CHS Students Tour Cleveland Public Library's Main Library

(Left to right) Brandone Pennicooke, Sanita Washington, and Siera Thomas check out some of the books in the Youth Services Department.

The word of the day was definitely “adventure,” when a group of Collinwood High School students recently took a unique interactive, behind-the-scenes field trip to the Cleveland Public Library’s landmark Main Library, in celebration of Ohio Library Day and National Book Week.

Participants were able to see first-hand the wealth of free resources, programming and services geared to teens and how readily-accessible they all are.  This visit also gave students the opportunity to meet library staff members informally and discuss career possibilities in library, technology and information science.

Highlights of the trip included: a scavenger hunt; job shadowing; book checkout; and tours of the newly-launched Cleveland Digital Public Library, the Youth Services Department, Special Collections, Human Resources Department and Tech Central.

Students also discovered 3-D printing and makerspace technology, the extensive chess and checkers collection, rare and miniature books, Collinwood High School yearbooks, and archival newspapers covering the tragic Lakeview (Memorial) School fire in 1908.

“The importance of this field trip is to welcome our students to all areas of the Main Library,” explained Gail Greenberg.  “For many, this trip may be their first visit to this facility. Our goal is to fill this void and help students make the connection between their future and the limitless role this library can play,” she concluded.

Erica Marks, children’s librarian at CPL’s Collinwood Branch, and Gail Greenberg, Collinwood High School library media specialist, collaborated on this project, with funding made possible by a Target Field Trip Grant.

Gail Greenberg

Gail Greenberg is the media specialist at Collinwood High School.

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Volume 7, Issue 5, Posted 4:11 PM, 05.18.2015