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Mostly Cloudy Reimagining the library
More technology, fewer books planned for middle and high schools
As the school district continues work on the second expansion at South Side High School, it is also preparing to redo the library at the middle school.
As part of the Phase 2 expansion at the high school, the district is building a new library. But there is also money from the bond to renovate the library at South Side Middle School, modernizing it and making it a better place for student learning.
“We’re looking to make it much more of a hub,” said middle school Principal Shelagh McGinn.
The new library will be in the same place, but will look very different. Many of the tall stacks of books will be removed, unblocking the windows and letting in natural light. There will still be books available, although there will be fewer of them. The district plans to turn the library into more of a learning hub, giving students access to information on their district iPads and creating space for them to work together.
To that end, a new, open floor plan will allow more students to occupy the space. In its current layout, only one class can use the library at a time, but with the new design, it will have room for two. All of the furniture will be on casters, allowing it to be moved and reconfigured for different lessons and group work.
“Libraries aren’t what they used to be,” said Tracey Hansen, an interior designer for BBS Architects, who designed the spaces. “It’s much more of a media center.”
That idea carries over into the new SSHS library as well. Though it will be much larger than the middle school space, it will have many of the same features: smaller stacks, movable furniture and information access.
In addition to Wi-Fi, the SSHS library will have access ports for students’ computers that will facilitate faster downloads and uploads. There will also be desktop computers.
Much to the chagrin of the school administrators, the new library will not have windows, but will have skylights. It will have two areas that can be used as classroom space, and a large central area.
Work on the high school library is progressing as the second addition to the building is being constructed. Work on the middle school library will begin next summer.
