Page 36 - School Planning & Management, September 2017

Building Blueprints { FACILITIES IN FOCUS }
Tech-Friendly Learning Hub
DISTRICT TRANSFORMS TRADITIONAL SCHOOL LIBRARY INTO MEDIA CENTER AND INTERNET CAFÉ.
SCHOOL LIBRARIES AND airports have something in common. They’re being renovated to function
more flexibly in the modern era. They’re becoming more than just thoroughfares.
In the past, school
libraries and airports were
often drab, monochromatic
spaces filled with tightly
packed, uncomfortable
furniture. Individual space was scarce, and electrical power outlets were few and far between. Today, comfortable and spacious
by SCOTT LEOPOLD furnishings combined with 24/7 access to
the Internet and plenty of recharging sta- tions are transforming these spaces.
School districts across the country are renovating their outdated libraries to create
welcoming places where students and teachers are free to explore, create, and collaborate. The road to renovation isn’t always
easy though. Huntsville City Schools in Huntsville, Alabama, ran into a bump along the way.
In the spring of 2011, the district was pre- paring to open a new high school, but there was a concern. The library was traditional and unwelcoming, and it didn’t quite fit into the new state-of-the-art building. Tall, dark book stacks lined the walls and inflexible tables and chairs occupied floor space. Sur- prised by the outdated nature of the library, the new superintendent and administration conducted a study to determine how many students were using the space before, dur- ing, and after school. The survey showed the library was vastly underutilized.
36 SCHOOL PLANNING & MANAGEMENT / SEPTEMBER 2017
WEBSPM.COM
LIBRARIES & MEDIA CENTERS
IMAGES COURTESY OF HUNTSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS