Brooklyn Technical High School Library
About Us
Our Spaces
Students are welcome to visit the library during their lunch periods. We are open during periods 1-2 and 4-10.
When we host visiting classes, we post our cancellations in the announcements and on our calendar. Students are also welcome to stop by for a brief visit simply to borrow a book and leave.
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We're excited to reintroduce our main library space, Makerspace, Peace Corner and materials in the Stacks. We have copies of most textbooks and students are able to borrow them during the period for library use only. We will post updates on these spaces and materials on our Instagram page in the coming weeks. Looking forward to seeing you in the library soon!
Our Mission
The school library’s mission is to create a dynamic, 21st Century learning environment and to empower students to be creative and critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical users of information.
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The library staff and community will do this by:
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Sharing innovative resources and strengthening 21st century information literacy skills through inquiry-based learning,
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Promoting reading and learning for pleasure,
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Working with educators to design learning strategies to meet the needs of classes and individual students, and
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Providing an interactive, collaborative and warm space for diverse students and faculty.
Library Policies
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Student library usage policy (2020-2021)
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Library collection development policies (including selection, deselection or "weeding," gift/donations, requests for reconsideration: View Library Collection Development Policies).
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Want a book we don't own? Suggest titles of books or ebooks using our Book Recommendations and Requests Form.
Library of Things
The library is so pleased to offer a new collection, made possible through a generous grant by the Alumni Foundation as well as parent and community donations.
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Students and faculty are able to borrow items for a day or up to a week. Items are continually evolving. Check out our link to see what items are currently available:
Library of Things Currently Available
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​Families are also invited to donate items that can supplement our collection. Please fill out the Donation Form before sending items in. Thank you for your support!
Get Involved!
Library Programs
The library holds and hosts many events, including book clubs, reading challenges, book tastings, and author/artist visits.
We would love all 6,000 Brooklyn Tech students to participate! Visit our library blog to learn more about what's happening now and how to get involved!
Parents and Alumni
While we primarily rely on our student monitors for assistance around the library, we can always use additional helping hands, especially from BTHS parents or alumni.
Please reach out to the librarians by email, or to our supervisor, Ms. Jess Bonilla: jbonilla@schools.nyc.gov, if you are interested in supporting the BTHS library.
Donate
Donate to our library through Donor's Choose. Many past projects have helped fund our Makerspace and Peace Corner, providing creative and stimulating activities, supplies and games for the thousands of students who use our library.
Thank you for your generosity!
Work as a Library Monitor
Library monitors are crucial in running such a large collection, which serves more than a thousand students each day. If you are interested in becoming a library monitor, speak to one of the librarians. We generally select monitors at the start of the semester (day 1 or 2). Monitors will receive CLUB credit based on their attendance and helpfulness (usually about 3-4 credits).
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If you are interested in learning more about being a library monitor, please review the following Google Slides on shelving and library monitor descriptions.
Library of Things Training 2023 (for specific monitors only)
Our Team
MS. DRUSIN
Librarian
Ms. Drusin loves the creative energy and friendly hum of students working in the library, especially at the Makerspace and Peace Corner. She has warm memories of childhood libraries she loved, including the Bloomingdale and St. Agnes branches. Some of her favorite childhood library memories include discovering Stephen Kellogg, Roald Dahl, Zilpha Keatley Snyder and Diana Wynne Jones.
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Ms. Drusin received her B.A. from Brandeis University. As part of the NYC Teaching Fellows, she received her MA in Teaching Adolescent English from Fordham University. She holds certification in National Board of Professional Teaching Standards (NBCT) in Adolescent English, and a Master's degree in Library and Information Science from long Island University. In 2020 she created a website, as part of a study sabbatical, on Social and Emotional Learning in the Library and classroom.
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Ms. Drusin has worked at Brooklyn Tech since 2015. Prior to that, she worked as an English Language Arts teacher for 5th-7th grade, in both Brooklyn and Manhattan. A native New Yorker, Ms. Drusin now lives in Brooklyn with her partner and two delicious kids. She wants to get a kitten, loves painting, gardening, sewing, and clothing swaps.
MS. FERGUSON
Librarian
Ms. Ferguson became a librarian after a career in youth services (employment, service learning, enrichment and college prep) because she loves research, discussing books, and working alongside teachers and students (library monitors). With a B.A. from Brown University and a Masters in Library and Information Science from Syracuse, she continues to learn about the librarianship in the information revolution. She is part of the school Equity Team and supports a few clubs: Readers’ Delight, Among Us and Girls Leadership International.
When not working, she might be cooking pizza or running while listening to audiobooks, working with Books through Bars, going to the beach, traveling, or talking about herself in the third person.
MS. KAPLAN
Librarian
Ms. Kaplan is new to Brooklyn Tech, just like many students this year. She is excited to find her way around the building, get to know her new community and everything this special place has to offer, especially the library! Ms. Kaplan served as a grades 7-12 English Teacher in NYC schools for ten years and enjoyed bringing luminaries such as author Jason Reynolds to her school, launching a student-run school newspaper, and practicing mindfulness with her students and colleagues in the classroom. Ms. Kaplan earned her B.A. in English with a minor in Creative Writing from UC Berkeley, M.A. in Teaching Literature from Bard College, and Master of Library Science from CUNY Queens College.
Ms. Kaplan enjoys learning about new (and old) music, dabbles in gardening and believes a better world is possible.
GET IN TOUCH
We'd love to hear from you
You can reach us at library@bths.edu
or
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Ms. Drusin: jdrusin@schools.nyc.gov
Ms. Ferguson: jferguson9@schools.nyc.gov
Ms. Kaplan: kkaplan5@schools.nyc.gov
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