School Library Design

"Planning considerations for library media center facilities"
In terms of seating, Baule says that the 10 percent rule of the students body no longer applies.  Instead, libraries should be able to seat 2 classes at once, with a bit of extra seating for drop-in students and small groups.  Libraries should not waste space on study halls or seating that does not get used, especially with wireless laptops getting used in classrooms.

Also, Baule thinks the school library should have its own outside entrance, since events are often held in the school library.  This way students and parents have easy access to learning materials.

"Library media center facilities access"
There are so many details that go into planning a school library, such as what colors to paint your walls.  I would not have thought much about this, but it is true - colors must be chosen that create the atmosphere you are looking for.  Trendy colors must not become dated in 10 years.  Also, we talked in class about having a line of sight control, and I can see where this is important.  The librarian should be able to monitor the students' behavior.  Finally, this article mentions climate control.  When thinking about the school library, monitoring the temperature does not come first to my mind, yet it makes sense - after all, this is still a library housing books and other materials.  Librarians still must take care to maintain and preserve their school library collections.

"Divine design"
Margaret Sullivan offers many examples of what the school library media center should look like, including movable furniture, wireless technology, and numerous electrical outlets.  She also mentions to make sure that natural sunlight does not take over to make screens and projections harder to see.  All this is good - however, when I got to the final point, #5, I was surprised.  Sullivan makes a case for ensuring students still spend time outdoors.  A school library should not dismiss the idea of an outdoor reading patio.  After all the movable furniture and advanced technology talk, all of a sudden she advocates the great outdoors.  Is an outdoor reading patio entirely effective when half the school year it is winter outside (especially in northern states)?  The outdoors is not conducive to screens, or recharging, or concentration.  Anyways, the great outdoors, while still important for recess, may not be as important specifically to the school library.

I love the comparison of the library to the home kitchen.  Libraries are meant to be lived and worked in.  Librarians should not be afraid to get messy (or let their students get messy) in the library.

"There is knowledge to be gained"
In his article, Todd talks about the design of the library media center not as a physical space for information, but rather as a "physical and virtual learning commons."  It is here that students come to practice learning with inquiry and use their imaginations to discover new things.  Therefore, the library should be a place of intellectual quality.  Back to our ordering a school librarian tasks a couple weeks ago, I remember I placed the task of creating a rigorous learning environment near the top of the list.  I am happy to see it placed near the top of this list as well.

Woolls Ch. 6
Woolls says that school librarians should take before and after pictures to document the changes in their school library media center.  This way, they can go back to pinpoint exactly what worked and what didn't work.  They can also share their discoveries with other school librarians.  Before entirely rebuilding a school library, Woolls also says that librarians should consider how to remodel their existing space, or else relocate to a more appropriate room somewhere else in the school.

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Overall, much thought goes into the planning of the physical space of the school library.  Libraries must be fully functional, purposeful, pleasing to the eye, and adaptable across time.  This will enable the library to best meet the physical and academic needs of the students.