Looking for something to read? The media center has a voluminous catalogue of books. Your Chromebook just crashed? The media center’s tech specialists and loaner Chromebooks will get you back to class in no time. Bored and looking for ways to relax? The media center’s board games and craft corner will happily entertain you. Conducting research? The media center has databases. Rushing to print something before it’s due next block? Don’t worry—the media center’s printers have got your back.
No matter what a Ridge student is looking for, chances are, they’ll find their exact solution in our very own media center. In order to better understand the service and support the media center offers to the Ridge community, I spoke with Ms. Galow, the new media specialist at Ridge High School. Read on to learn about her commitment to Ridge and its students, the various resources and tools the media center offers to Ridge students, and of course—a list of books that she recommends you check out. I’ve also included a list of all the resources and books that Ms. Galow mentioned at the very end of this interview.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Anya: First, can you please introduce yourself?
Ms. Galow: Of course. I’m Ms. Galow, and I am the new media specialist at Ridge High School.
Anya: What do you think draws you to your job? Is there something particular about books or libraries that you just really love?
Ms. Galow: So I grew up as a huge bookworm. I grew up loving to read, but beyond that, for my job, what I really, really love is being able to be of service to other people, to feel like I’m making a difference and to work together with students and staff, and provide them with the resources that they need. I like to be of help. I like to be in a community and contribute to that community.
Anya: The media center community is really, really nice.
Ms. Galow: Yeah. It’s awesome. It’s a great environment and I want to continue that and grow it.
Anya: About books: I’m also a big fan of reading books. Do you have a favorite book of all time?
Ms. Galow: Ooh. Um, a favorite book of all time? That’s a hard one. I don’t have a favorite book of all time because I have so many favorite books, but I will talk about one book in particular. When I was in middle school, I read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.
Anya: Oh yeah, I’ve read that before.
Ms. Galow: And it’s this beautifully written, historical fiction novel, about this girl in World War II and all the things she experiences. And it was one of the books that I read where I sobbed at the end—it hit me so hard. It really impacted me—not just the story, but the writing style, how poetic it was.
Anya: Yeah. Yeah, I remember that book. I thought it was really interesting that it was also written from Death’s perspective.
Ms. Galow: Yeah, it blew my mind. I was in eighth grade and I was like, “You could do that with a story?” Yeah. Oh my God, it’s awesome. And I bugged my mom like, you have to read this. Like, you have to read this book. It’s so good. And so finally she read it and it was this really cute bonding moment between my mom and I, because we’d talk about it together.
Anya: And a similar question: do you have a favorite book character of all time?
Ms. Galow: I gotta think about that one again. I don’t think so. But there is a fantasy book that I love called Sorcerer to the Crown by Zen Cho, and it is a book that imagines what Regency England would be like if it also had magic. And one of its characters is Priscilla, and she is so funny and witty and just really ambitious in a way that I really admire about the character. Like, I tend to be someone who’s a little bit off to the side: I don’t necessarily want to be a person in the spotlight, but she is so comfortable being that person who steps up and takes charge and does what needs to get done and she doesn’t care what other people think about her. And she’s definitely one of my favorite characters.
Anya: She sounds awesome. Are you reading any books right now?
Ms. Galow: So, I’m currently reading Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, mostly because I loved Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
Anya: I’ve read Jane Eyre too!
Ms. Galow: I read that in middle school. It just hit me. I was like, “This is such a good book,” and I loved it. So I’ve read it and reread it for years, but then Wuthering Heights I never read. And every time I mentioned that to my friends, my friends would be like, “You’re either gonna love it or hate it.” So for years I’ve been like, “I’m either gonna love or hate this book.” So I’m like, now’s the time. I’m finally going to read it.
And then the other book I’m reading is this web novel called Omniscient Reader’s Viewpoint. And it’s originally in Korean, but it’s been translated into English and it’s this really interesting dystopian fantasy story about this corporate guy who’s obsessed with this web novel. But then he wakes up one day and he’s in the world of the book. And the world of the book is this crazy dystopian landscape that he has to navigate, but he’s able to do it because he is the only one who’s read the story. So he knows what’s going on. And it’s really interesting. It’s funny and violent. But it’s also this character who doesn’t view himself as a protagonist. He still thinks of himself as if he’s observing everything that’s going on, who thinks “I’m an observer in my own life.” But he has to be active. He has to make decisions due to the weird wild setting that he’s in, which is really interesting.
Anya: That’s really cool. All right, so I guess we’ll pivot a little bit. Tell me more about your job here. What does your day to day look like? Does each day follow a routine?
