 thousand items which includes books, movies and music and 85 computers available to the public. The city of Hayward knew the great beneficial support that libraries provided the public, with this idea in heart, plans were set in motion to start construction of a new library which would begin in 2015. The set date for the original opening was set for Oct. 2018 however, decisions were made to push the date back so that every aspect of the library was met with a standard that the city of Hayward and the librarians thought would meet the expectations of the public.

         

Supervising librarian Sally Thomas gives a more detailed reason as to why there was an elongated delay to the opening of the library, one of their biggest concerns was safety.

         

“We had hoped to open the library in October of 2018 but construction projects of this nature is complex...We had to get all the permits so that we can ensure the public’s safety,” Thomas said.

         

The new library was built to take the place  of the old Hayward Library which was built in the 1950’s. On July 14, 2018, it was torn down during the construction of the new library. Due to its age and the growing population in the city, many in the community believed it was time to have a library that was more urban.

         

“I think having a state of the art library like this one is really a signal to our community and the Bay Area community that Hayward is a city that really wants to cultivate learning, community gathering, and presentation of art,” Thomas said.

         

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The new library is also a great new resource for high school students. Many new programs are offered like the new teen book group, a drop in homework support center and individual study rooms that can be reserved for up to two hours. During construction, advice from local teens were also implemented for the new teen room.

         

“We got a lot of input from our teen advisory group, so they spent a very inventive process with the architects and they really incorporated a lot of their ideas in making a space that was exclusive to teens,” Thomas said.

         

Zimmerman hopes to increase her students usage to the local libraries, just recently she took her ninth grade English class on a field trip to the San Lorenzo library.

         

“I wanted my students to be exposed to the public library. I wanted them to know  where it was, how to use it, and how to check out books so that they have something to read for the first semester for my class,” Zimmerman said.

         

Other additional programs are currently being added to the library. One area that is currently still being constructed is the Digital Media Lab which is supposed to open in the next six months or so, this program will allow people who are interested in digital media, a chance to work with more advanced computer equipment in workshops on how to use Photoshop and movie software. An audio lab is also being added into the library for people interested in sound recording.

         

“We are currently working on bringing people who have the skills to teach and so we can offer opportunities for college students or even high school students who have the skills or just want to learn more about digital media,” Thomas said. “The library is just a place for people to come and pursue whatever interests them and really motivates them to aspire to improve themselves in whatever ways they want to or just be entertained...We or the whole community in general is excited about what this new library offers to the downtown area, but also to the community at large, we think its a beginning to a lot more opportunities.” •