What does Your Library’s Learning Space Reflect?
Jul 19th, 2009 by Cathy Jo Nelson
I ran across this chart today either in my reader or twitter feed (not sure which or I would give more accurate credit!) It got me thinking what would the ideal school library media program look like to a visitor. Now I know we have our standards (nope–not linking to ‘em) as well as vision of best practice. I have my own set of personal standards as well, but this is targeting a visitor and what they see as well as what it might mean.
For example, here is a reference to furniture in the classroom and the implication:
|
GOOD SIGNS |
POSSIBLE REASONS TO WORRY |
|
| FURNITURE | Chairs around tables to facilitate interaction
Comfortable areas for learning, including multiple “activity centers” Open space for gathering |
Chairs all facing forward or (even worse) desks |
Now of course this is superficial, and looks can be deceiving. But I’d like to see some of the library people and/or education gurus from my PLN make some comparisons using the same chart but this time applying it to the library, or Virtual Learning Commons as David Loertscher wants to call it. If you are reader, that means YOU. Either leave a comment or visit my wiki and add food for thought. I’m interested in what you think!
The categories are being compared by “Good Signs” and “Possible Reasons to Worry.” The criteria being compared for the classroom are:
- Furniture
- On the Walls
- Students’ Faces
- Sounds
- Location of the Teacher
- Teacher’s Voice
- Students’ Reaction to a Visitor
- Class Discussion
- Stuff
- Tasks
- Around the School
Now of course not all these lend themselves to being used to compare school library programs, but some of them could. Feel free to add your thoughts and even more criteria to the wiki (or leave them here in the comments.) But first read through the original chart. Also, I encourage those who add content to the wiki to leave a name in parenthesis to your ideas!
Okay, I added some thoughts to the wiki on sounds in the library.
Thoughts about furniture–
Long, long ago, whoever purchased the chairs for the tables in our library didn’t consider how much middle school kids vary in size and shape. Arms on these chairs often cause hurt, frustration, and embarassment. I keep looking for that windfall that I can use to replace them!!
Great idea – but I am amazed at the date of this chart and how appropriate it still is today.
I added to the “Location of Teacher-Librarian” and “Tasks” on the wiki and look forward to seeing what others add.
@Heather, Vicki, and Fran–thanks for adding content to my wiki. Yes Fran it is quite dated, but still oh so relevant, no?
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These are some good ideas to keep in mind as we set up our library learning spaces for the new school year. I added a little bit about my philosophy of empowering our youngest patrons to be independant with age-appropriate shelving, signage and procedures.
Hi Cathy,
I believe that the library media center (LMC) should be a collaborative workspace for staff and students alike. My middle school library media center features tables and chairs to seat 30 students, a desktop computer lab that also seats 30, 2 additional tables for small group work and another single table for small group work. There is also a “reading nook”, created by student requests for comfy chairs, that features 6 recliners for reading and studying (these are located next to the magazine racks). The LMC is an interior room, to place it at the heart of the building.
If I could have my wish to improve the space, my computers would be laptops and the current area devoted to desktops on tables with rolling chairs would be replaced by comfy chairs with fold-up desks placed in clusters. These could be used for multiple purposes (small group work, theater seating, individual work, podcasting). I would also have windows to see the sunlight, weather, and nature.
I agree with the description of the LMS and students, but would include a focus on communication and collaboration between LMS/Staff, LMS/Students, Staff/Staff, Students/Staff, Students/Students. I still take a lot of heat for the “unquiet” library but support this practice wholeheartedly! I would also like to see multimedia on the LMC and “around the school” sections, as I believe that media literacy is crucial. Love the dots/literacy abuse. The LMC should be a place where students can explore, find comfort and challenge themselves!
Smells clean and fresh (I would hope!) Classroom teachers work in collaboration with the library media center to create meaningful curriculum related lessons and activities to support student achievement.
Can’t wait to see the final version of the chart (will it ever be finished?)
Ok – I am a dot on spine supporter and I will tell you why….
I am in a K-12 library we have four main users – High school students, middle school students, elementary students and infants in one library space.
We have dots to define the following collections : picture books, junior fiction, junior non fiction, fiction, senior fiction, junior graphic novels and senior graphic novels.
This helps the students and staff in a number of ways :- one, the students help to keep the collection in the right place – they can identify the dots and where they need to be placed after use.
Two : the students can decide what dot they want to read, they are loosely ‘graded’ into font size, graphics inclusion, length & content to guide their selection. There is cross over between the ‘dots’ in all areas and we have duplicates across the dots. The only restriction we have is that the elementary students cannot read the senior fiction and senior graphic novels due to the YA racyness and violence.
Now I am not an advocate of lexiles levels, or other grading systems on books – our dots are location dots which also helps the students to choose based on the type of reading they want to have. I may be opening myself up for abuse
– but it works for us, and there is no stigma attached to any coloured dot! They are just different types of books in different places.
@Donna Bills, I agree–teaching kids about the set up of a library is a literacy lesson in itself, and one that should not e ignored. Thanks for stopping by and adding to the wiki too!
@Donna Barratta, I can tell we think a lot alike. Thanks for dropping by.
@Donna G, thanks for making a contribution here. It sounds like we think a lot alike. I do have cathedral ceilings with windows way up there (so much for seeing anything but the sky) but the light ruins trying to use an LCD projector. May ask for window tinting this year.
@DIane M, Well yes, in your situation, I can see where the dots makes sense. I am just opposed to being forced to push leveling on students in a typical school lib, and yours serving k-12 certainly doesn’t sound typical. Thanks for commenting!