Upgrading your school library
Bailey Road School library, Whare Ahuru Mowai. Image courtesy of The National Library of New Zealand
By Heather Barker Vermeer Industry Reporter
The number of schools and teachers moving away from the traditional ‘sage on the stage’ classroom model and embracing the principles of personalised, flexible learning, has prompted the role and function of the school library to evolve. The library / learning hub / similar, is predominantly where the school’s flexible learning initiatives, resources and environment will stem from. This area is often led by a schoolwide specialist in information resources, curriculum, and technology integration - the new, multi-purpose school librarian. They will be key in the process of leading and supporting the library’s evolutionary multi-functionality. Providing the best physical environment to accommodate the learning needs of students is a cornerstone of a school library’s existence, but where do you start on the path to library transformation?
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Analyse your space, be flexible Take stock of your library’s layout and plan to maximise the space. It needs not only to be a welcoming environment for research and sourcing information, a place for students to sit comfortably and read, and a site of project collaboration and sharing. Shifts like moving rows of bookshelves to the periphery of the library to allow for flexibility of floorspace and can create areas for desk-based learning, research, and comfortable reading. If your furnishings consist of standard fixed-leg, bulky rectangular library tables, they’ll remain rooted to the ground or need to be moved, with difficulty, to alter the configuration of the space. Allow for flexibility by opting for easily mobile items of furniture, stackable options and modular pieces that allow you to create a variety of configurations. Accommodate theatre-style set-ups for debates and video conferences with your layout. Furniture that is easy to re-configure will provide more scope for this.
Aesthetic improvement An injection of colour is one way to make the library more appealing, through furniture items, soft furnishings, wall colour or an often-forgotten element, artwork. Inspire your students with prints of classic artworks that fit your school’s values. Old photographs can inspire a sense of connected heritage and can provide uniquely special library embellishments, or select a mix of book cover poster art. Cull the clutter. Keep on top of the quality of your library resources with an annual clear out of any resources or titles that are under-par. The nonfiction collection will likely contain much information that is easily obtained online and could be removed to clear floorspace of shelving and cabinets. Weed out duplicate titles, tatty publications, and out-of-date collections to create space for new.
Collaboration Working with subject teachers to provide areas that they can use differently from their classroom spaces may encourage new
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users of your library facilities. A successful reorganisation of the library space should include the thoughtful creation of zones of use within the overall floorplan and subject teachers are best placed to advise what will suit their and their students’ needs. Many school libraries choose to repurpose storage space previously used for AV equipment or reems of books, to make a green-screen room for use as a project-based learning space. This can increase use of the library subjects, attracting pupils and teachers across a broader range of subject to engage with the space for project work. Having activity zones and quiet zones help structure your space and aid different work styles.
A sound environment Libraries have acoustic demands often not considered in the design and construction process. These issues can include noise intrusion from exterior and interior sources such as aircraft and building mechanical systems, excess reverberation in public spaces, speech communication, and intrusion from potentially adjoining spaces, such as meeting rooms. Term 2, 2022 | schoolnews.co.nz
