March 6th, 2010
Kathy, a middle school librarian, has gotten the bad news that the certified school librarians in her district are on the cut list. She’s asked her teachers to advocate on her behalf. Here’s the video they made.
Which of these arguments do you think will resonate most with administration and board members?
Posted in Advocacy, Video | 1 Comment »
March 6th, 2010

{Click the image to enlarge}
In my last post, I showed Deb Logan’s library makeover. Here, I’ll share a bit of the assignment that got students wanting to see real-world makeovers …
As a reflection assignment, students were given this floor plan. They were to imagine that they were a school librarian invited to a planning meeting for a $100,000 renovation. What ideas would they bring to the meeting?
They had some very creative, out-of-the-box ideas. But before I share their ideas, what ideas come to mind for you?
Leave a message in the comments. (Comments are moderated, so please be patient!)
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Posted in General | 6 Comments »
March 6th, 2010

A few weeks ago, as we were discussing facilities in our school library management class, the students were curious to see some before-and-after renovations or rearrangements. What a great idea!
Thanks to folks on AASLForum, LM_NET, and MAME, we’ve got some great befores-and-afters to share with you all in this and upcoming blog posts.
First up, Deb Logan, who endured a lengthy renovation in Mt. Gilead, Ohio.
Here are three images of her library BEFORE. Note the dark woo, mismatched computers, and overflowing bookshelves.   The veneer on the circulation desk is chipped and small. It’s clearly a library that wasn’t built to accommodate the digital age.Â



And here are the AFTER shots. Wow - so light and bright. Chairs with sled wheels move much more easily to help the library staff straighten up and to help students quickly and quietly move their seats to accommodate group works or flexible seating. Light laminate table tops brighten up teh space, as does improved lighting and more windows. The library has real computer tables that disguise more of the cables and cords. A projector hangs from the ceiling. There’s more breathing room everywhere - including behind the circ desk!






Thanks for sharing these, Deb!
What do you see in these photos that you’d like to try in your own library?
Posted in Library Makeover, Library as Place | No Comments »