September Library Newsletter

Our new 3D printer gives WHS students the opportunity to design, prototype, build, and create three-dimensional objects right here in the Library.

Whether you’re working on a class project, exploring a design idea, solving a problem, or simply curious about how 3D printing works, the printer is here for you to experiment and learn.

A new space in the Library dedicated to connection, discovery, and belonging.

The Cultural Resource Center celebrates the diverse cultures, identities, histories, languages, and experiences that shape our WHS community. Explore books, films, artifacts, music, community resources, and other materials that offer opportunities to learn about ourselves and one another.

Looking for donations!

Do you have books in different languages, family recipes, stories, music, currency, photographs, artifacts, games, or other cultural resources that you’d be willing to share?

We’d love to add materials that represent and celebrate the many cultures, languages, traditions, and experiences of our WHS community.

Global Road Warrior

Global Road Warrior is a comprehensive online travel research database that provides country and city information for travelers and researchers. It includes practical details on culture, customs, language, religion, food, transportation, geography, history, business practices, and local etiquette. It is a useful resource for students researching different countries and cultures because it brings together a wide range of information in one searchable resource.

ProQuest Culture Grams trial

ProQuest CultureGrams is an online resource that provides reliable, student-friendly information about countries and cultures around the world. It includes information on history, geography, customs, traditions, daily life, food, language, education, and government, along with statistics, maps, photos, and other multimedia resources. CultureGrams is a useful tool for students researching countries, comparing cultures, and developing a deeper understanding of communities and people around the world.

https://whslearningcommons.com/library-menu/

The WHS Learning Commons is a classroom, creative studio, collaborative space, and community hub—not simply a place to study or check out books.

Teachers can choose from:

• Library as Classroom — Research instruction, database introductions, CTC tours, equipment demonstrations, and customized lessons connected to classroom curriculum.
• Make Something — LEGOs, games, fiber arts, button making, coloring, engineering challenges, and other creative activities.
• Creative Technology Center — Opportunities to work with the laser cutter, 3D printer, vinyl cutter, heat press, sublimation printer, music studio, green screen, cameras, lighting, Adobe Creative Suite, Ableton, Isadora, and more.
• Collaborate — Partner with the library to develop interdisciplinary projects, exhibitions, research projects, installations, performances, and student work.
• Imagine — Potential themes and projects including mythology, immigration, women's history, local history, climate change, literature, public health, and art + engineering.
• Beyond the School — Connects students with local artists, musicians, professionals, entrepreneurs, public health experts, and other community members.
• Your Voice — Invites students and staff to help shape future programming through workshops, performances, exhibitions, conversations, and interdisciplinary events.

Celebrate the freedom to read! Banned Books Week highlights books that have been challenged or removed from libraries and classrooms because of their ideas, language, characters, or subject matter. Explore books that have sparked conversations, challenged perspectives, and given readers the chance to see the world through different eyes.

Join us for an informative presentation with Alena Curry, a nurse anesthetist and endometriosis advocate, as she shares information about endometriosis, a condition that affects millions of people. Alena will discuss what endometriosis is, common symptoms, how it can impact everyday life, and why awareness and early recognition matter.

Come learn, ask questions, and help build greater understanding around a health issue that is often misunderstood or overlooked.

Desmond Hall was born in Jamaica, West Indies, and moved to Jamaica, Queens. He has worked as a high school biology and English teacher in East New York, Brooklyn; counseled teenage ex-cons after their release from Rikers Island; and served as Spike Lee’s creative director at Spike DDB. Desmond has served on the board of the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids and the Advertising Council and judged the One Show, the American Advertising Awards, and the NYC Downtown Short Film Festival. He’s also been named one of Variety magazine’s Top 50 Creatives to Watch. Desmond is the author of the gritty YA novel Your Corner Dark which confronts the harsh realities of gang life in Jamaica and how far a teen is willing to go for family. He lives outside of Boston with his wife and two daughters.

Come by the library to check out one of Desmond's books before the talk!

Get creative and show off your carving skills! Join us in the Library on October 28th for a festive Pumpkin Carving Contest. Bring your imagination and create your most creative, spooky, silly, or spectacular pumpkin!

Prizes for the best designs!
Pumpkins and carving supplies provided.
Come carve, create, and celebrate Halloween with us!

What’s strange, unexpected, mysterious, fascinating, or just plain weird about your subject area?

This semester, the WHS Library invites all departments to join a school-wide exploration of Oddities & Curiosities. We’re looking for teachers and students to bring their ideas into the theme.

What are the oddities hidden within your field? What curiosities might spark students’ questions and imagination?

From unusual scientific discoveries and forgotten histories to bizarre mathematical patterns, fascinating cultural traditions, mysterious literature, and unexpected connections—the possibilities are wide open.

We’re creating a semester-long showcase that brings together student and faculty work from across the school around one shared theme.

And this does NOT have to be additional work for you! Chances are, you’re already doing something in your curriculum that inspires curiosity, explores the unexpected, or makes students stop and wonder. The goal is simply to highlight and share that work.

We got so many new books in- come by and check them out!

Come by and see the faculty book suggestions!

Make sure to check the Myflex calendar for Library open makerspace Open hours, events and workshops!

Come by the library on Fridays from 9am through lunch for coffee/snacks, conversation and possibly collaboration!