Library Renovation Adds Books, Shelves and Smiles
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New bookshelves, books and computers brought smiles to students and staff at Fernangeles Elementary School, which recently unveiled its renovated library.
The school chorus and a folklorico group performed at a Friday ceremony marking the completion of 2 1/2 weeks of construction.
A $20,000 matching grant from the nonprofit organization Wonder of Reading helped fund the project, along with money from the school’s discretionary fund, said Principal Elisabeth Douglass.
“The shelves were old, and some were breaking and splintering,” Douglass said.
“The room was kind of dark and there weren’t very many books on the shelves.”
The library is now twice as large as before, with new paint and carpeting. It also has a new circulation desk and four computers will be installed soon.
The Los Angeles Unified School District paid for new books. Before the renovation, the library had a book-to-student ratio far below the national average of 20, said librarian Carolee Christy.
There are now about 700 new books for the school’s 1,200 students, Douglass said.
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