Resnik

Heidi Resnik
Dr. Paul Gray
Library 500
October 11, 2014
Unit 6: Designing a Flexible, Fun, and Functioning Facility!
1.

After reading the textbook assignments, conducting some additional research online,

observing my own school library through different lenses, and visiting our beautiful city public
library to grade papers and observe the people utilizing it, I have learned that libraries in this
century must evolved into what Les Watson, an educational advisor and learning space
consultant, calls an inspiring experience for users [that] emphasize service integrationand
focus on using space as a means of responding to the culture of the communities they serve
(ALA 2014 Report).
While our school library at Adolfo Camarillo High School is spacious and fairly
accommodating for the needs of our school community, I would make changes to bring it more
up-to-date to meet the standards for todays information age. Our library has room to
accommodate for two classrooms at the same time: one in the computer area and one in the study
area. According to Steve Baule in his article Planning Considerations for Library Media Center
Facilities, this is the correct ratio rather than the old rule of 10 percent of the student body being
able to fit at one time (this would be roughly 240 students!) (Repman and Dickenson, 2007, p.
95). I have chosen to analyze my schools library rather than create one since it is my hope to
become the Teacher Librarian there in the near future. I like the idea of analyzing the floor space
because I am inspired to make changes based on data. The following chart identifies the various
areas in the Adolfo Camarillo High School library that require floor space:

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Adolfo Camarillo High Schools Library:

Item Requiring
Floor Space
1. Security Entrance

2. Circulation Counter
& Area

Square Footage
120 sq. feet

672 sq. feet

Counter: 92.5 sq. feet

3. Staff Work Area

209 sq. feet

4. Presentation Room

485 sq. feet

5. Software and
Periodical Storage
Room
6. Magazine Storage &
Reading Area

7. Librarians Office
8. Computer Work
Stations

9. Study Area
10. Reference Books
11. Book Cases

414 sq. feet

155 sq. feet

Magazine shelving:
12x1
205 sq. feet
968 sq. feet
Each computer table:
7 sq. feet
1295 sq. feet
Each table: 22.5 sq.
feet
420 sq. feet
Each case: 13 sq. feet
2808 sq. feet
Each shelf: 17 sq. feet

Quantity Needed &

Description of Items in the Area
Library store (a glass encased wall unit, 2 deep);
a cart for discarded, free books; security entrance
arch; double doors
w4 work stations with computers
w2 printers: one color
w2 desks (LM Clerk and student aide)
w4 carts to hold books needing to be re-shelved
wshelving lining the walls with various tchotchkes
strewn on top; binders and papers on the shelves
wlaminating machine (non-working)
wcounter space
wstorage above and below counter
wsink
wcomputer, interactive board, document camera
w6 rows of tables with 40 chairs
wfloor to ceiling shelving
w2 tables and 8 chairs
wboxes and papers and files (that need dumping)
wmagazine shelving across the wall
w1 fabric couch
w4 fabric reading chairs
w2 small tables
wshelving
wdesk with computer, printer, storage
wglass windows surrounding it
w50 student desktop computers
w1 teacher computer
w11 tables
w66 chairs
w2 study carrels with computers
wsmartboard against wall for presentations and
teaching lessons
w6 book cases
w15 floor to ceiling book cases; each book case
contains 14 shelves (7/side)

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After creating this chart, I was able to see that our library is actually well designed and
holds many materials for our students various needs and uses. The ALA standard of 1,000
books requiring 100 square feet of floor space (I also looked this up and saw the formula written
as 10 books/one square foot, which is the same) is considered optimal for balancing weeding and
growth. My school library has 18,458 books with 3220 square feet of area to house them, so we
have room to add to the collection. Now on to the changes

2.

