The MSHS library is now 8 years old, and while it's still a beautiful, popular space, it was time to make some changes.
At the ECIS Librarians' Conference, consultant Kevin Hennah encouraged us to think like a bookstore when displaying books. "Spines aren't attractive - covers are!" became our motto, and we worked to find ways to turn as many books face-out as possible. Students, teachers, and parents commented on the new displays, and books that hadn't been circulated in a long time received renewed interest. We also decreased the size of our circulation desk and moved chairs around to create more spaces to read or work alone or in small groups.
There are several studies that link active bodies with active brains, so adding exercise bikes to the library seemed like a natural fit. At first they were a curiousity, but now you can see middle school students quietly reading and riding at any time throughout the day.
The 3-D printer is another popular new attraction. Students in MS and HS computer classes come to the library with their designs for 3-D objects, and Maria plugs in into the computer to make it happen. It's spellbinding!
The library is where many students come to print their work, so we took part of the old circulation desk and made a project station, with scissors, glue, markers, and anything else students might need to finish their projects.
All 5 of the library study rooms now have monitors where students can plug in their laptops to collaborate or practice their presentations. (This was a big hit for the Senior Seminar students!) In addition, two of the study rooms now have green walls that serve as green screens to facilitate video and photography projects.
Kevin Hennah is coming to work with us in September, so we look forward to even more dramatic changes in our library space!
Lauren Elliott - MS, Linda Hoiseth - HS, Catherine Gellatly - LE, Karen Genest - UE
| Catheriine Gellatly came to us this year from TAISM in Muscat to be our lower elementary librarian. Catherine is an expert in early childhood librarianship, and we were so fortunate to be able to work with her. She seemlessly integrated into our community, and she taught us so much. We'll miss her at ASD, but we're happy that she and Grant are heading home to the UK to retire. |
This year, our four teacher-librarians were happy to attend the ECIS Triennial Conference in Waterloo, Belgium September 25-28. This conference was organized for librarians, by librarians. Days were spent immersed in talk about 21st century libraries, supporting student literacy and learning, the best ways we can serve our communities, and practical application of new ideas.
Linda Hoiseth presented a session "Teaching Notetaking for Research Assignments," introducing librarians to the wonders of notecards and her notetaking system. Karen Genest and Lauren Elliott co-presented "Read Me a Story: Weaving Picture Books into the Curriculum," where they shared the importance of utilizing picture books across the grades.
One highlight for all four teacher-librarians was the keynote by Kevin Hennah, a library design and image consultant. We left excited about changes we can make to our libraries: furniture placement, forward facing book displays, more display furniture, and more intensive weeding. Kevin inspired us to invigorate the ASD libraries! He will be joining us at ASD for a one day session in September 2015.