Library labs are dedicated spaces with highly trained library, IT, and research support staff. The staff are on hand to help teach faculty and advanced graduate students new and emerging methodologies and technologies. Such a lab is a place to engage in new ways of, for example, doing digital scholarship or putting Open Science into practice. This…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Oklahoma State University Library developed an open-source application to record real-time building capacity. Library student security tracks building entrances and exits via the program, with current visitor numbers appearing on the library's website via an API. This effort helps administrators have a…

School libraries are places where people seek solace--not just by burying their heads in books to see themselves in the characters or to look up information on a topic they can't bring themselves to ask friends, but as a safe haven, or third space, from those who have prejudices based on one's sexuality. The lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,…

Providing free access to relevant resources is crucial for prisoners' personal development, well-being and, ultimately, rehabilitation. By offering a variety of reading and learning materials, from easy to expert levels and in various languages, prison libraries provide lifelong learning opportunities, thereby improving inmates' chances of…

Hurricane Harvey dealt a devastating blow to the Pasadena Independent School District (PISD) community when it made landfall August 25, 2017, one week into the PISD 2017-2018 school year. Hurricane Harvey affected all PISD stakeholders and all campuses to some extent, displacing more than 2,000 district families and tripling the number of homeless…

Working with tweens and teens can be challenging. They can be hard to reach and sometimes frustratingly difficult to engage. As a secondary school librarian, the author has often been asked about the philosophy and practices she has implemented in her library to keep students engaged and help them remain active library users. One of the things…

The library is a unique space in schools and in students' lives--a place to pursue both academic and personal interests, a place to meet and work with peers, but also a place to find quiet and a space for reflection. As Jake Carson and Ruth Kneale have noted, "Through embedded librarianship, librarians move from a supporting role into…

Ray Palin, librarian at Sunapee Middle High School in Sunapee, New Hampshire describes what it takes to make the school library a space for those looking for "peace and quiet." Palin begins this article by noting that much has been written about the advantages associated with the learning commons model of library design, however less has…

Makerspaces provide an opportunity for libraries to build upon services they already offer while reaching out to students and faculty who do not frequent the library on a daily basis. By implementing a makerspace in the campus library, the space is seen as more neutral and approachable by students and staff from all academic departments. Broadly…

As libraries adjust to the needs of the 21st century, there needs to be a different way of thinking in regards to its design. School libraries have traditionally been designed as large rooms for the storage of materials for research and pleasure reading. As more and more districts focus their attention on digital acquisitions, the need for storage…

This essay notes the emergence of learning as a key factor in academic library planning. It argues for an improved, learning-oriented planning process by noting the dangers that arise from the priority usually given to fixing dysfunctional space and from the traps of mistaking the "things" of learning for learning itself and of thinking…

University course assignments increasingly focus on group work and group projects to help students collaboratively discover more about their fields of study. The Thomas G. Carpenter Library realized the need to investigate means for reimagining itself to better accommodate today's researchers. The complex process of planning for the redesign of…

Heather Turner is school librarian at Solvay Middle School in Syracuse, New York. She states that "a school library is a space that continues to evolve with the needs of its users. It is unique among spaces in that it impacts the entire school." Creating a space for the needs of all students is a mighty undertaking, and the…

A makerspace is a place where makers can envision a project, find an expert, and create something. Libraries have always held programming during which patrons were able to come in and create. The makerspace at the Lamar Middle School in Flower Mound, Texas, is available for students every day, so that they can daily create and play with innovative…

Elementary school libraries are not often thought of as suitable spaces for learning commons because most elementary school libraries operate on a fixed schedule, allowing only one class at a time to use the space. Elementary school libraries are too often the drop-off location for a specific class during the classroom teacher's planning period.…