Ms. Galow: Okay, so what’s fun about my job and what I like about my job is that every day is a little different. You kind of never know what you’re gonna get. Typically I get here in the morning and there are students with Chromebook issues that need to be addressed, because every morning that’s just what happens, part of the routine. But then it really depends. Honestly, my schedule is super flexible, which means that there’s a lot of teachers and students coming in and out that I constantly meet with and speak with. Sometimes, I’ll have classes come in that need to select books for independent reading assignments, so I’ll be there and I’ll help them out. That’s one of my favorite things to do. Other times I will pop into classrooms of other teachers and across subject levels, and I will do a mini lesson basically on navigating our databases and on figuring out research tools and strategies and basically how to research effectively and efficiently. Other times I co-teach AP Seminar and AP Research. Basically, I’ll pop into those classes, and I will either provide one-on-one support to students who need it, or I will do lessons, again, on databases, about how they work. So that’s kind of an encapsulation of what could happen in my day.
Anya: To kind of go off of that, what’s the favorite part of your job?
Ms. Galow: Ooh. I love my job. Genuinely, I feel like I have the best job in the world. I didn’t know before becoming a media specialist that I could feel really happy coming into work every day, but I’m really happy that I have that. And I think the big picture thing that I love about my job is, again, that I get to serve the entire school community. I don’t just have one class subject that I teach. I get to serve every student that comes into the media center. I get to serve every student when I pop into classrooms and I also get to serve staff. I get to provide them with resources that they need. And that makes me feel like I am contributing to students’ learning, the school community’s learning, and that I’m making a difference. And that makes me feel fulfilled and really good about what I do. And then I also just love relationships with students. I love talking to students. I don’t have to go out there during lunch and talk with them and ask them how their day is, but I like to do it. Because it’s important to me to build that trust and rapport and respect with students, because one of the most important things as a media specialist is relationship building. If I don’t have relationships with students and with staff, then there is no functional media center. It is just gonna be a collection of books that is just gonna sit there. Like, in order for me to best serve the school community, I need to know what they need. And in order to know what they need, I need to know who they are. Plus, I just like getting to know kids. They can be weird and funny and cool. And just awesome. So, yeah, it’s been great.
Anya: That’s really sweet. What would you say, though, is the hardest part of your job?
Ms. Galow: Simultaneously, I like how every day is different, but the flip side of that is that sometimes I feel like I’m being pulled in a million different directions at once, and I have to really focus and prioritize what needs to get done immediately versus what I can, you know, kind of save for later. And that can be challenging, to figure out for myself how to navigate all of that.
Anya: Yeah. To kind of pivot again: can you list some of the resources that the Media Center offers to Ridge students?
Ms. Galow: Of course. So we have our databases. If you literally Google R-H-S-L-M-C, it’ll be the first result. Please bookmark it if you are ever researching, so that way you can just go to it automatically. Our databases offer a ton of different academic resources that you can peruse. We also have a really, really awesome craft corner that Mrs. Beekman and Mrs. G, our fabulous media center aides, have curated and created and kept together with heart and soul and creativity and skill. And that is a really, really cool space where students can get together and unwind, and engage in an activity that’s fun and cute and do something with their hands. And in that vein, we also have a pretty solid collection of board games and puzzles. We’re hoping to broaden that collection by the end of this year so that we can provide even more opportunities for students to engage with each other through gameplay that’s not just staring at the Chromebooks. And of course, we also have a ton of books. We have so many. I really think that we have a solid collection of books. We have a really good fiction section in particular. Other resources that we offer—I’m trying to think off the top of my head. We have, let me see, I’m looking out. We have a printer.
Anya: I mean, that’s real though. It’s real.
Ms. Galow: It’s real. We have a printer. Um, pro tip. When you go to print, there are little signs at the desktop, and they’ll tell you which printer to use. If you can read that, you can do anything in life. But please—please read which printer you need if you need to print. It’s not “Cute PDF Writer.” We also have contests that we run every month, usually multiple at a time. And sometimes we team up with clubs or organizations to do a display. So for April, which is Autism Awareness Month, the Neurodiversity Ambassadors Club asked if they could put a main display up in the media center forward and we were like, “Yeah, totally.” So that’s another way that we collaborate with people in the school community. And then in addition to the main display that they put up, we also added books to display there that focus on the topic. We always want to make sure that with these fun contests, with these displays, with all the stuff going on that we highlight books that we have, that we highlight literature, because it is really important to promote the love of reading.
Anya: Yeah, definitely. I just asked that question because sometimes I feel like kids don’t know that so many things are available to them, right?
Ms. Galow: Oh yeah. No, for sure. If you aren’t in the media center, how would you know? But that’s what we’re here for.
Anya: Are there any resources that the media center offers that you wish students took advantage of more?
