On Wednesday, February 29, the new look was unveiled to the community.
“It’s just amazing,” said Principal Deborah Florio. She was a strong force behind the makeover.
When she became principal four years ago, she noticed that the room was not fulfilling its real purpose as a library.
“It did have shelves, it did have books but it was used more as an academic environment where teachers would work in room servicing children's academic needs,” she said.
She felt the need to transform the space into the learning library it could be. With the help of teacher Adam Marcus, along with some funds from Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and Councilman Brad Lander, the new library was beginning to take shape.
And through the Fund for Public Schools, the school received about $25,000 for an online catalog and books and $50,000 for a Library Legacy Grant for 17 iMacs, six MacBook Pros and 20 iPads with security locks and apps.
The collection has also tripled collection size and carries a range of textbooks to fiction, nonfiction and reference materials.
The library will be open all the time, during the school day, as well as Saturdays and Florio wants it to be accessible to the surrounding community.
“It really is a space where people of all ages can practice lifelong learning. That was my vision for the kids in the building,” she said. “It's a portal to the world's knowledge and lifelong education center where everyone can share enrichment experiences, cultural experiences, and information.”


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