New high school library serves students, public

Free wireless Internet access, a 42-station computer lab, access to books housed at libraries throughout Sacramento, and 13,000 square feet to do it in.These specs wouldn't describe your typical high school library.But they do describe the new library at Vista del Lago High School, which will be opening to the high school and the community at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 6."We are very excited about it," said Katy Curl, library director. "This is something most students don't have access to on campus."The joint-use library, mutually funded and operated by the city of Folsom and Folsom-Cordova Unified School District, is named after Norman R. Siefkin, who served as FCUSD superintendent from 1999 to 2005 and died in 2007. Naming the library after him was apparently an easy decision to make. "He always held community partnerships in high regard," said Heather McGowan, spokeswoman for the Folsom Cordova Unified School District. "Because he was a part of the FCUSD for so long, there was a desire to name something after him. There was no debate about it." Siefkin was an active member of the Folsom Prison Advisory Council, the Rancho Cordova Chamber of Commerce, the Sacramento Children's Home, the Linking Education program, the Economic Development Board and Partners in Education. "Norm was incredibly important to the lives of our district's students," said Roger Benton, FCUSD board president. "In addition, he made many contributions to both the school district and the greater Sacramento community through service on a wide variety of community boards and commissions."Dr. Allan Siefkin, Norman's brother, will be speaking on behalf of the family at the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Other keynote speakers include mayor Eric King and FCUSD board member Teresa Stanley. The library is located at 1970 Broadstone Parkway on the northwest side of Vista del Lago High School. Students must walk across campus to use the library, which there will be a separate parking lot for, McGowan said. "Unlike a traditional high school library, there will certainly be public access," McGowan said. "Students will notice people walking to the library but the impact on the campus environment is going to be minimal."Library patrons will be required to wear library visitor tags and campus monitors will supervise activities inside the library to ensure campus and public safety, she said.The library will house a computer lab for students and for public use, free wireless Internet access and two self-check stations. "The plan is to have a lab of 35 computers for students and 10 to 12 additional computers for public use," Curl said. The Norman R. Siefkin Library will be connected with all library databases in Sacramento County, including Woodland, Colusa and Sutter. Library books can be borrowed from and returned to any library, Curl said. "The students we've talked to are pretty excited about it," Curl said. "They see a place where there's free wireless Internet access and a place to come after school." Beginning Aug. 7, the library will be open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday and noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday.