Transforming school libraries into communal learning “playgrounds” offers students technology support, remote access to research resources and expanded opportunities for creative exploration.
Librarians can collaborate with teachers to develop lesson plans that incorporate a multifunctional library’s media programs, books and other online resources.
For instance, students in a history class at New Canaan High School in Connecticut can create a Cold War scrapbook or a playlist on imperialism using LessonPaths while others build a presentation on genocide with Google Slides.
In one of the biggest trends in school library spaces, “makerspaces,” which are physical spaces within the library, give students a dedicated tactile area to use their imagination to create, remake, or tinker. Perry Meridian Middle School in Indiana’s Perry Township Schools expanded its makerspace after receiving a U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services grant administered by the Indiana State Library.
The makerspace themes at Perry Meridian include electronics, coding, video production, crafts, micro-manufacturing and fabrication. The space provides physical tools, digital and print resources, and electronic and craft supplies, says Leslie Preddy, the middle school’s library media specialist and president-elect of the American Association of School Librarians.
“It doesn’t have to have expensive pieces of equipment, as it is more about doing the hands-on learning,” she says.
