Case Study: Cook Library

For my service learning, I have been volunteering at a place called Cook Library. Cook Library serves mainly as a library but also has a large after-school-program for kids in the neighborhood and also is a community center where many other organizations utilize their space. The role I play at Cook Library is one of a tutor. I help out with the after-school-program by helping the kids who come with their homework, reading, and supervising any other activities that take place. Cook Library is located in a heavily Hispanic populated neighborhood so almost all of the kids who come to the after-school-program are Hispanic. That being said, I have seen a handful of African-American children and adults in the space as well. Their age range is mainly elementary girls and boys, although there are a few middle school and high school aged kids who hang out and do homework there. In addition, some adults who are finishing school or looking for jobs come in too. There are many community resources available to Cook Library. These resources include multiple partners such as other community organizations that use the building, donors, and a wall that have many referrals to other resources. The overarching values of Cook Library are empowering diversity among those who use Cook Library. The workers and volunteers at Cook Library also highly stress the importance of getting a good education and going to college. The official mission statement of Cook Library is “Cultivating creativity and promoting academic achievement in the Grandville Avenue Neighborhood”. …show more content…
Cook Library, as mentioned above, mainly provides homework help through an after-school-program for kids. Cook Library also provides tutoring, a 14,000 book library, job search help, resume building help, and is an open community space for organizations to use for meetings. The center also is a safe space for people who need help with simply things like copies and faxes. It is also a place for other organizations to get the word out on their resources. Lastly, it serves as a literacy center for people learning ESL. The history of Cook Library is very interesting. The building where Cook Library now stands was originally a boxing club with a store and apartment complex on top. Whether done intentionally or not, the building was burned down. Cook Library, at the time this was happening, was located in a small white house run by a nun. When the space Cook Library is currently located burned down, several donors decided to give money to construct a permanent building for Cook …show more content…
The only information I had in regards to what I would be doing or what Cook Library was all about was that I would be helping kids with their homework and provide tutoring and potentially be a mentor. After my first volunteer experience at Cook Library, I realized what a wonderful organization they are and what great resources they provide to underprivileged children. Since Cook Library is located in a Hispanic neighborhood most of the kids that attend the after-school-program are Hispanic as well. As a minority, these children are already stigmatized purely based on the way that they look. Many children there will be first-generation college-goers and will probably receive a higher education and a better education than many of their parents. Cook Library addresses the failure of the school systems in poor neighborhoods that provide less than quality education by making sure kids are getting extra attention and at times, one on one