by Myralexis Tijerina| staff writer

A new library pass system is now implemented which affects the number of students allowed to utilize the resources in the library during flex and lunch. The paper passes are now laminated cards, and are restricted to a certain amount.

“We usually gave out 20, but we kept losing passes and students continued taking them to other places. We kept it at 20 because a lot of students already have permanent passes,” librarian Terri Sanchez said. “So those students come to me in the beginning of the year and say, ‘I’m going to the library every single day during lunch,’ so I gave them permanent passes. So in addition to the 20 there’s also those kiddos coming in.”

When the papered passes were easily stolen, students would take a pass from the administrators. Claiming they are “going to the library” yet as soon as they go near the library they take the pass and keep it for the rest of the year.

“I like that you can rent [the passes] out for a little bit, but I think that we should be allowed to go [to the library]. But people take the pass and skip it [keeping the pass and not going to the library]. They say that they’re going to the library but they don’t. So they just take the library pass. I think that it’s not fair for the people who actually want to go instead of skipping,” junior Daniel Nix.

In order to get a pass for lunch they changed how and where to get a pass including the way the passes look.

“So we changed the way it works. Now we have a better way of tracking students who needed to go to the library. So in the morning before school you can go to the library and Mrs. Sanchez has cards,” assistant principal Julie Shore said. “Now she actually checks out a library book to every student and then she has a limited of students she gives the [passes] out for each day because it depends who she has in the library because she has classes in the library and she can’t give out passes. Once it’s issued during lunch they go and check it out then you give the card back and that’s how you get to go to the library.”