What changes do 21st C school libraries have to embrace in order to remain relevant? A look at the change process, how one school re-envisioned itself, and how to achieve similar changes through thoughtful programming and design choices.

1. School Libraries in
the 21st Century:
Programming &
Design
Liz Gray
October 2014

3. The Change Mindset
Institutions that adapt well to change
• are closely connected to their
environments,
• value innovation and experimentation,
• and are constantly learning about new
practices and technologies.
(Lawler & Worley)

4. The Change Process
• Make it a big-picture discussion
• Generate ideas in a way that involves the whole faculty,
not just the librarians and a select few
• Blue sky it so people will think creatively
• Request time at a faculty meeting and get people out of
their chairs and moving around
• Use technology to help you reach everyone
• Revisit ideas as the priorities and budget evolve
• Kick the tires
• Adapt at every step of the process
• As soon as you think you’re done, start over

5. Sugata Mitra’s Hole in the Wall, Delhi, India
(Trucano)

6. Dana Hall’s Vision Statement
• A 21st-century education cannot truly exist within the
confines of a brick-and-mortar school that offers a
limited number of courses at specific times of day. Given
those constraints, however, there is much that a school
can do to promote and develop the characteristics of a
21st-century educational mindset:
• a research-driven interdisciplinary curriculum that draws
from a range of sources rather than being textbook-dependent;
• a focus on developing multiple literacies--information,
media, visual, digital, emotional and physical, as well as
reading, writing, and math;

7. • engagement with global issues;
• use of adaptive and dynamic technology whenever
appropriate;
• an appreciation of process and skills, as well as content; and
• collaborative and creative students whose achievement and
passion drive the learning process.
• In a 21st-century school all learning styles are normal; as
much time and energy is devoted to synthesis, analysis
and evaluation of information as to memorization,
comprehension and application; and the goal is to
cultivate lifelong learning in both students and teachers.

8. Library as Third Place
• First Place: home & those you live with
• Second Place: work or school—where you spend most of
your time
• Third Place: an anchor of community life that facilitates
and fosters broader, more creative interaction
• Hallmarks of a true third place:
• Free or inexpensive
• Food and drink typically play a role
• Highly accessible
• Regulars habitually congregate there
• Welcoming and comfortable
(Oldenburg)

9. The New Yorker, October 18, 2010
One year after Cushing Academy divested itself of 80% of its print collection.

10. Helen Temple Cooke Library @ Dana Hall School
Built in 1998; photo taken in 2007

11. School Mission Statement
Look at the key words that inform the library’s role within
the life of the school:
Dana Hall School is committed to fostering excellence in
academics, the arts and athletics within a vibrant, caring
community. With emphasis on diversity, integrity,
leadership, and service as well as on respect for self and
others, Dana Hall provides its students with a unique
opportunity to prepare themselves for the challenges and
choices they will face as women and citizens of the world.

12. Library Mission Statement
The Helen Temple Cooke Library is a complete
information resource center designed to serve the students,
faculty and staff of Dana Hall School. Its primary goals are
to support the diverse academic curriculum, to meet a
wide range of student interests and abilities by providing
multiple resources for learning, to develop the skills and
self-confidence of students so they can operate effectively
in any library, to provide a comfortable and caring
atmosphere for individual and group study, and to foster a
lifelong appreciation of reading, viewing, and listening as
sources of pleasure and personal growth.

13. Ask These Questions
• What information do I need?
• Learning styles of my users
• Instructional models, curriculum & tech tools being used in
classrooms
• Appropriate content
• Appropriate formats
• What problem am I trying to solve?
• New learning goals
• Ubiquitous access to information
• Users who want & need to work in new ways
• What do I already know?
• Data and statistics are your friends
• Document your past successes
(Salant & Dillman, p. 25)

14. What Did We Change in the Dana Hall Library?
• Added of flexible furniture
• Heightened tolerance by librarians for noise
• Allowed some food and drink (non-messy
snacks and drinks in closed containers)
• Adopted and used mobile technology
• Purchased new furniture that works well
with mobile technology
• Reorganized the collection
• Named and advertised what we do

15. Needs Assessment
• Survey all constituencies online with mostly close-ended
questions (multiple choice, ranking, rating that offers an
even number of choices)
• Conduct focus groups with mostly open-ended
questions; have a facilitator and a recorder to document
• Observe use patterns
• Where are people working in groups?
• How is the furniture being moved around?
• Who is not using your space and why?
• Visit other libraries
• Look for examples of specific elements
• Pay attention to details (light fixtures, door handles,
window shades, casters, outlets, table edges, open space)
• Take pictures and be inspired!

