By Terry L. Hapney, Jr.
The Ironton Tribune

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go.” — Dr. Seuss.
Students in Ironton City Schools have many new books to read so they will know more things—the books taking them to more places as they learn. The new books—as well as new furniture and other upgrades to the district’s high school and middle school libraries—were made possible thanks to grant funding.
Ashley Salmons is the district librarian who works in the elementary and middle school libraries. Once-retired library aide Angela Malone, who is back as a long-term substitute, works at the high school library. She retired just before the start of the 23-24 school year, concluding a 42-year career in Ironton schools.
Malone said the grant funding is through a partnership with the Nita M. Lowey 21st Century Community Learning Centers, which provides federal funding. It was in conjunction with the Vinton County ESC. The funding allowed district administrators and staff to purchase new furniture and 873 new books at the high school, among other upgrades.
“It’s in different phases,” Malone said. “We feel like we’ve almost completed phase one. In phase two, work is underway on an Esports room and television monitors that will show the news, weather and stock market. It’s a work in progress.”
Salmons said the middle school upgrades occurred during the 2022-23 school year through another grant, allowing for the removal of some older furniture and adding shelving.
“We got rid of lots of old books,” she said. “We received more than 1,000 new books.”
Ironton High School students also have access to databases to support their research efforts. Every student there has a Chromebook.
“Within that, they have access to every database we offer through INFOhio, which is a partner with the library,” Malone said.
It is a “real work in progress with the high school,” according to Malone.
“We started with somewhere around 8,000 books,” she said. “I weeded around 3,500 books.”
Malone kept books from the 1800s as part of the library’s archival collection.
Salmons said there is a “good chance” students are going to be interested in what is on the shelves now.
“It has helped not only from an educational standpoint but also their interests,” she said.
There are new books featuring current professional athletes and other high-profile entertainers.
“Like two copies of the Taylor Swift biography,” Salmons said. “They never stay checked back in. They are titles that are current that we can put in their hands to get them excited to want to read more.”
Malone encouraged students to provide their input on the library upgrades.
“We were picking out furniture and different books,” she said. “I pulled the students in. ‘What do you think? It’s your library. What do you like?’”
The consistent comment Malone and Salmons hear now is how open the space is.
“Even though we’ve gotten new furniture, it’s a different type of furniture,” Malone said. “We now have two couches. We have an ottoman with four pieces that make a Tiger paw.”
Just the other day, Malone told students if they have suggestions to let her know.
“A young lady gave me a list of 10 books,” she said.
Another new edition in the high school library is a Lawrence County history section.
“We do have books dedicated to just Lawrence County,” Malone said.
Both Malone and Salmons mentioned how hard-copy books are coming back—versus electronic books.
“They’re not so much into the Kindles and electronic devices,” Malone said. “They want that physical book in their hand. They want to turn those pages and see their accomplishment— ‘I’ve read this many pages!’”
Salmons said more children are checking out books and reading this year.
“They’re not all about reading on their Chromebooks,” she said. “It isn’t the same effect as a book. They want to flip pages. They want to inspect pictures. They get excited about it.”