For many students, the Media Center is like a second home. No matter where they sit, the Media Center offers the perfect place to complete homework, a research project, or chat quietly with friends. Most noticed that this second home recently installed new carpets, but what they maybe didn’t realize is that the library’s literary collection has also received an upgrade.

Mercy librarians Ms. Cheryl Corte and Ms. Katy Koskela seized an opportunity given to them by the installation of the new carpet. After moving all the books off of the shelves, they decided to remove numerous books from the fiction section that were older and in bad condition. They removed books that weren’t checked out often and updated the collection with more current fiction novels. They also completely eliminated the biography section and placed the remaining relevant biographies with the library’s main collection. Though the shelves may look emptier now, students should not worry that they won’t be able to find what they need.

“There are some books that are tried and true… that everybody uses. We’ve kept those,” said Ms. Corte.

Avid readers are rejoicing in this update to the library’s collection, but other students have failed to acknowledge the change. Other than for projects, many students never check books out.

“No one knows they can check out books here,” said senior Eleanor Keurejian.

Senior Lizzie Lilley agrees but admits that upperclassmen do not have that excuse.

“I think that the freshmen and sophomores don’t know they can, but we’ve figured it out by now,” said Lilley.

Ms. Corte and Ms. Koskela are hoping that some of the new books might attract students to browse the shelves.

“We’re trying to dispel the myth that the books are just for decoration,” said Ms. Corte.