From checking out books to inspiring the next generation of librarians, AHS will bid farewell to librarians Pat Brown and Jane Scharankov before the new year.
Brown and Scharankov are set to retire on January 1, 2026, after being at AHS for 8 and 12 years respectively. Despite their extensive time here, they originally didn’t want retirement to be the outcome for this year.
“I would have liked to work until I was 70. I have the energy, stamina, and intellect to keep working. However, the work environment at AHS and FCPS has changed,” Brown said. “I feel less supported to fulfill the role of librarian [since] the culture doesn’t foster the caliber of work I have excelled at for over 20 years, it is time to find something new to do.”
At AHS, the librarians’ work has been guided by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) as libraries are described as, “…an essential component in supporting each school’s instructional program by providing a variety of learning and teaching resources supporting academic standards, information literacy skills, and general interest topics for students.”
The librarians have handpicked an admirable collection of books for AHS and have accommodated the diverse needs of students.
“The Head of Library Services who visited recently told us that we have the best high school collection of books in languages other than English in the county, and that the whole collection is very well curated for our particular school population and academic program,” Scharankov said.
Despite exceeding VDOE expectations, Scharankov attributed some of her reasons for leaving was due to a lack of support in her role and the mistreatment of the library itself.
“The librarians have not been supported in any of the work we do as librarians. We are not treated as instructional professionals,” Scharankov said. “We are treated as the gatekeepers to a large open space that is viewed as a holding container for students who have nowhere else to go.”
Instead of being seen as an area that cultivates the lifelong habit of reading or a quiet academic area for learners, the librarians have been expected to supervise students assigned to them for free periods. So, they have decided to wrap up their time at the library.
Accordingly, they’ve worked diligently to preserve the integrity of the library. Scharankov spent the last of their annual budget on ordering new books, investing in the future of AHS’s literacy.
“The one thing we surely leave the AHS community [with] is the approximately 20,600 volume collection in the AHS library,” Scharankov said. “[E]very book in the collection was purchased by one of its librarians. Thus, all libraries reflect the choices of its librarians over time.”
Along with refreshing the catalog, the library continues to foster learning and creativity through investing in student librarians who help with tasks.
“They’ve taught me a bit more things about the world,” junior Raquel Whitford said as one of the student librarians. “I’ve learned… more about how the Dewey Decimal System works.
The librarians have cultivated lessons of not only technical information on how to run a library, but also useful wisdom and life lessons. Their value and belief that “every student deserves to be heard” has led to meaningful connections that have brought purpose to them.
“We have conversations all day long with students and staff to explore thinking, validate thoughts, appreciate humor, and more. These conversations bring all types of people together around ideas,” Brown reflected. “There is nothing better.”
As their retirement date approaches, they’re looking forward to recreation. Brown and Scharankov noted feeling excited to return to favored pastimes.
On the other hand, Principal DeRose is in the process of finding librarians who can replace them for the second half of the school year. Hiring new librarians, especially in the middle of the year, will be challenging. The search for librarians who are the right fit for AHS will be difficult as candidates would need a form of library experience. Nevertheless, filling in the positions is urgently needed and essential to the wellbeing of AHS.
“[Librarians are] part of what they call standards of quality according to the [VDOE],” DeRose stated. “These are our protected positions.”
With that, DeRose plans on conversing with Scharankov’s long-term substitute from last year, Adele Zeqiri, in regards to supporting the library.
“It’ll be a little bit of a transition,” DeRose said. “I’m confident that we’ll find [two people] who are the right fit for Annandale.”
In their final goodbyes, the librarians want AHS to do one thing: read.
“Reading is the single most important thing one can do to improve their life,” Brown said. “It fosters understanding, cultivates empathy, develops patience, showcases new possibilities, and enlightens. There is so much to learn, reading is learning, and learning brings us closer together.”
