-Library Clubs Offer Opportunities

By Jecoy Julius

If you like books, technology or just want to help others, then come on down to the Library.

The Three Library Clubs are the Tech Club, the Aspiring Youth Group, and the Book Club. The goals of these clubs are to improve students reading, vocabulary and writing skills and encourage reading for enrichment. They help make students see that reading isn't so bad and that it’s actually fun. They also help students to use the technology correctly for those who don't know how to use a computer.

Ms. Phyllis Serrant-Warner, the librarian, said, “All students of any age, once in school, are welcomed.”

THE TECH CLUB

The Tech Club was started by Ms. Michelle, one of Kean’s librarians, two years ago. The Tech Club helps students develop technology skills. “The club members will also help students to use the technology correctly like PowerPoint and other programs for school,” said Isaac Anthony, a club member. Each year the club recruits ten new students.

The Tech Club will be holding a Teen Tech Week,“an event to encourage teens to use the library resources to express their creativity by developing their own unique online content and safety sharing it by using online collaborative tools,” according to a flyer. The event will start March 12.

THE BOOK CLUB

Our librarians have lost count of how many years the book club has been there. Recruiting individuals for the club hasn’t been really hard because it has an outreach program.

“You get to interact with people who love books and get to express your opinion about books from different genres,” said Andre’a Burgess, President of the Book Club.

“People are very specific about what types of books they read, so when you interact with others, you help other members branch to other types of books they wouldn't ordinarily read...I would never touch the book Tom Sawyer until Ms. Serrant started talking about it in the Book Club,” said Andre’a.

THE ASPIRING YOUTH CLUB

With six active members, the Aspiring Youth Club helps students share the good that they have done for the past week by writing in journals. Ms. Michelle, the founder of the Aspiring Youth Group said,” Our motto is to ‘Be good and feel good about doing good.’ We are trying to spread kindness in our own little way. We are trying to be grateful every day.

“Every week we conceptualize the ‘Suggested simple act of kindness’ for our weekly calendar. We believe in the premise, ‘Kinder youths = safer schools = academic excellence.’ Like Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Education plus character--that is the goal of true education.’”

Brianna Benjamin, a member of the Aspiring Youth, said, “The Aspiring Youth is a group in which I can help and motivate others to do what is right. For example, picking up garbage and placing it into a receptacle instead of leaving it on the floor.”

“Announcement, weekly calendar, website, bulletin boards, members inviting their friends and library FB account is how we recruit individuals every year,” said Ms Michelle. Check the weekly calendar for the next club meeting,or stop by if you’re interested in joining.