Library Spaces for 21st-Century Learners

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION
OF SCHOOL LIBRARIANS

Library Spaces

Lfoer a21srt-nCenetrursy

A Planning Guide for Creating New School Library Concepts



Library Spaces

Lfoer a21srt-nCenetrursy

A Planning Guide for Creating New School Library Concepts

ISBN: 978-0-8389-8630-1

PDF: 978-0-8389-8631-8
ePUB: 978-0-8389-8632-5
Kindle: 978-0-8389-8633-2

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Copyright ©2013 by the American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Revision Act of 1976. Printed in the United States of America.

Acknowledgments

AASL gratefully acknowledges the following:
Written by:
Margaret Sullivan
School Library Consultant
Library Resource Group LLC
Cambridge, WI
<[email protected]>
AASL Staff Liaison: Stephanie Book

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Table of Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 The Starting Point: Mission Statement 1
5
Chapter 2 Why a Needs Assessment? 13
27
Chapter 3 Building a Needs-Assessment Survey 35
45
Chapter 4 Focus Groups with Library Users 57

Chapter 5 Do As I Do, Not As I Say 75

Chapter 6 From Needs Assessment to Innovation 79
91
Chapter 7 Library Scenarios and Concepts 95
97
Bibliography 99

Appendix A Pugh Sample

Appendix B Resource List

Appendix C Index

Appendix D Learning4Life

Appendix E L4L Publications

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Preface

Planning for the Unknown

Let’s be nostalgic for a moment. Wasn’t planning a
school library space simpler in 1960s, 1970s, and
1980s? Even into the 1990s the task was not that
difficult. Don’t get me wrong—it was never actual-
ly easy. The process involved solving so many math
problems. How many linear feet of shelving does it
take to store the current collection, and how much
extra space should we allow for growth? Or what
percentage of the school population should we be
able to seat at one time in the library? Formulas
were developed to answer these questions.

The formulas and solutions were possible be-
cause we were measuring physical objects and
scheduling classes into the school library. When
print materials were the primary resources needed
to support students’ learning, we had a model for
what a library should look like and how students
would use it that dated back to the Ancient Library
of Alexandria in the third century BCE. When you
talked to architects, school administrators, or par-
ents, everyone visualized the same concept. Even
the integration of audiocassettes, filmstrips, video,

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and DVDs was not that confusing. These were still physical objects—content
that needed to be stored, circulated, or consumed on equipment.

Then, our world changed. Now planning a school library has no long-
established model. The questions are no longer mathematical, they are philo-
sophical. “How many more years will we need books?” “Why do students
need a school library when information is everywhere?” “What would a vir-
tual library look like?” “What should we call this new space?” “Should this
large space become something totally new?”

We are going to explore these new spaces and provide you with a path to
creating your new school library based on user-based design concepts. Let’s
emphasize that this book is a path, but the journey you take will not end at
the same destination for every school. School libraries are evolving, and the
ultimate new model is years in the making; it is yet to be seen if there will ever
be an absolutely homogenous model again. Future school libraries will have
common elements, but the elements may not appear universally in all school
libraries nor may they ever be gathered in just one central location again.

Facing a New Reality: Continuous Change

Technology changed everything. In its wake, we are questioning current mod-
els and proposing alternative learning models. New classroom models focus
on the individual, their learning styles, and how their multiple intelligences
can best be engaged to provide the country with lifelong learners. So, just
as we do not know what jobs we are educating children to pursue as adults,
we are not sure what information they will need to be successful. We simply
know that we must provide them with a passion for learning, guide them as
they develop the skills to find and use information from resources that are
growing exponentially each year, and help students develop the dispositions
they will need to use their knowledge to create meaningful work.

The schools built during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s for the Baby
Boomer generation will be renovated or razed. Their infrastructure is aging
as quickly as the people who passed through them. Contemporary schools
being built are focused on new learning models and alternative ideas for the
“classroom of the future.” Most still have a traditional school library or an
empty space waiting for a solution. Currently, only one alternative is being of-
fered for a school library: the “learning commons.” After planning your new
library space, you may decide to call it the learning commons, which will be

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your choice. But do your planning first. Define the space based on the needs
of your users before you simply tell an architect or interior designer you want
a learning commons.

