Is the IMC actually as empty as it may seem? When settling into a chair above the library for lunch or studying, the room’s silence is appreciated. It’s quiet, not quite because of the rules, but because there’s no one else around. The IMC can look like a ghost town most days, but that isn’t really the case.
In reality, an average of 60 students sign in to the IMC daily, in addition to whole class visits and mentor meet-ups and quick exchanges. It and the library itself are a vital part of the school’s function, and important to many people.
Leah Krippner is to thank for the way the IMC is run. Library catalogue updates, layout adjustments, and the IMC’s continued improvements go through her. “So I’m always looking for new ideas, always growing and changing, moving stuff around, getting rid of things, and kind of looking for what’s the new big thing.” Krippner said.
Meanwhile, Book of the Week is a consistent feature, and it succeeds in helping the library’s books find an audience. “Sometimes you feel like I’m just sending these out to nowhere, but then I go back and I look and I’m like ‘Oh, somebody did check it out.’” Krippner said.
Sometimes, those audiences get to come together through Book Club, through group readings of the novels it shows off. The club opened itself up to new attendance ever since switching to Advisory period meetings during the 2024-2025 school year. Now it’s a highlight of the school week for a diverse group of students.
The conversations in Book Club meetings about personal interpretations, plot predictions and favorite characters inspire animated debate between friends, as discussed by member Jackson Sorenson (10). “But even with the other people that I’m not in the close friend group with, it’s really easy to interact with them because we’re all given a common subject to talk about.” Sorenson said.
Overall, Book Club establishes a close-knit student culture within the IMC. “Several of the Book Club kids then come for lunch, or I see them at other times of the day, because they’re used to being here, so it kind of introduces them a little bit and makes this a more homey spot for them to be.” Krippner said.
The library’s resources beyond featured books are staggering, with 10,006 unique titles on its shelves and another 200 as ebooks. Being able to request additions as well provides endless opportunities. “Personally, I think that they do offer enough of those materials, and that that library could sustain me personally on books for the rest of my life.” Sorenson said.
Practically however, time constraints prevent many interested students from independently using the library. “The last time that I for-real used a real library was probably the middle school library, because I had more time to read back then.” Sorenson said.
Rarely, the IMC hosts events with rewards to bring students in, in spite of similar issues. Club member Piper Campbell (10) attests to their effectiveness. “I feel the challenge they did last year, that’s like, checking out books with the letter A in it, I feel like that helped people get into the IMC a lot.” Campbell said.
With that said, it’s uncertain whether or not incentives inspire genuine interest. Others find school-mandated reading discouraging compared to when it is independent. “I think that the people that resonate with the IMC and resonate with books will find themselves there naturally… And if they’re not into that, there’s no point in forcing them to.” Sorenson said.
What matters most currently is maintaining the IMC as a functional, welcoming space for the many people who use it throughout the school year. That’s all that is really needed for most of its regulars. “It’s the best it can be, really.” Campbell said.
As the school works on assessing the effect that library materials and incentives have on student reading, the IMC continues to provide its services as it reliably has for over a decade.
