Before March 13 the ILC and ELC at Adlai E. Stevenson High School was always bustling with activity from students and staff. These hands-on learning centers provided students with resources and a safe social environment.

After the school was forced to adjust to virtual learning due to COVID- 19, the ILC and ELC staff members’ jobs evolved. The tutors and librarians that make the learning centers possible are still working diligently to help students and staff members even on an online platform.

Before the pandemic, a typical day in the ILC and ELC included masses of students coming in and out to either ask for help, hang out with friends, or check out books. The Stevenson librarians in the ILC taught different lessons to English classes, helped students find books, and interacted with many students and staff members.

Despite the shift to a virtual setting, the librarians are still teaching material from book talks to research projects, just with a change in scenery. 

“We will visit their Zoom classrooms, their Zoom links, and do instruction the way we typically would,” ILC librarian Toni Gorman said.

As the librarians’ lessons moved to the computer screen, they also started two new big projects. The first being the renovation of the ILC by reorganizing the whole fiction collection, which used to be organized just by the author’s last name A-Z, will now be divided up by genre, according to Gorman. 

Once Stevenson students and staff can officially come back to the building, the library will be completely ready for their use. With this new layout, searching for a book will be like browsing through a bookstore.

“In addition to the genrefying of the physical books, we are creating a system online so students can chat with us [the librarians] in real-time from our library pages,” ILC librarian Jami Lopez said. ?

The library staff is working hard to get a chat system and/or a Zoom link up and running so students can contact them with all their questions. Many students not only have questions for librarians but also the ILC and ELC tutors. Similarly, the tutors are adjusting to this new reality: tutors for all different subjects are in Zoom calls ready to help.

“A typical day in my life is full of learning, patience, and resilience,” said Gurpreet Juneja, a science tutor in the ELC. “We learn every day to be patient with technology, students, and each other and be resilient. Adapting to new ways to reach out to students, community and each other can be difficult.”

Despite the challenges using new technology may present, the tutors are trying their best to adapt to these tough times. Zoom links for each tutor are posted on the Stevenson website for students seeking assistance in a particular subject. 

While 2020’s new reality moved Stevenson’s ILC and ELC online, this new system does not stop the effort from SHS staff. From helping students get better every day to taking on new projects, their hard work continues.

“We are trying to let everyone know that we are still here to help,” Gorman said.