The concept of a learning commons was launched on college and uni-
versity campuses for adult students as a 24–7 space with access to computers,
digital databases, and limited on-site professional staff. It is designed for self-
directed learners; it is not a K–12 learning space with professional mentors
or teachers. Make sure an architect or designer clearly understands what a
learning commons means in your school. Such a space does not yet have a
universal definition for elementary, middle, or high school libraries.

So start planning without labels, with an open mind about what will
work best for your educational model, and plan a learning space that fits your
school, your students and your community.

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Chapter 1 The Starting Point:
The Mission Statement

Your school library must evolve into a learning en-
vironment that supports the educational model of
your school and your students. Though this vision
of a school library is a simple, logical concept, it
can be difficult to describe and even more difficult
to visualize. If your school operates with a similar
or identical model as another school in the district
or one in a neighboring district, you have an oppor-
tunity to collaborate on planning your space. You
might even be able to replicate a space if the two
schools’ educational models are truly the same.

But do not spend too much time looking for
the perfect parallel for your school; replication of
an existing school library might be the easiest route,
but it can also be a mistake. Like a painting, a rep-
lica lacks the passion, insight, and creativity of the

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original. You need to understand how the space works for the end-users, why
certain layouts or design decisions were made, and how to maximize the flex-
ibility of your environment. Plus, the two spaces are not identical if you are
not walking in the same shoes as the neighboring librarian.

So replication is possible, but it is neither as much fun nor as rewarding
as discovering what your school library environment can be and then present-
ing a creative, well-documented space plan to your principal. Let your library
speak directly to what is unique about your school and your students.

How Do You Get Started on Planning Your
Unique Space?

Does your school have a mission statement? Is it clearly understood by all the
teachers, staff, and administrators? Do you make educational decisions based
on the values it emphasizes?

If the mission statement reflects the vision of the school, provides short-
and long-term goals, and articulates the values that shape your school’s cul-
ture, then you have a starting point. Schools with a strong mission statement
usually build their educational strategy around that mission (AASL 2009).

When a mission statement encourages the active involvement of parents
and the community as a critical piece, think about how the school library can
also engage them. Do you have programs that bring adults into the library?
Once they are there, does the space accommodate them easily? Is your library
easy to find? Does directional signage lead guests to your door or do you
have an entrance leading directly into the library from outside? Is the layout
secure with sightlines that allow you to see who is coming and going from
the space?

Does your mission statement encourage leadership and responsibility
for students? If so, have you adopted self-checkout, provided personal study
spaces where students can work privately under their own supervision? For
older students or honor students, have you provided special privileges like ac-
cess to a coffee bar or social-media stations? Do you encourage students to be
self-directed, easily able to find the resources they need based on signage and
other merchandising clues?

Is a key objective to foster self-esteem? If so, do you have extensive display
space for student work? Performance space? Do you encourage students to

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create personal blogs? Have you planned your school library space to facilitate
self-expression by the students and given them the tools to both create and
communicate using either traditional or social media? Does your library lay-
out or do your display monitors allow other students to preview classmates’
work in progress?

Or does your mission statement focus on lifelong learning? If so, have
you thought about establishing space for students to mix tinkering areas
(“maker spaces”) with print and database access so that students build a cor-
relation between hypothesis, research, creation, and demonstration? Do you
have space for casual reading and resources that pique student curiosity rather
than resources that support only established classroom curriculum? Creating
space in the school library that allows students to explore topics of personal
interest is a way to encourage lifelong learning skills.

Translating mission statements into definable activities and spaces within
your school library is a good way to demonstrate your appreciation for the
learning objectives of the school and district. Also, take the time to discuss
with your administrator his or her interpretation of the school’s mission state-
ment; this conversation is an inclusive way to begin creating a 21st-century
school library.

