A place for reading books, finishing last minute homework, and enjoying peace and quiet, the library is an important location in any school. Despite its many uses however, many wonder if the library is actually used and appreciated by students.

“I don’t think a lot of students actually use the library,” said avid library user, sophomore Hannah Clawson. “I know there’s a lot of people that use it regularly and there’s a lot of people that only use it just sometimes, but there’s some people that only use it when they have to get a book for a class.”

Junior Lizabeth Jones, a rare library user, said,  “I’ve only used [the library] when my teachers have made me go in and do research.” She thinks that a major reason students aren’t using the library is because of new technology. “You can get most of the books on your tablets now so [people] kind of go towards that,” said Jones.

Davis High Librarian, Jennifer Harward, agrees with Clawson and Jones, but also believes that there are even more levels of varying library commitment. She said, “I know that some students use it every day, even multiple times a day (before school, at lunch, after school). Some students use it once or twice a week when they are ready to read a new book for fun. Some students use it once or twice a term to pick up books assigned by their teachers. Some probably only come into the library if one of their classes is…doing a research project or taking a computer-based test. Some probably never come into the library. “

Senior Maren Passey, also a frequent library user, had a similar idea about library use. “People who use it, use it regularly,” said Passey, “but I have friends that only go to it twice a year; so it ranges.”

The library’s use can also change depending on what time of day it is. “The busiest times in the library are from 7:15-7:30 in the morning, during the second half of lunch, after school at the end of each term, and during tutorial,” said Librarian Jennifer Harward. “It is not uncommon to have students waiting for me to open at 7:00 or to have students still here when I close at 3:30 or later. During class time, we are generally full.”

Harward enjoys having students spend time in the library, but wishes more would take advantage of this resource. “I would always love to see more students use the library because I think reading is very important, and the library is one of many gateways to reading and information,” said Harward. “I love to have students use the library.”