ABOUT THE NAHS LIBRARY
Welcome to the NAHS Library! I'm Mr. Schmalbach, the librarian for the high school, and I am excited to be here to work with you and give you guidance and support in all of your learning endeavors! My goal is to make sure that every student of NAHS leaves our building with the tools to be thinking and information-literate members of society. That means that you will know how to find and use information, and create true personal understanding of many topics for yourself. Below you will find a little information about myself.
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Just like you, I'm a real Norristonian! (NAHS Class of 1995)
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I'm really qualified to help you! (Masters of Library and Information Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, 2004)
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I used to teach history here! (BA, History, Moravian College, 1999)
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My wife went here too (Class of 1995), and I have two sons (Bennett 9, and Spencer 7)
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I love old cars, lots of different music styles, I play several musical instruments (including piano), and of course I read ALL THE TIME!
Our Philosophy
The NAHS Library exists to servce the students and faculty of Norristown Area High School. We aim to provide excellent materials for academic and personal pursuits as our students strive to create their own understanding of the world around them. We believe in providing a variety of resources, both in print and in digital formats, as well as provide instruction to help with assignments, research, reports, and anything else our students need!
Our History
If you look at the library seal at the top of the page, you'll notice two dates. 1870 is on the outer ring, and 1882 is in the book in the center. You might wonder why there are two different dates on the seal. The reason is this: the 1870 date comes from the official school seal. The 1882 date refers to the creation of the first official library housed ondistrict grounds.
In 1882 a Mr. William McCann passed away, and in his will bequeathed the sum of $10,000 to the Norristown School District to create a free public library to be housed and operated by the district. What is currently known as the Montgomery County-Norristown Public Library was founded in 1794, but operated as a subscription library, not free. Families and patrons would pay a few dollars a year for the privilige of using the facilities.
The District operated the William McCann Free Library of Norristown out of the original high school at Oak and DeKalb Streets from 1882 until 1938. In 1938, the District started moving the high school to the newly completed A.D. Eisenhower Senior High located at Markley Street and Coolidge Boulevard. The District then got a court order dissolving the terms of the McCann will and the McCann books became a part of the regular high school library.
The library operated in the 2,800 square feet assigned to it at Eisenhower from 1938 to 1973. With the completion of the new Norristown Area High School in 1974, the library moved to its current location and 9,000 square feet of operating space. The library remains an attractive, open and comfortable space for learning, and we welcome you to stop in for a visit!