The mission statement is a beginning step. As described in the next chap-
ter, expanding your research to include all stakeholders is the next step. It
is an extremely valuable step as you engage other people in your planning
process.

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Chapter 2 Why a Needs
Assessment?

Needs-assessment surveys are used to gather infor-
mation from end-users. The survey should be de-
signed to help you plot a new space that focuses on
user- based design. The survey should be developed
to solicit information from your library stakehold-
ers, including students, teachers, and parents.

Having previously discussed the mission state-
ment with your administrator, you may decide not
to include him or her directly in the needs-assess-
ment process but rather simply keep the adminis-
trator informed of your next steps. This person may
also be a valuable resource in formulating questions,
but this assistance would then disqualify him or her
from taking the survey.

Ideally, a survey would be given to 100 per-
cent of your immediate users: students and teach-

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ers. Using online tools like SurveyMonkey to create and conduct the survey
makes the process efficient; everyone can participate easily, and tabulation is
immediate. Because your user group is contained in a single location with
access to an online survey, it is not unreasonable to strive for 100 percent
participation—especially if you have your administrator’s endorsement.

Parents should always be made aware that you will be using a survey to
obtain information from students. In addition, though, sampling parents as
a component of the survey process also has value on several levels. Ask your
administrator for input on how best to sample parents.

Parents provide insight into the level of technology usage at home, infor-
mation that indicates the expectations your students will bring to the reno-
vation or new library space. Parents will also reinforce community values
and culture. Often, when they are included in the development of a school
library plan, they will become advocates for the project, support fundrais-
ing, and volunteer time for the renovation project. Parents’ involvement in
a needs-assessment survey can also provide a fresh perspective; through their
responses to open-ended questions parents can provide useful information
about new furniture or technology concepts they have seen or used in corpo-
rate or higher-education settings.

Surveying 100 percent of your students’ parents can be difficult, so se-
lecting a random but representative sample is important. For example, if you
survey only parents who are active in the PTO, the sample will not be repre-
sentative of all parents unless a significant majority of all parents participate
in PTO. The information provided by a selected, already-involved group can
be meaningful for other reasons, but is not statically valid. You want a sample
that includes a broad demographic selection of your school population. Sam-
plings from all neighborhoods and rural areas, ethnic groups, income levels,
and grade levels, and from both single-parent and dual-parent households
should be included. If other demographic elements are unique to your dis-
trict, they must be represented.

If you decide not to survey parents but include them in an advisory group,
realize that the information will be biased and represent only the viewpoints
of the people sitting around the table. Those viewpoints can be extremely
valuable, but they are unlikely to represent parents throughout the district.

I had the opportunity to interview parents in an advisory group that
included the headmaster, technology director, school business official, board

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members, and school architects. The parent representatives were actively in-
volved in the discussion as all members of the group expressed their wish lists
of what should be incorporated in the new learning commons. However,
what I really learned during that three-hour discussion was the predetermined
direction the headmaster was taking the school. Everyone around the table
was committed to technology; the parent representatives were executives in
technology companies. I could have designed the space immediately after at-
tendees introduced themselves because the focus, priorities, and culture were
already established.

I do not want to criticize this approach because I believe in creating en-
vironments that support community values. However, this is not a needs-as-
sessment process focused on user-based design. This approach does not gather
information to make decisions; it gathers information to validate a “made”
decision.

Be aware, too, that parents normally do not step forward to participate
in an advisory group unless they have predisposed ideas or concerns. These
parents may already be your advocates, or they may have decided it is time
for a whole new concept for that large space centrally located in the school.
They may believe they can be open-minded about the planning process. Be
cautious. In their minds, parents, like everyone else, have preexisting, deep-
rooted images of what a school library is. Rather than depending on a small
advisory panel composed of parents, survey a board spectrum of parents to
gather more-useful information, and compile it to compare with the informa-
tion you will gather from your primary users.

