LIBRARY RESOURCE CENTER
The Tara High School Resource Center was awarded the James O. Modisette Award as the Best High School Library in the state of Louisiana at the Louisiana Library Association Conference in 2002 and in 1992. It has developed a reputation for being on the cutting edge of library technology and for delivering outstanding library service to its patrons. The technology provides a positive effect on the quality of library services and the overall curriculum.
Touring the Resource Center:
The browsing area is to your left when you enter the library. This includes 30 magazines and our local newspaper, The Advocate. Magazines and newspapers are also available on the computer network
Fiction Books are the first large collection of books. This includes the short story collection, hardback fiction books, paperback fiction books, and fiction books on tape. Mr. Barron's Advanced Woodworking class made shelving for our expanding fiction collection. A computer is located in the fiction area to access the OPAC, online public access catalog. Genre (type of literature) stickers are found on the spine of many fiction books. These let you know if the book contains mystery, horror, fantasy, sports, romance, science fiction, or historical fiction. "If You Like..." binders are located in this area to help students find the perfect book.
The Career Section is next in our library. Two computers provide career databases, and a television with a VCR is available to view college and career tapes. Pamphlets and literature concerning the Louisiana Technical College and military options are displayed in the middle of this section. Many career encyclopedias and books are available for students to peruse.
Biography Books are shelved alphabetically according to the last name of the person who is the topic of the book. The call number of a biography/autobiography book is B and the person's last name. The group biographies are in the 920 nonfiction section.
Nonfiction Books are located across the back of the library and are arranged in Dewey Decimal numbers from 001 to 999. An electronic catalog computer is located near the brain cells, which are sound proof booths for recording and studying.
The Teacher's Professional Room is located next to the brain cells. Magazines, videos, and professional readings are available. Teachers are welcome to work in this quiet room that is reserved just for them.
Reference Books include encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, thesauri, atlases, books of quotations, and sets of many specialized encyclopedias that correspond to the Dewey Decimal system. A computer is located here to access the electronic catalog.
Electronic Sources
The Tara Resource Center is privileged to have a vast collection of networked electronic sources. Fifteen computers are located in the east alcove of the library. Everyone must follow the Computer Use Policy that is posted at each computer. The librarians are the system facilitators of the school network.
Every classroom has at least one networked computer hooked to a large screen TV. Other electronic equipment is available including digital cameras, CD/DVD burners and players, and portable networked computers with LCD projectors on wheels.
