With constant bustling hallways, WCHS is a busy environment filled with students traveling from class to class and in and out of the building. However, there is one place in the school that students can rely on to stay the same: the media center.
The media center has endless possibilities of books, open space, games and staff who are determined to help students whenever possible. The media staff is constantly looking for ways to improve flow and accessibility. New media assistant Ryan Medina is striving to improve the media center and help students in any way possible.
“I help bring the vision of our media specialists to the media center,” Medina said. “The media team is constantly looking for ways to modernize the area for students. We try finding ways to streamline students’ ability to find resources and help with different issues that students and teachers come to us with throughout the day.”
Medina previously worked in building services at other MCPS buildings, however his friend had a position as a media assistant and thought it would also suit him. Medina was able to find this available position through the MCPS job portal and applied soon after.
“I was recommended for this job by a friend because he felt it matched my personality,” Medina said. “Even though I only started working here a few months ago, I have really enjoyed it so far. I love logging books and troubleshooting technical issues to help students.”
Teachers send students down to the media center when in doubt about chromebook issues. The media staff are always open to taking a look at what issues students are running into and will either give them assistance or refer them to someone else.
“I don’t go down to the media center too often, I usually just go if I have problems with my chromebook or if I need to print something,” WCHS junior Suki Lin said. “But when I do go down I always feel like it’s a very inviting environment and the staff are always willing to help.”
While Medina has only been at WCHS for a few weeks, he has already made it his mission to streamline the media centers reports and inventory. He has created copy categories (grouping books based on type, author and popularity) for the fiction books which has greatly enhanced the flow of the media center. Medina plans on making a self checkout station for students in order to limit the long lines.
“Depending on how the self checkout goes, we may even consider adding another self checkout and a catalog search station.” Medina said. “We are also working on genrefying various parts of the media center to pull students’ attention towards similar books they may already love.”
Students already utilize many of the media center’s resources such as the printer and asking the specialists for help. The additions Medina has helped establish will allow students to use the media center in a more productive manner. These new strategies may even encourage additional students to try new books if they like to browse independently.
“As much as I am willing to ask questions to the media staff, I would much rather browse independently and find what I’m looking for,” Lin said. “I know some people would ask right away but having resources to be independent would be a very helpful aspect of the media center.”
As a new friendly face in the media center, Medina has already helped grow the media center in many ways with his fresh new ideas ultimately achieving the goal of a more modern and inviting space.
“My main plan is to assist students when needed and provide a friendly atmosphere to the media center,” Medina said.
