Northridge : School Creates Library Worth Checking Out

For years, the library at Calahan Street Elementary School was a stuffy, cramped room that was hardly used.

Now students come after school to a spacious room and gather around sturdy desks to study or take turns at three new computers with CD-ROMs, which are used for research and to catalog books.

“The kids are very anxious to get their little hands on the computer,” PTA President Cheryl Crooks said.

The library’s change from an empty, narrow compartment to a bustling, inviting place came about slowly.

When the Northridge school lost a grant to renovate the library last spring, teachers and parents joined forces and took the matter into their own hands.

They spent hours knocking down a wall to enlarge the space and make enough room to hold classes. The worn-out carpet was replaced. A local businessman donated funds, which were matched by the school’s PTA to buy new computers. And parents put a fresh coat of paint on the library’s dingy walls.

“People are really going above and beyond what it takes to get what they want for their kids,” Crooks said.

To celebrate the library’s transformation, parents, teachers and students held a ribbon-cutting ceremony recently to show off their handiwork.

“It just creates a whole different feeling about that place in the school,” Crooks said.