Academics

John Gearen Library

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Fenwick High School's John Gearen Library is dedicated to assisting students and faculty members in their educational growth. Named after Fenwick High School’s first valedictorian, John J. Gearen ’32, the Library offers access to:
  • Print books (fiction and nonfiction)
  • Desktop computers and 2 printers
  • A faculty workspace for class preparation
  • Online resources and research databases, including JSTOR, EBSCO, & Noodletools

Library Mission Statement
The John Gearen Library of Fenwick High School is committed to supporting the school’s mission by providing a safe, welcoming environment in which all students, staff, and faculty have equal access to diverse academic resources and materials required to fulfill their educational, personal, and recreational needs. 

The Library utilizes the I-SAIL Framework for its instructional curriculum. These standards, developed by the Association for Illinois School Library Educators, address four key literacies: information, media, digital, and individual. The framework provides a basis for the knowledge and skills that high school students should walk away with upon graduation. The Library wants to empower Fenwick students to be critical thinkers, enthusiastic readers, skillful researchers, and ethical consumers & creators of information so that they have the ability to lead positive, informed, and meaningful lives in a 21st-century democratic society 

Statement on PA 103–0100
On January 1, 2024, Public Act 103–0100 (formerly HB 2789) went into effect at the state level. This act is designed to protect Illinois libraries' freedom to acquire materials and Illinoisans’ freedom to read.This law requires that each Illinois library that receives State grants, which includes Fenwick High School, establish an anti-censorship policy. The John Gearen Library at Fenwick High School adopts and upholds the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights, which guarantees that items will not be restricted because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval and that presenting all points of view on current and historical issues is important. If you would like to read the entire ALA Library Bill of Rights, you can here

List of 1 members.

  • Photo of Judith Tichacek

    Judith "Judi" Tichacek 

    Librarian

EREAD ILLINOIS

Fenwick High School is a member of the eRead Illinois Program, a statewide program designed to increase access to e-books for Illinois residents and grow e-book expertise among library staff, library system staff, and Illinois residents. Initial funding for eRead Illinois was provided by a grant from Secretary of State and State Librarian Jesse White through the Illinois State Library.  Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) and Reaching Across Illinois Library System(RAILS) have partnered with the Illinois State Library and Baker & Taylor to provide this access through Axis 360.
Axis 360 is a digital media platform providing libraries and their patrons with a state-of-the-art system for circulating digital e-books from the eRead Illinois shared collection for Illinois libraries. Patrons at libraries participating in eRead Illinois will use the cloud-based delivery across a number of devices including iPad, iPhone, Android, Windows, NOOK® and Sony ReaderTM devices, and many more. At Fenwick High School, students and faculty are able to download the books of their choice—both at school and at home—using the axis360 app on their iPad. To access the ebooks on a desktop, users will need to install the Axis 360 Desktop Reader.
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