Creating a Survey for Users

In their book How to Conduct Your Own Survey, Priscilla Salant and Don A.
Dillman suggest that you should start the process by asking yourself these
questions: “What information do you need?” “What problem are you trying
to solve?” and “What do you already know?” (Salant 1994, 25).

What Information Do You Need?

Planning a new school library based on the users may seem straightforward.
But you must first stop thinking about the resources, the furnishings, and
your own personal bias toward the space. Come into the project with an open

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mind. You need to understand what will help your users become lifelong
learners and enrich their educational experience. You need to understand
learning styles and how space can enhance those styles. What are the instruc-
tional models being used in the classrooms, and how should these models be
complemented by the school library? What are the lesson plans and technol-
ogy tools being used in the classrooms and how can you complement them?

To gather those answers—as well as to probe into the immediate fu-
ture—by developing a series of questions for students and teachers is your
responsibility. Do not assume you already have the answers. Allow your users
to confirm or change your beliefs.

For example, has your school embraced Response to Intervention (RtI)?
Has an all-out effort been launched to bring every student up to grade level
in reading? Are teachers meeting to review students’ scores and strategize on
a plan for each student? If so, how have you responded to this initiative? Ide-
ally, the answer was not simply to add additional comfortable reading spaces
in the library.

I have seen this solution offered in many school libraries without anyone
having asked the students or teachers what resources the library could provide
to improve students’ skills. A bookstore environment with soft seating does
not improve reading scores unless students actually use the space to read. So,
before you create a “cool space” to hang out and read, make sure the reading
piece of that solution will actually happen.

Do you have the content students want to read? Do you have it in the for-
mat in which they want to read it? Would reading scores improve if students
could use tablets? Would downloading customized reading curriculum to an
iPad appeal to both teachers and students as a solution to improve language
arts scores? Perhaps vocabulary and word usage would improve if students
could listen to audio-books on their smart phones or MP3 players. Or could
you leverage graphic novels to improve reading comprehension? Should you
expand your collection into new genres or popular magazines to encourage
reading for enjoyment? Before designing a new reading environment in your
school library, make sure you know what students want to read and that it is
available to them in your library. Once you understand what resources will
best complement your school’s learning goals, you can then start to create an
environment that will support those goals.

Users may not be able to articulate their exact environmental needs, but
they can provide you and your architect with valuable design ideas. Today

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we encourage students to work in teams, to collaborate, but that reality does
not mean students will never want solitude to think on their own. Use of
technology is pervasive, but what does BYOD (bring your own device) mean
for students carrying laptops, tablets, and smart phones around with them?
How will you provide power and how much bandwidth will be enough? How
much technology does the school library need to provide and for what ap-
plications? What types of technology-related instruction will you need to pro-
vide and will other teachers want to use the library in their instruction? What
types of learning activities will take place in the school library? Flexibility is
a term being used extensively in library design but does the complete library
need to be flexible with all elements mobile, or do you need to establish zones
of flexibility? What might those zones include? All these questions are easier
to answer when you have input from users.

You should also build a survey that generates information to help you
effectively communicate what resources are in the library and accessible
throughout the building. The process of communicating your resources to
users, both students and teachers, is just as important as the resources. Re-
member, resources that users have difficulty finding or they do not know are
in the library are wasted. Don’t fall victim to your users’ bypassing the library
to go online and find alternative, but unauthentic information.

Building a survey to gather information will also clearly communicate to
all users that you want to participate in the actual learning process—not just
be the custodian of a warehouse of resources.

What Problem Are You Trying to Solve?

Have you identified the problem with your current school library? Can you
articulate the problem, or do you just have a vague mix of annoying feelings?
Do you actually think a problem exists that you should be addressing, or do
you just assume you need to change because everyone else is talking about
it?

