The Idea:
Oakland Technical High School will be initiating a Library Advisory group, co-led by teacher librarian Mx. Grewal, and an elected OTHS student. This idea is not novel, however, up until this point students have not had much of a say with how their library functions, what programs are offered, or what technology is available. With this advisory group we are seeking to engage the students we serve. We will be building on the successful work of teen advisories at public libraries and other school libraries to build our advisory program.
With this work, we aim to give OTHS students a voice in what this space looks like, how it functions, policy, and what we offer. The goal is to make this space reflect a space where young people want to be, are safe, and feel welcome. We want the library collection and programs to reflect and celebrate the diversity of our school. What could the library be if more voices were in the conversation?
Context:
The Oakland Tech Library Mission:
The Oakland Technical High School Library exists to serve as an educational center for our students and staff while providing access to books, technology and other information needs to promote a lifelong love of reading, proficient research skills, and curiosity.
Oakland Tech Library Vision:
The Oakland Tech Library is where students and staff have access to a library which has books on diverse topics, with diverse main characters and authors. Students and staff use literacy to support their curiosity about the world around them. Students and staff have access to the latest technology and software to support their interests and passions. The Oakland Tech Library strives to remove barriers to access information.
In 2022 a group of motivate parents were permitted to transform our library into a “Student Center”. The vision of the “Student Center” did not come to life without a dedicated staff member to supervise and was largely a meeting space for teachers. The library was reinstated after funding was secured for a teacher librarian.
The priory has been 150-person staff meetings must be held here, but not much thought has been given to how students and staff use this space outside of being a meeting location, but as a library. The library is really thought of on campus as a space and not as an organism. The furniture is not modular, and the space before the library was added was sterile and reflected the community in a stagnate way. I personally called it a hospital for books, bright white light and bland walls.
When the library first opened, the collection was at 686 titles for a school of 1,800 students. In two years, the collection has grown to over 6,000 titles, while there is more work to be done with collection development, there is more capacity for the teacher librarian to meaningfully and formally engage the students. We also have good data that show the students are engaging in their library, circulation numbers are up, visitation numbers are up. Staff on campus can see how students utilize the space.
The remolded “Student Center” opened in 2022. Note the “mini library” to the left (2022).
This is the current edition of the library (2026). Unfortunately I do not have a photo of the same angle.
Action Brief:
| Convince: | OTHS students | That by: | Participating in the Library Advisory group |
| They will: | Help design library programs, brainstorm new offerings, and contribute to collection development | Which will: | Increase student and staff engagement across the school |
| Because: | We want to challenge our community’s assumptions about libraries and reimagine what is possible. |
Although OTHS library users provide informal feedback, most of that input comes from students and staff who already use the library. Based on rough estimates, the library currently reaches a little less than one-third of the school community. A core group of students uses the library regularly, but most new users discover it through class visits. By increasing student engagement and input, the goal is to encourage students to use the library beyond scheduled class visits.
Guidelines & Policies
For fundraising purposes, the Library Advisory group must operate as a student-run club, with the teacher librarian serving as advisor. Because it will function as a student-led club, students will help determine its policies while following school guidelines:
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- Clubs must be open to all students.
- Club meetings must take place on campus.
- Students cannot be required to pay membership dues.
- Clubs may become inactive if financial and documentation procedures are not completed.
- An advisor must be present at all meetings. (Oakland Technical High School, 2025)
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Students may request voluntary membership contributions, but this approach conflicts with library values and would not be permitted by the advisor. Any funds raised by students should be spent only on priorities approved by the advisory group. To launch the club, one student will need to serve as president, and two additional students will need to serve as secretary and treasurer. The club must also be approved by the ASB leadership group.
Timeline for Implementation
In past years, club applications have typically been due sometime in September. To support consistent progress on programming and space revisioning, the advisory group should meet weekly or biweekly for planning. One proposal is for students to host or develop a monthly lunchtime program. Mx. Grewal can support the group by submitting a DonorsChoose proposal for needed materials and tapping into other avenues for funding or donations.
Marketing and Promotion
The OTHS Library does not currently have an Instagram account, so creating one could help connect with students. Many student clubs and academies already use Instagram to share information. The Library Advisory group could use the account to promote meetings, programs, and updates, as well as gather feedback through polls. The library also has a hallway display case where programs can be advertised. In addition, Mx. Grewal has access to the TV across from the main entrance, which can be used to promote events and reading incentives.
The hallway display case the library can use (2026).
The Library Advisory group could also collaborate with other campus clubs. For example, the library has previously hosted screenings from the Arab Film and Media Institute and could partner with the Muslim Student Union for similar events or displays related to cultural and religious holidays. The Sustainability Club is interested in starting a seed library hosted by the library; the Library Advisory group and Sustainability Club could co-host events in the garden or library focused on growing plants or saving seeds. The fact of the matter is, there is funding, it does not go to the library beside for my salary. So, we need to get creative about how to tap into other people’s funding. Can we can get money from VAPA (visual and performing arts) to get supplies for monthly art programming or books which highlight different kinds of visual and performing art? The different academies on campus have access to college and career funding, is there a way that the library could host an activity, speaker, or event that is open to the whole school and allows all students to experience a program from the Engineering or Computer Academy? The students in Library Advisory would ideally be from different grade levels and different academies across campus to help brainstorm a specific event.
Arab Film and Media Institute film screening of Don’t Be Long, Little Bird (2025).
Staff Training & Readiness
Site visits to schools such as the Athenian School (Athenian School, 2025) and Berkeley High School (Berkeley Public Schools, 2026) where they have active student library advisory committees. It would be ideal if the student president was enrolled as a library IWE, independent work experience, as a class period. Part of their IWE period could be planning and prepping for the meeting to keep student engagement up.
Evaluation & Future Expansion
As a teacher I would get feedback from students every marking period asking them what was working, what wasn’t working, and what they wanted to see more of in the class. I adjusted my teaching based off their feedback.
Asking students in library advisory similar questions as an exit ticket for the meetings would be good for the president and the advisor to go over the feedback to adjust how the meetings are going and what we can offer to support the students in Library Advisory. 
Library IWEs applied mylar to picture books for the local elementary school helping our OUSD library staff (2025).References:
The Athenian School. [@athenianschool]. (2025, April 10). Our Library Advisory Board—an Upper School student club for those with a passion for libraries and reading—took a field trip to the MLK Jr. Library in San Jose where they met with the directors of the acquisition, outreach… [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/DISGtWesE_h/
Berkeley Unified School District Library Services. (2026, April). BUSD Library Advisory Committee. BUSD Libraries. https://library.berkeley.net/busd-library-advisory-committee
Oakland Technical High School. (2025, March 24). Oakland Technical High School: 2026-27 club application. [Google Docs]. https://docs.google.com/document/d/16f0X09oLVTcVCj2XUkg7ODak-aAuNVW97rpBg_if08Q/edit?tab=t.0