I have decided that I would keep the library floor plan as is. What I would change

significantly is the look and feel of the library and transform two of the spaces for a different use.
The reading and research I have done this week confirms that environment plays a significant
role in the 21st century style of learning and one of the many jobs of the teacher librarian is to
advocate and advertise the benefits of the Library Media Center for all stakeholders. I am going
to tap into my aesthetic sensibilities (I have good taste in decorating and design) and my
tenacious personality (I am relentless like the tide and I will need money and resources to do
this) to alter the feel of the Adolfo Camarillo Library, which is not offensive but it is certainly
not inspiring or motivating.
My choices to change the environment without altering the design have been inspired by
my reading the ALA 2014 Americas Libraries Report. Barbara K. Stripling, ALA president
reports, the increased emphasis on college and career readiness and the integration of
technology have opened an unprecedented door to school librarian leadership. She reminds me
that the CCSS are driving this idea. I have learned that Stripling and the ALA are undertaking
an advocacy campaign for school libraries that sets goals in five critical areas:

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LiteracyTodays school librarians must be able to teach critical new literacy skills to enable
young people to evaluate and make sense of text presented in all formats and to be producers and
communicators of ideas, not just consumers of information.
InquiryThe mission of the school library is to ensure that students are equipped with essential
critical-thinking and information skills, and school librarians must collaborate with classroom
teachers to make inquiry an integral part of the school curriculum.
Social and emotional growthThe school library must be a safe space for discovery and
collaboration where young people develop self-confidence, learn perseverance, and acquire
social skills like the ability to be part of a team and show respect for the perspectives of others.
Creativity and imaginationSchool libraries must offer liberating experiences of imagination
and creation. Students see characters in their minds as they listen to stories. Young people
imagine their own stories or create expressions of their learning to share with others.
Thoughtful use of technologySchool librarians must teach students and teachers how to use
the latest technology tools for personal and academic learning, communication, production, and
collaboration.
The task for school librarians, Stripling said, is to fulfill the dream that every school across the
country will have an effective school library program (http://www.ala.org/news/state-americaslibraries-report-2014/school-libraries). After reading this, I decided these five areas of focus
support both the mission statement and the student learning outcomes I wrote for the earlier
assignments in this class, and they will serve as a platform for my justification when I write a
Zero Based Budget for the renovation of the library.
Another aspect of consideration I am employing in making my decisions to renovate the
look and aesthetics of the library is the idea that evidence-based research supports how libraries
contribute to student success and how at the local level we can conduct this kind of research and
share it with the community. I was inspired by the article School Libraries and Evidence: Seize
the Day, Begin the Future, by Dr. Ross J. Todd, an associate professor at Rutgers University
(Repman and Dickenson, 2007, pp. 160-164). Though not in our reading this week, I was
looking through the text and was intrigued by this article in light of library design. I believe

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fiscal choices need to be well thought out and justified, and the blend of the ideas in this article
and the five areas addressed in the ALAs literacy campaign give me the heft of information to
set forth on my journey. In the article, Todd presents national and international research
outcomes that support the supposition that libraries around the globe significantly contribute to
student learning. In sum, these studies have sought to empirically establish the relationship of
school library programs to student achievement (Repman and Dickenson, 162). The library
environment is the perfect place to develop inquiry-based knowledge acquisition skills, and a
teacher librarian can assist students in gaining the ability to use these skills confidently and
independently and [assist them in]transfer[ing] these skills across the curriculum and beyond
school (Repman and Dickenson, 2007, p.162). This article, the ALA report, and the ALA
standards also confirm the need to develop social-emotional skills in our students. To accomplish
these lofty goals, I need to first get the students and teachers to come into the library and use the
resources.
The ACHS library is currently set up well in terms of furniture and station arrangement.
It is an open-plan space and all areas of the library are visible. I spoke with my Teacher Librarian
and she said this was not the case when she first arrived. When she was first hired, she
discovered many hiding places that were not conducive to safety or learning, so she made
changes to the floor plan to ensure she could monitor the students during their visits. The
entrance leads directly to the Circulation Desk, which is convenient for students wanting to
renew or drop books off quickly and be on their way. The Presentation Room, which can be
closed off from the library is directly to the right and also has a separate entrance. Behind the
Circulation Desk to the right is the Library Staff Work Room. This room is underutilized and
looks more like a storage area. I would clean it up, organize it, paint it, get the laminating

