Library Acquires New Gates

“I think it’s more welcoming,” said assistant librarian Nelson Bermudez when asked his opinion on the feeling of the new gates. “It’s not like a barrier like before.”

The Las Lomas Library, which has traditionally kept turnstile gates, recently installed newer gates in which students can freely walk in and out of the library without fear of getting stuck. Such gates were installed in order to protect the library from theft, as high school libraries are at a high risk of theft because, “books written for young adults and adults are more expensive than…books for children,” to quote Head Librarian Mary Walfoort.

The Library staff has had mixed reactions to this change. Mary Walfoort has welcomed the new gates, stating that: “I think it’s more welcoming not to have the turnstiles…The students don’t get their backpacks caught in the turn style. They can walk out easier, there’s never a bottleneck.¨ And Mr. Nelson said that, ¨I love the appearance [and] I like that the flow is much better. Sometimes, students backpacks would get stuck [in the turnstiles] upon entering or leaving the library, others have been more critical.”

Allison Nakao, a volunteer at the library, has stated that: “[She finds the new gates] kind of annoying because we occasionally have false alarms with the new gates, and we’re still trying to figure out what’s been causing the false alarms. Each time it’s different; there’s a student that doesn’t have a backpack, a student that’s carrying an iPhone, or a student that actually has books.”

Mr.Nelson also explained that, ¨It [also] goes off when there is a book from another library in the students backpack.¨

Such concerns about the alarm are not without their dangers, and are caused by unknown reasons. During such times when the alarm goes off, students should, to quote Mary Walfoort: “Stop and check. If the new gate goes off when you are walking out, please stop.”

While the Library is “in the process of figuring out why we are getting these false alarms,” and the Library is confident that it will solve this issue, students should nevertheless be vigilant in ensuring their safety and security by following the necessary procedures when dealing with a false alarm.

Mrs. Walfoort said, ¨Our students are very trustworthy, the gate is there but really our students are very good here.¨