I observed the Osbourn Park High School library on 21 March 2022. I parked in a visitor slot infront of the school, signed in with security and then one of the librarians, Mrs. Lawlor, came and escorted me to the library. It is in the center of the school and when I walked into the library there were about 150 students; hanging out together, on their phones, reading a book, or doing homework. Mrs. said there is usually around 200 or more students there in the morning and was very proud of that. There is a long path in the middle of the library leading from one doorway to another doorway that students use to cut from one side of the building to the other to get to class.
To my left is a huge world map that covers most of the side wall, whiteboard, forty desks and chairs and students getting ready to hold class there. Next to it is a small, rectangular, circulation desk, a book returns cart and a new book cart. Behind the desk are board games, Manga books, and Multilingual books in Arabic, Chinese, Korean, French, and Spanish. Net to this area is the non-fiction section all along the wall to the other doorway. There are five tables, twenty roll chairs, ten cushioned backless roll chairs at eight Pod chairs. All the seating is comfortable, but the Pod chairs felt like I was sitting on a cloud, and I could easily see why many students fall asleep in them.
To my right are the fiction books within many tall bookcases along the walls. There are three short rows of bookcases in the middle that are spaced three feet apart so those students in wheelchairs can navigate through them. On top of these shelves are a large coloring picture and colored pencils any student can use. There are also twelve books on display and if one likes that book, there is a list of recommendations to read next to each book. There is a room that used to be a computer lab, but since the school district went to a 1 to 1 system where each student has their own tablet, all the computers were removed, new furniture was installed and that room is used as a conference room, a classroom teachers can schedule to use or a club room. Next to this are staff offices and storage rooms that have windows that look out over the library. The windows are covered with snowflakes and notes from the students. Rubin and Rubin wrote, “Libraries today ofer a myriad of programs to meet the mission. Although many of these programs involve face-to-face attendance, some libraries offer streaming alternatives such as podcast” (2020, P.109). This library was given money to purchase microphones and a greenscreen to teach podcasting and a room in the staff area has been designated to house all the equipment and where the class is taught. In front of these rooms are six new sofas and two chairs that have USB and outlets attached to them. There are two long bar top tables with twenty bar stools and fourteen small tables with two to four roll chairs at each of them.
There is new carpet throughout and signs on the tables reading No Food in the library. All the books are organized using the Dewey Decimal System. The walls have the flags of 31 nations hanging on them. There are eight pillars holding up the library which allows for one to see the entire library no matter where they are at in it. The lighting throughout is extremely bright.
The library’s website is within the school’s website, one can find suggested activities to do from home, a collaboration with a public library to download items from Hoopla, one of the librarians blog, the library’s secretary and the librarians names and its catalog (Library/Media Center, n.d.). There is also a place for the students to log in where they have access to more items such as reference help, a citation generator, and YouTube book reviews from the librarians, just to name a few. Throughout the day, students and staff came and stayed in the library for long periods of time due to the welcoming atmosphere the staff have created.
References
Library/Media Center. (n.d.). Osbourn Park High School. https://osbournparkhs.pwcs.edu/cms/One.aspx?portalId=416516&pageId=624018
What a difference between this high school library and the one that Rachel featured. I am glad to hear that the students actually use this one though the librarian sounds a little more welcoming. The pod chairs are very fun and if they are comfortable too, I can see why they appeal to the students. The laminate flooring is probably a good idea for that high traffic area where students cut through the library, and hopefully it will help that new carpet last a little longer. It’s also pretty cool that they have a greenscreen and microphones to teach students how to podcast. That sounds like a fun and relevant elective for students to take. Thanks for sharing.
I had only planned on staying there two and a half hours, but ended up staying seven and a half! The librarians were so welcoming and included me in conversations with the students and staff; and Mrs. Lawlor was planning on me being there all day anyway. Also, I had never seen where a library was the hangout spot for students and teachers. When I showed up that morning there were around 150 students hanging out, reading, looking at their phones…and the librarians said it is usually around 200 or more. Then teachers spent their break with the librarians. Some would ask work questions and then they would talk about personal stuff and others would just spend the entire time talking about personal stuff and they had a blast; joking, laughing, telling stories. It was a great time!
Jason, I’ve really enjoyed your write-ups!
This space is so very modern but also welcoming! I’m on the hunt for these pod chairs. I don’t really have room, but I would LOVE to get one for my fifth graders.
The librarians must take so much pride in having students feel comfortable in the space they’ve created – it makes so much sense to create a space that can be monitored by staff instead of hidden spaces just right for trouble.
Do the 31 flags represent the nations students and staff are from? Incredible!
I also love that the space is set up for classes to come down. A change of scenery is a great idea!
Is this somewhere you’d like to work when you finish your degree?
Karen
Hello Karen,
Yes, the flags represent past and present students and staff. If you find and get the Pod chair you may find yourself using and napping in it more than your fifth graders. haha I had not thought about working in a school library until this observation and interview with the librarians. How they interacted with each other, the students and the staff is what I want in the public library, but this one day interaction got me thinking about switching to the school librarian route. So we will see.
Hi Jason,
Gosh, this really struck a nerve, but the optimist in me is just saving idea after idea for the library I will inherit. I am so inspired by this space. At first glance, you wouldn’t know it was a high school library by how modern and “flexible” it feels, but this is what a secondary media center SHOULD be. There is clear evidence here that the administrators (and higher) of this school and division place the media center high on the list of funding and upkeep. What a wonderful space. Kind, inviting staff is icing on the cake. Thank you for sharing. This restored a little faith. 🙂
Rachael
Hi Jason,
I think it’s awesome that the library has books in other languages for the students to use. Not only is that good for students who may have heritage tide to that language but it’s great to introduce kids to new culture even they do not currently have any connection. The space is so open which is nice for patrons to be able to see the full room. I also very much want one of those chairs from the first photo.
Great job!