Welcome to learning in the library

Recently, I reconfigured the layout of our library to better reflect what I expect it to be: a place, just like a classroom, with the tools and expectation for learning and making.

The most fundamental change was to move our entire "administrative" area (circ desk, my desk, cabinets, storage) away from our double-door entrance back into the last quarter of the library.

We are no longer gate-keepers, we are door-openers.


We flanked the door with comfy chairs and are projecting classic films and student films throughout the day to both lure in students and to expose them to some touchstones of visual literacy. This arrangement also provides direct access to our "front-cover" display shelves.


As students enter they will see examples of student projects, new arrivals, library-sponsored events, and "hooks" to prompt discussion:




At the very back of the room, at the entry to the Library Lab, we have positioned our Service Counter, storage units and work area.

I'm depending on this physical setup to 1) help remind me of our library's focus and to 2) cultivate the new kind of dialogues we need to have with the students and staff that we serve.