The Growler Café opened for business this week in the library, and with it brought new changes to the running of the library. BHSH librarian, Denise Mancuso said that the new café has ¨definitely affected how we (the library) are looking.”  Currently, there are stacks and boxes of books all around the library. However, Mancuso says that the café is not solely to blame for the mess. Mancuso has a plan to reorganize the library by genres. That way “students who say they want (for example) fantasy books and they can go right to the fantasy section.” She says that she “figured since we have a mess, let’s make a bigger mess.”

She is also working on weeding out the old literature that is of lesser interest to readers today. If students or teachers walk past the library, they will see the cart of books that are free to anyone. Mancuso also says that she is working on making sure that “all books in a series are together” whether they are in hardback or paperback. That way “you don’t have to go from place to place trying to find all the pieces of your series.” She plans to make it faster and easier for students to find what they are looking for using these new organization plans.

Mancuso assures that the online catalog is not going to change, however, and that students can still look up books from classes. She reminds students that if they wish to log in with their school ID they can reserve, save and hold books for them until they are able to stop by the library to pick them up.

Mancuso said that it is chaotic coming up from the middle school to all the change and construction in the library, and there are some days when she isn’t happy about the mess. However, she says that “It’s an adventure and it’s fun.” She’s thrilled about being able to make a positive change in different ways here at the high school.

The Growler Café  is now open and offers a wide range of items. Smoothies, specialty coffee, tea, snacks, and some premade items provide a variety of options for visitors to the café. Students can visit the café during flextime hours or with a teacher’s permission.