Ms. Galow: The databases. So I mean, a number of students know how to, you know, click the link, access it, and start typing in keywords and pressing enter. But I would say that in general— and this is not me knocking against students or whatever—if you don’t have this skill right now, now’s the time to learn to be more thoughtful and analytical about your search process and the words and the key terms that you use and which database you’re using, and just being able to navigate an academic database in general. It’s gonna be really, really helpful for you, not just in high school, but also in college, because almost inevitably you’ll have to use one of those databases again, and it will give you a huge leg up if you already know how to use it here. So I would say the databases. But also, if you want, participate in our contests. This is me doing a plug. But no one has to, we’re never gonna force anybody to do contests. But if you think you might be interested, go for it. Can’t hurt. It’s usually pretty low effort. It’s pretty easy. It’s fun.
Anya: Are there any upcoming projects or plans that the media center is planning on having that students should look forward to?
Ms. Galow: So we’re gonna be doing a display for AAPI month—that’s Asian American Pacific Islander Month—that’s gonna be awesome. We’re gonna do a main display for that. Oh, we’re also doing a display about mental health awareness. Actually—another resource that I would love for students to know more about is our Destiny Discover Collections. We have an online catalog that we search whenever students need help finding books. But one of the things that we also have is publicly available online collections that students can look up and use. And they’re typically organized by different genres and categories. So if they’re looking for books for AAPI month, or just want a book with a Korean-American protagonist or whatever, that’s a great collection for them to look through. And it’s pretty accessible via the media center website. They would go to the homepage, where there’s a catalog section. They can click on that and they’ll be taken there.
Anya: Okay. So those lists are of books that the media center has?
Ms. Galow: Yes. That’s something that would be really, really cool for students to know about.
Anya: Definitely. We’re close to wrapping up based on my planner here, but if students would like to offer suggestions or changes to the media center, how can they do that?
Ms. Galow: Once AP testing is over, be on the lookout for a suggestion display in the Media Center where you can contribute feedback if you want. We’d love to hear from you. We’re always looking to improve. We’re always looking to know: what can we do better? What’s happening next? How can we best serve you guys? Because if we’re not serving you guys, we’re not running a good media center. And if you don’t feel great in this space, then obviously we want you to feel good in this space. That’s our priority.
Anya: Do you have any book recommendations right now for students?
Ms. Galow: Do I have any book recommendations right now for students? My gosh. This is like the moment where I forget everything I’ve ever read. Okay. So, if you haven’t read The Hunger Games yet, I highly recommend reading The Hunger Games, and I highly recommend reading the prequels. I would say if you’re into horror and you’re into graphic novels, I’m always going to recommend Through the Woods by Emily Carroll. That is an incredible series of horror short stories, in graphic novel format, and it’s beautiful and haunting. I still think about the imagery—like it’s really, really good. If you are really into sports, and you want to read a fiction story about sports that is propulsive and good and has action but is about people engaging in these sports—literally anything by Kwame Alexander and Jason Reynolds is gonna be awesome. Jason Reynolds has track series, and Kwame Alexander has a number of series involving basketball and soccer. Those are really solid. And what’s really cool about Kwame Alexander’s books is that they’re told in verse. And it’s really, really well done. I’m also going to recommend One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston. That is a really, really good romance that has sort of a time loop element where one character is stuck in this single moment in time on this subway train station, but she appears in the present time of this other character. Then they have this romance and it’s kind of doomed, but kind of not. And it’s like, “Will they be able to keep loving each other?” So it is this really, really compelling story. It’s a really good romance.
Anya: Those are some awesome books. I’m down to my final question. Thanks for a great interview—do you have a message that you’d like to leave for Ridge students?
Ms. Galow: Oh my goodness. I tell students this all the time. If you don’t like reading, if you hate reading, if you are not into reading, that’s fine. I’m not going to judge you. There’s no point in that. My goal is to help you find a book that you like—at the end of the day, that’s my mission. That’s why I’m here. Even if you don’t become this huge reader who reads a gazillion books an hour or whatever, my goal is to help you find the book that will change your life. And it’s ambitious and it may take us time, but I really, truly believe that we will get there, and that you matter enough for us to do this together and that we can work together and make this happen, and that books can really change people’s lives.
Anya: That’s a really nice message. Thank you so much for this interview!
List of Media Center Resources:
- Ridge High School Media Center website: https://sites.google.com/bernardsboe.com/rhslmc/home?authuser=0
- Media Center Databases: https://sites.google.com/bernardsboe.com/rhslmc/databases?authuser=0
- Media Center Catalogues: https://sites.google.com/bernardsboe.com/rhslmc/catalogs?authuser=0
- Ridge High Destiny Catalog: Destiny Catalog
- Destiny Catalog Resource Lists: Destiny Resource Lists
- Media Center craft’s corner: walk in from the front door of the media center, turn right, walk past the librarians’ desks, and you will find the corner to your right
- Media Center printers: located in the center of the media center (computers connected to printers located on your left when you enter the media center from the front doors)
List of Ms. Galow’s Book Recommendations:
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Through The Woods by Emily Carrol
- One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston