This morning, as I was greeting the many smiling, somewhat groggy students coming in to the library, one student approached me with a look of horror on his face. "What happened?!" he asked anxiously. I smiled at him and replied, "It'll be OK. You'll make it through this."
No, we were not talking about a natural disaster-hit libary. We were merely acknowledging the fact that the comfy soft seats in our library were moved from the dark back corner of our library into the light and airy middle of our space in order to create a warm and inviting environment (as seen the minute you walk in the door). And, some tables were moved in order to help facilitate collaborative work for both staff and students. And, some book displays were moved in order to make room for a common meeting area for students. Oh, and the computers were also moved so that we can open up some space for a future cafe-like reading area for students. That's it. But I get it. I get that change is difficult for some to accept and feel comfortable with, at least initially. And I get that some people, students included, have a pretty traditional idea of what a library should look like, sound like, act like.
We're really exploring other ideas of what a library, or Learning Space, could and perhaps should be. But we want to assure you that although things may look different, and may change a million times before we're happy, please don't worry. Cuz every (little) thing, is gonna be alright...in the CHHS Library. We got your backs. Promise.
(FYI, we've been working on a proposal or plan for gradual change in the library based on many examples from schools and post-secondary institutions all over North America. I thought it would be cool to Wordle that document and see what words show up most often...check it out below.)
Towards_a_Learning_Commons
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