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machine working, get a paper cutter, proper office supplies, and avail it to teachers as well as the
Library Media Clerk who need to use work space.
One significant space change I would make is the room where we once housed the
periodicals and software, located at the back of the Circulation area. It now sits empty, or shall I
say it sits as a cluttered waste-of-space mess filled with cardboard magazine holders, boxes,
folders, paper, and mismatched chairs. I would turn that 414 square foot room into a Group
Study Room. I would pull out the floor to ceiling metal bookshelves, and I would put in three
student computers, tables, chairs, lamps (the room has sufficient natural lighting from above),
and extra electrical outlets for students to bring in their laptops or devices. I would also put in an
interactive white board and projector for the students and staff to use to prepare presentations. I
would decorate the room with fresh paint, inspirational signage, and artificial (but very real
looking!) plants and flowers. My vision is for this room to be considered a little treasure on
campus, where students can freely collaborate and take risks in their learning as they create.
I would keep the computers (they are desktops and working quite wellno need to spend
money on updating yet), the magazine and reading area (but I would change the furniture to
leather and add aesthetic dcor), and the study area. The study area is nice and open and arranged
for student collaboration or space to work alone while sharing a table. I would change the
furniture, however; it is not attractive at all. It is blondish wood, big and bulky, and very heavy. I
would bring in dark tables, dark chairs, and would bring furniture with less bulk and weight but
that would be sturdy enough for high usage.
Behind the study area, there are currently six bookcases of reference books that no one
uses. They are situated in two rows of three. The librarian has chosen to keep them because the
books are pretty and the bookcases can serve as tabletops for standing. In addition, they cordon

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off the study area at the back of the library. I would choose to get rid of three of the bookcases to
open up the width of the path. I would keep three bookcases as a cordon (I might keep some of
the reference books thereas relics! Ha! Some of these books actually do have some good
biographical and historical information.) Underneath the windows, there are also bookcases
filled with reference books lining the entire length of the back wall. I would pull those bookcases
out, and because we have no private, quiet area to study in our library, I would put carrels in
lining the wall. The natural light will be a boon for the carrels that might cast a shadow with the
private sides. The shelving for all the non-fiction and fiction books available for check out,
located on the far left side of the library works well, and I would not change the design, the
location, or the way they are organized. The metal shelving is not aesthetic; however, I would
not replace these because I could not justify the cost. They do the job of holding books and have
empty shelves available for growth.
Next, the most significant change I would make is the paint color and scheme of the
entire interior, which is currently industrial off white (uh!). Our city, once in Mexican territory,
was bought and founded by Adolfo Camarillo in 1875, and has maintained a rich architectural
history (though sadly our school does not reflect that; our school is some design approved by the
state over 50 years ago and it looks like four other industrialized schools in our district. Our city
is currently building a new high school that will reflect the beautiful
Spanish architecture with arches, stucco, and tile roofs). All our citys
buildings have strict codes and must reflect Spanish style architecture
and colors. Our new public library (featured in the picture) is magnificent in design, and I would
choose similar colors of gold, red shades, deep brown, terra cotta, and dark furniture to bring
depth and richness to the interior environment. I would add soft lighting (as allowed by law) and

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have murals painted to reflect the history of our town and the beauty of learning and of
academia. I would add electrical outlets in the study areas, including the carrels.
To add to the librarys visual interest, I would create a specific area (possibly wall space
and small display area), probably near the magazine and reading area, designated for a monthly
feature to reflect cultural history. I would include the corresponding databases and research
techniques to assist students in satisfying their intellectual curiosity hopefully inspired by the
exhibit. I would display thematic books, resources, student art, and creative visuals to attract
visitors attention. In addition to a monthly display, I would also create a wall area for a Teacher
Feature, where I would showcase how the teacher and the teacher librarian are implementing
collaborative lessons and curriculum design. I would display pictures of student engagement
during the collaborative lesson in the Library Media Center, and I will document these and keep
the records in a binder to show student learning. This data will be classified as my evidence for
the positive impact and direct correlation the library and all its resources has on student learning.
I look forward to being a part of this shift in bringing our school library up to date in the
21st century.
REFERENCES
"2014 Annual Report", American Library Association, February 20, 2014.
Martin, B. S., & Zannier, M. (2009). Fundamentals of school library media management:
A how-to-do-it manual. New York: Neal-Schuman.
Repman, J., & Dickenson, G. (Eds.). (2007). School library management (Sixth ed.). Columbus,
OH: Linworth Publishing.