English teacher Alli Jordan has taken it upon herself to provide students with a way to borrow books after realizing that Sion’s current library didn’t offer that service by opening a “little library” in her office.
“I was a bit spoiled by the awesome librarian I used to work with at my old school. I also have a dream to be a librarian one day,” Jordan said. “I firmly believe that if you see a problem or a gap in your community, then it’s your job to be the one to grow the garden.”
The Sion library was remodeled in 2022 along with the science and publications labs, with the addition of the atrium, but the remodel caused a shift in how the library was being used. It became more of an open study space than a traditional library, and students were no longer able to check out books.
“I was sad that we don’t have a traditional library where students can check out books to read for fun,” Jordan said. “Ms. Carmody immediately gave me a budget when I asked for a way to purchase books to encourage reading for fun.”
The little library, inspired by the practice of making an outdoor box for people to trade books in neighborhoods, will also feature different books each month. Jordan encourages students to suggest books for the future, as the library is meant to be just as much theirs as it is hers.
“I chose the first book, ‘These Violent Delights,’ but I am hoping to coordinate with the book club to gather book suggestions,” Jordan said. “My hope is to one day have a bookshelf in my office where anyone can come and ‘check out’ books.”
Jordan hopes that the library can encourage students to enjoy reading for fun, and to move away from thinking of reading as an assignment or a chore.
“I hope that I have planted the seed for reading for fun, and that a year from now I will have a garden full of books and readers. There’s nothing better than getting lost in a world of fantasy with magic, or growing in empathy for another human being a world away or trying to solve a great murder mystery,” Jordan said. “Reading is not meant to be miserable or something you take a quiz over and put away. It should grow our hearts, imagination and love for others.”