The frustration with defining what a school library should be I heard in
the voice of an architect I spoke with one afternoon. He said, “I have no idea
what a school library should look like today.” Unfortunately, he followed that
statement by saying, “And school librarians are not much help in figuring it
out.” He felt school librarians were too “stuck in the past.” To some degree,
I agreed with him. I, too, have met school librarians who do not want to see
their world change or can not figure out how to envison a new world. Howev-

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er, a more serious problem I have found is when the whole school is “stuck in
the past” or too underfunded to move forward. Then it is impossible to rein-
vent a school library. Inventing a new concept for the space is difficult unless
everyone is moving forward into new learning initiatives and the community
is willing to fund those initiatives. Once that shift happens and you decide to
embrace those changes, then planning a space is exciting. The challenge will
be in managing the number of possibilities and clearly communicating what
your school library should become.

Obviously, I think a needs-assessment document is a valuable tool for
you to use as you define requirements for the new space, and this tool is
equally valuable to architects. They are trained to translate information into
space. The better the information, the more clearly articulated the programs,
activities, and user needs, the more creative your architects and interior de-
signers will be with your new space.

So what is the problem you are trying to solve? I have started to define the
problem in my work as: Traditional school libraries do not adequately sup-
port the scope of Common Core learning initiatives for users. We have broad
new learning goals; unprecedented, ubiquitous access to information; and us-
ers who want and need to work in new ways. All these issues make every space
in schools eligible for reexamination. The school library is no exception. The
unique problem facing school libraries is the scope of possible options based
on their vast array of resources.

What Do You Already Know?

Empowering Learners: Guidelines for School Library Programs is an excellent
resource that defines the goals and objectives for contemporary school li-
brary programs. Providing architects with a summary of this book would be a
critical first step in helping them to understand the library’s role in education
today. When deciding how innovative a new school library can be, I use the
book as a guideline for questioning the school librarian about the library pro-
gram’s progress toward supporting new learning objectives. If the programs
are not changing, then moving on to consider new concepts for the space is
pointless. You can assess for yourself whether your program supports new
learning objectives.

You can also look at existing circulation data to see what print resources
students are currently using in their learning. You will have to decide how

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much of the print collection must move into the new space and what will be
replaced with digital resources. You are also in the best position to estimate
how quickly print material might be replaced with additional digital resourc-
es. Shelving takes up a large footprint in the library; this reality requires you
to make objective decisions about how much shelving your future library
actually needs. Ironically, shelving has always been a planning dilemma; origi-
nally, the problem was estimating collection growth, and today it is guessing
collection migration to digital content.

Look at other data you have accumulated about your library and de-
cide how much of it can be used in planning your new library. Also, visit
other school libraries and take visual notes on what is working well for those
students and why it works. This is all information you can use in your plan-
ning.

Chapter 5 will discuss ways to gather information through observation of
your users today or recollections from the past to generate valuable informa-
tion to enrich the design process. Observation forces you to be objective and
focus on the users rather than narrowing the design based on your personal
biases.

The next chapter will help you get started on compiling your needs-as-
sessment survey based on the information you know and the problem you
want to solve.

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Chapter 3 Building a Needs-
Assessment Survey

A certain level of thoughtfulness is required to write
questions for a needs-assessment survey. Besides
outlining the types of information you need, you
must also think about the way the questions are
posed. The format of the question will impact the
quality of response.

It is equally important to ask questions the us-
ers are qualified to answer. Questions should relate
to their experience, needs, and issues on which they
have an opinion. For example, most students and
teachers will not be able to answer infrastructure
questions. However, they can provide you with in-
formation on tools and applications they want to
use; this information will be valuable to an infor-
mation technology specialist or electrical engineer
when planning infrastructure.

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Always get permission from a district- and building-level administrator
to survey students. Also, if your school’s student handbook does not have a
policy assuming parental approval to survey students on educational issues,
you should develop one so that parental permission is understood. However,
even if permission is assumed under your school’s policy, parents should al-
ways be made aware that you will be using a survey to obtain information
from students.

Opened-Ended Questions

Open-ended questions are designed to make the respondents think through
possible answers based on their knowledge or experience, and then write an-
swers (Salant 1994, 77-100). These questions are a good way to gather cre-
ative ideas or “food for thought,” but rarely will you find enough similarity
among the responses to take action. Open-ended questions can also be diffi-
cult for students to answer unless you provide direction prior to having them
start the survey. Unfortunately, directions will also slant the survey results.
Another issue in a school environment is that open-ended questions can take
on the personality of a test as students struggle to think of answers or gravitate
toward the answer they believe is “correct.”

