The school library, also known as the HUB is a place where students and faculty go both to have fun through a world of stories, and get down to work. Rebecca Jensenius, who previously worked at Stonybrook as an Elementary School Teacher, is excited to be a part of the HUB as the high school’s new librarian. 

“I think flexibility is the key to being a great librarian. I accommodate all learners in the HUB and meet their needs, whether they are working independently, cooperatively or need to zoom with a class. I also think being available and friendly is an important component of being a great librarian. I want the learners at Central York High School to know they can come ask me for anything,” Jensenius said. 

Former Librarian, Tracy Parido, is now an English 4 teacher. When working with the books, she felt that her main job was to manage the space. Parido wanted to have more of a connection with students and enjoys teaching.

“I switched because I felt more like an administrator and didn’t get to know the students very well; I was more like a disciplinarian as opposed to a librarian,” said Parido.

 Jensenius agrees that students are not very open to teachers. Jensenius plans to bond with students, and is currently trying to fix the stigma that the students don’t need to ask for help. As students get older, they tend to use the resources at the HUB less because they have other things going on. Jensenius wants to make sure that students are comfortable speaking to her. 

She also teaches students about the different tools available in the HUB. Jensenius gave a presentation to Mr. Monahan’s Western Civilization class on the ins-and-outs of GALE, an online research resource. She was also able to give some presentations at the beginning of the year on helping students pick out a sustained silent reading book as well. 

“This was helpful for students to understand how our HUB is set-up and organized,” Jensenius said.

Jensenius is attempting to fix up the HUB and plans to finish it by the end of this year. Those specific plans include working on the STEM section and separating books, along with ordering more interesting books that might belong in the nonfiction section. For example, one high school student wanted to know if there were any books on origami, which there weren’t at the time, but they are now being ordered and should be available soon. 

She is arranging the library by genre which was already started by Parido, but not completely finalized. Jensenius is currently working on the STEM section and separating books, along with ordering more interesting books that might belong in the nonfiction section. For example, one high school student wanted to know if there were any books on origami, which there weren’t at the time, but they are now being ordered and should be available soon. 

“High Schooler’s are much more independent than elementary students. I feel as though I relate well to the high school students and have formed many connections with the learners in the HUB already,” said Jensenius. 

Both Jensenius and Parido have or are currently running clubs and electives in the library. Parido used to manage the English Literature Elective, which runs about every other year. This involves learning about how children’s literature became a genre that is separate from adult books. 

“It was the perfect course for a librarian to teach,” Parido said. 

Jensenius is in charge of both Library Council and Chick-Fil-A academy, which  run together. These clubs allow students to work on leadership skills and complete service projects, such as wrapping presents and a read-a-thon in March for elementary students. 

With all of these activities going on it can be hard to maintain a smile throughout the day, especially when starting something new. However, both of these ladies have stayed positive and enjoy what they are doing. Parido enjoys being an English teacher and developing relationships with her students. 

“On harder days, I just remind myself that I am still learning and this is a job change for me. I’m a pretty positive person as it is and try to not let things bother me too much,” said Jensenius.