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In the Foothill High library, there's more than meets the eye

This library is a very resourceful and pleasant place for the students at Foothill High School. All they need to do is actually go in and check on what the library has to offer them.

By CHARIS ABRAMS
fhspress.com Staff
Class of 2012

The Foothill High School library is a place where you can do so many things. If you want a great experience while visiting, here are some of the many things the library offers.

Mrs. Pegar and Mrs. Ligamari discuss a library book

Mrs. Shannon Pegar, library clerk, and Mrs. Joanne Ligamari, teacher librarian, discuss the contents of a library book. Photo by Karina Camancho.

1. Book Club
The club is new to Foothill this year, and many would agree that it is a great experience for the members. You can join the Book Club and read some really good books and discuss them too. The club has already read the very popular book, The Hunger Games, and is in the process of reading Full Tilt. It is not too late to join either. The club is student- driven, which means that they choose which books they would like to read. However, there is a problem that they are dealing with, which is not being able to get enough copies of the book for the students. They would love to become more of an official club so they can do some fundraising to get what they need for the members.

2. Textbook Check-Out
You can get your textbooks checked out by the library assistant, Mrs. Shannon Pegar. She is responsible for checking textbooks out at the beginning of the year, and checking them in at the end of the year.

3. Plexer of the Week
You can try to figure out the Plexer of the week. A Plexer is a picture puzzle made up of words. If you figure it out, you can win a pencil and a Hershey's kiss. The Plexer definitely gets the students thinking. It brings them in so that they can see what the library has in store for them.

4. Games
You can go in the library to play games. You can play Scrabble, Chess, and do brain puzzles. All you have to do is ask and the librarian, Mrs. Joanne Ligamari, or Mrs. Pegar, will gladly get them for you. If you would like to play chess, but you aren't sure how, there is a link on the library website where you can find three sites that can teach you how to play.

5. Joke Wall
April is National Humor Month, so Mrs. Ligamari decided to put up a fun activity. You can put a joke on the joke wall and possibly win a prize. The deal is if you have a joke that is appropriate enough to tell your grandmother, then you can give it to one of the librarians and she will put your name in a box. There is a possibility that you could win a free book and some cookies.

6. Librarian and Library Clerk
You can go in and learn things from the teacher librarian, Mrs. Ligamari. She teaches students how to avoid plagiarism. She can also teach you how to research things effectively. Mrs. Ligamari has a teaching credential. She supports the teachers by helping students gather the right information using the right methods. She gathers up materials that the students can use when coming in to do research. The students have different options for their research. She gives other sources besides Google, such as sweetsearch.com. These sites are more appropriate for the students. Mrs. Ligamari has supported English classes by teaching about citing sources and plagiarism. Mrs. Pegar also works in the library as a library clerk. She deals with textbooks, the school's database, Measures, and book circulation. Dealing with all of the textbooks that come into the Library can be a hectic process when you are not prepared, but Mrs. Pegar is equipped for the process.

7. Prep/Research
You can go online in the library and research the best colleges to attend. There are plenty of links online to click, and these links provide the students with more information on important things. Mrs. Ligamari and Mrs. Pegar can assist you on the computer to help you decide which link will consist of the right information. If you are looking for sites to help you prepare for the SATs, the first five links listed on the site will help you. All you need to do is register and create an account, which is simple, and doesn't cost a cent.

8. Read
You can check out books to take home or you can read them right where you are in the library. The FHS library has a diverse selection of books, from romantic novels to action-packed adventure books. There are many choices of books in the library for students to choose.

9. Studies
The Library is a great place to research and study for classes. You can even print out information for your report. Next year the librarians are going to have to charge students for printing pages. "Some students go in there and print nonsense," said librarian Mrs. Ligamari. "They would print pages of penguins." Other high schools already charge for printing. The librarians are also more than happy to help you on the computers. They try to teach students not to always use Google. "We teach students how to use search engines besides Google because these other search engines are for student use and are appropriate for research and academic study," said Mrs. Ligamari.

10. The Web Page
You can go visit the library's web page. Many students don't even know there is a web page. To get to it you go to Foothill's web page, look under resources, and click library. There are three pages of information. You can find search engines, prep for college, and learn how to use a public library. All of the links on this site will help you in the long run, whether it is for learning how to play chess or learning how to avoid plagiarism.

NOTE—Vincent Newman contributed to this report.

charis.abrams@fhspress.com

vincent.newman@fhspress.com

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