Two Farnsworth Middle School sixth graders are making it easier for classmates to find their next book.
Namath Jabbar and Mateo Fernandez Matarrese, students in Cheri Hart’s Language Arts & Social Studies class, developed an online catalog to organize their classroom library replacing a paper sign-in system they said made it difficult to track books and locate titles.
“When you have a system with just paper–signing out books, signing in books–not only it is really difficult to find what book you want, but it’s very difficult to keep track of books,” Namath said. “The library catalog fixes both of those issues.”
The student-built website allows users to search for books, view descriptions and track availability. It also features tools such as a “book of the month,” a leaderboard of popular titles and a recommendation system that lets students suggest books to one another.
Mateo, who taught himself coding by reading documentation, coded the platform using multiple programming languages, while Namath organized the project and coordinated their work. The pair said troubleshooting issues along the way, including a temporary system failure, were part of the learning process.
“Taking out the bugs, ironing everything out is part of the process,” Namath said. “No matter what you’re going to build, there’s always going to be a bug or two”
What began as a small project quickly grew into a collaborative effort. The students recruited classmates to assist with data entry and began sharing their work with other teachers. They have also formed their own business, Aurora’s Advanced Utilities and General Software, or AAUGS, to create education-focused websites for teachers at their school. You can view more about them at Aaugs.page.gd.
Since launching the catalog, the pair said they have seen a noticeable impact in the classroom, including improved organization and increased student engagement with reading.
“We’ve noticed a massive streamlining of the workflow,” Namath said. “Many kids are having an easier time finding books that they’ll like.”
As Mateo and Namath continue refining the catalog, the students are working to expand its features, including more personalized book recommendations, with the goal of sparking a stronger interest in reading among their peers.