16. The New Yorker, c. 2010
Four years ago this was funny; today it’s an actual airline directive.

17. Collection Assessment
• Weed regularly and systematically
• Question traditional classification schemes
• Absorb print reference into circulation
• Examine balance of print vs. digital reference
• Consider non-print formats—audio, video, databases,
ebooks—and their impact on collection of physical
materials
• Consider the possibility of moving parts of the collection
to increase use and make better use of space
• Determine what information in what format you are not
providing and why

18. Program Document
• These four words should be at the forefront of your mind
at all times:
• Function
• Flexibility
• Collaboration
• Creativity
• For each area, consider:
• Activities that will take place in the space
• Equipment that will be needed
• Adjacencies to be considered
• There is no detail too small to be included
• Include images if possible
• You will have to work around some immovable objects

19. Key Design Elements
•Furniture
•Lighting
•Acoustics
•Finishes
•Technology

20. Anatomy of a Chair

21. Seating Considerations
• Fit and comfort
• Height adjustability
• Upholstered or not
• Arms or armless
• Tablet arm or no tablet arm
• Casters or no casters
• Type of base
• Color of metal frame, plastic seat, & upholstery
• Finish on tablet arm
• Price (KI’s Strive Learn 2 chair as shown: $485)
• Ability to visualize the chair in use in your space

22. Yoga Blocks

23. Lighting Examples
Dana Hall School Salem State University

24. Lighting Considerations
• Variety
• Natural
• Task
• Reflected
• Fluorescent
• Management
• UV Filtering shades in most areas
• UV blocking shades in presentation zones
• Dimmers
• Light switches in a single bank in a controlled area
• Screen placement vis-à-vis natural light
• Night as well as day conditions
• Orientation of building

25. Acoustic Considerations
• Acoustic panels can be used in a dropped ceiling or on
the wall and come in a range of densities; the higher the
NRC (noise reduction co-efficiency), the better the sound
absorption
• Acoustic tiles can also be covered with acoustically
transparent materials (fabric, perforated metal, wood
slats) for aesthetic reasons
• Carpeting and upholstery are sound-absorbing materials
• Some acoustic wall panels can also be used as a tackable
surface, increasing their flexibility
• HVAC systems generate an engineered white noise
• Read this for a detailed overview of the topic:
http://www.librisdesign.org/docs/AcousticsLibraries.pdf

26. Mobile Magnetic Whiteboards
Steelcase: $675 Clarus: $1800

27. Finishes: Color

28. Finish Considerations
• Ease of maintenance
• Continuous smooth surfaces on tables—no bumpy lips
• Matte finish preferable to shiny for cutting down glare and
reducing eyestrain
• Upholstery
• Avoid the harvest gold & avocado of the day
• Ask for bigger samples so you can see how a pattern repeats
(7” x 9” swatches rather than thumbnails)
• Look for a minimum of 75,000 double rubs
• Make color decisions with a committee of three, and try to
include an art teacher
• Find out what fire code standard (CAL 133 or 117; former is
more restrictive) is required in your state or municipality
• IdeaPaint is a wonderful thing but must be applied by a
trained professional

29. Technology Considerations
• Ubiquitous wireless is the dream but it’s not always
dependable
• Put outlets everywhere: walls, floor, carrels, above
counters, tables if they are fixed in place
• Manage your cords
• Schools considering BYOD, 1-to-1 laptop and/or iPad
programs need to enhance their infrastructure first
• Always include the IT people when planning for new
products or enhancements
• Have a technology line item in your budget
• Be the place that experiments with the new tech toys
• Mobile videoconferencing expands your reach

30. Ergotron’s NeoflexMonitor Stand

31. Makerspace Considerations
• Define your scope: 3D printer? Arts & crafts? Tinkering
with electronics?
• Designate a space
• Designate a manager of the space
• Offer as a library resource and/or collaborate with
interested faculty. Like every other school library
venture, it has maximum impact if tied to curriculum
• Creation is messy. Increase your tolerance and set up
procedures for managing the mess when (or before) the
bell rings.
• Consider the impact on adjacent spaces and activities.
Melting plastic can be smelly.

33. Works Cited
• Lawler, Edward E. and Christopher G. Worley. Built to Change:
How to Achieve Sustained Organizational Effectiveness. New York:
Jossey-Bass, 2006. Print.
• Oldenburg, Ray. The Great Good Place. New York: Marlowe &
Company, 1999. Print.
• Salant, Priscilla, and Don A. Dillman. How To Conduct Your
Own Survey. New York: Wiley, 1994. Print.
• Sullivan, Margaret. Library Spaces for 21st-Century Learners: A
Planning Guide for Creating New School Library Concepts.
Chicago: American Association of School Librarians, 2013.
Print.
• Trucano, Michael. “Searching for India’s Hole in the Wall.”
World Bank. 2010. Web.
http://blogs.worldbank.org/edutech/searching-for-indias-hole-in-
the-wall.