The Arvin Educational Center (AEC) has opened for students in Arvin and local areas. The AEC library is open from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

The current librarians at the AEC are Melissa Banuelos and Suzanne Aguirre. Banuelos stated that the library will be organized in the same way the Panorama library is organized using the Library of Congress Classification system.

The library offers three study rooms up for reservation, 12 desktop computers, five available tables, a printer, Wi-Fi, and power outlets around the library. Both Banuelos and Aguirre will be available at the front desk to assist students in finding books, eBooks, resources, and reserving study rooms.

Banuelos and Aguirre are currently working on getting a diverse spread of books for the library. However, if students are looking to check out books it would have to be at any of the other BC campuses.

“Unfortunately, BC library has no budget for interlibrary loans between its satellite campuses. Students can, at most, check out books when they visit any of the other BC libraries in person,” said Aguirre. However, Banuelos did mention an alternative option “luckily, our students still have access to BC’s collection of eBook titles which can be found online using our databases.”

Both Banuelos and Aguirre are excited for the new library and are looking forward to creating a library from scratch that addresses the needs of BC Arvin students.

“I’m excited for the local community to have access to higher education from their own backyard. I grew up in Arvin and currently live here, so to witness the campus’s creation go from an empty, dirt lot to celebrating its opening with the ribbon-cutting ceremony has been a dream come true,” said Banuelos. Her favorite part is the comforting vibe the library creates with the number of natural lights from the windows.

“I’m excited for dual enrollment students to have more access to college courses right across the street from Arvin High School. Dual enrollment students are given the incredible opportunity to take college courses for credit while still attending high school; an opportunity I wish I had when I was in high school,” stated Aguirre. Aguirre’s favorite thing about the new library is the view of the mountains from the windows along with how although the library is small it has a modern look and the calming mood it has.

Although the new library doesn’t have any print books now, they are looking forward to filling up their bookshelves for the upcoming fall semester.