From its first day in September 1931, as Las Vegas High School Library, to today, as Las Vegas Academy of the Arts Library, our library consistently has been a place where students can access a varied collection of fiction, non-fiction, and reference books as well as gather together for research and homework projects; however, what began as a small high school lending library has become a multipurpose space, combining the literary and academic function of a library with the college and career resources of our newly created Success Center, located within the library.

 

Formerly, as the Las Vegas High School Library, the space was elegantly filled with small-scale, natural material furnishings suitable for a student body of 360:  solid oak tables and chairs, built-in wooden bookshelves lining the walls, and the epitome of original library furnishings, a hardwood cabinet, housing the card catalog, filled with typewritten cards to help patrons locate reading materials, all with bright shining linoleum underfoot.  In its current iteration, as the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts Library & Success Center, the facility is a larger scale space designed to accommodate our current student body of around 1,700 students.  The oak and linoleum of old have given way to bright, modern furniture, contemporary carpet tiles, and a multitude of electronic teaching and learning resources. 

 

We are now a modern space in which LVA administration, faculty, staff, and students can engage in a wide variety of activities.  We have a sizeable area for meetings and large group instruction, equipped with computer tables, laptops, projector and screen, and an audio system.  Our Success Center hosts college visits here, counselors provide instruction in web-based college readiness software programs, and teachers hold classes here. 

 

We have areas where students can gather in groups or individually for homework, research projects, board games, and other social, and leisure activities.  For those patrons who enjoy a quieter, more solo, environment, our library has several comfortable armchairs in well-lighted nooks and crannies, perfect for relaxing with a favorite book or current magazine. We have about 8,000 fiction and non-fiction titles and approximately 2,000 reference works in our collection.  We also subscribe to over 20 magazine titles.  Please refer to the LVA Library Lending Policies page to learn more about our library loan periods, overdue fees, and lost or damaged book fines.

 

A modern library is incomplete without electronic tools and online research resources.  Sixteen desktop computers are available for students to use for class research and homework assignments.  All 16 desktops are connected to a printer, and copies are free.  Also, we subscribe to over a dozen electronic database resources that students may access from any school computer.  Please see the Online Database Resources page to view our collection of electronic resources.  These provide students with up to date information on wide-ranging topics ranging from English/Language Arts to Business/Vocational Resources.  Ask Mrs. Sabo for login credentials if you wish to use these databases from home.

 

LVA Library encourages students to, "Explore the World In Your Library," and LVA Success Center encourages students to, "Explore Where You are Going, And How You Will Get There."