Open-ended questions are best saved for interviews with students or fo-
cus groups of students. Allowing students to verbalize their thoughts and
react to other students’ opinions creates a robust discussion and can generate
a number of new ideas. Students may also start to ask you questions, and their
questioning is an effective way to garner insight into their concerns. A few
years ago I was interviewing a group of high school students about furniture
in their school. After asking questions about functionality and features that
supported learning activities I asked if they had any questions. Immediately,
one student asked, “Why is school furniture always so uncomfortable?”

I started asking questions related to that concern and discovered a wealth
of information. All the students were immediately engaged in the discussion;
everyone had strong feelings about problems with furniture. It was interesting
that the main concern was not about the need for more soft seating; students’
concern was more dynamic than soft seating. The discussion dealt with ergo-
nomic issues, adjustability, and mobility; they talked about working heights,
privacy, and accessories. It was obvious that rigid rows of classroom desks and

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heavy hard plastic chairs were in conflict with the way students wanted to
work. It was also clear that the school library was even more immobile and
difficult to work in than their classrooms. What this open-ended discussion
immediately brought to light was the opportunity to rethink learning envi-
ronments from a user’s perspective.

Open-ended questions on surveys to teachers can work, but I still prefer
to save them for a focus-group setting where answers can be clarified and
expanded. Allowing students or teachers to add comments following a close-
ended question can be an alternative.

Examples of typical open-ended questions that are too difficult for users
to answer on a written survey but that could be reworked to engage a focus
group are:

● What features should be included in our new library that would
improve your ability to study and use resources?

● What features should be included in our new library that would
improve your ability to work on projects?

● What types of software applications should be available in the li-
brary?

● What types of new programming or activities would you like to have
in the library?

● What types of furniture would work well for learning and working
with other students?

● What type of signage would allow you to find library resources your-
self?

All these questions would be ineffective in a survey because they are too
broad, are subject to misinterpretation, require a level of knowledge not al-
ways common among users, and assume users have access to product infor-
mation that might be beyond their experience. In a focus group, however, you
can draw out clarifications of answers and encourage respondents to elabo-
rate on their thinking. Allow them to creatively suggest software applications
that may or may not yet exist without mentioning brand names. You could
also encourage users to sketch out answers or illustrate their thoughts. Focus
groups will be discussed in more detail in Chapter 4.

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Close-Ended Questions

Several types of close-ended questions can be constructed, but they all involve
providing users with a list of possible answers. The format allows users to
agree or disagree with the answers, rank the answers in importance, or select
their favorite answers (Salant 1994, 77-100). Building a survey using close-
ended questions will expedite response time for users and the tabulation of
results, especially if you use a product like SurveyMonkey.

Another advantage to close-ended questions is that you can manage ex-
pectations by limiting the possible answers. For example, if it is not feasible to
provide iPads for every student, you can temper the question by limiting the
answer to a “cart of iPads” rather than “iPads for all students.” You can also
manage expectations by avoiding brand names and refer instead to “electronic
tablets.”

When building close-ended questions you should select your words care-
fully. Always try to avoid words with multiple meanings, words that have
emotional connotations, or words that show a bias toward a specific answer.

For example, to use the expression “social media” with students is too
ambiguous. It is better to use the names of actual applications like Facebook,
Skype, iGoogle, YouTube or Twitter. When asking students about their usage
of the Internet outside of school, one district asked an open-ended question
and got only four significant answers. The answers seemed almost coached
when I read them, and I found it hard to believe Facebook was not on the list.
I think the question confused students; they seemed to respond by reiterating
the applications that paralleled their school usage. The goal of this question
was originally to see how sophisticated students were with online tools and
what types of tools they use. The open-ended question was:

How do you use Internet tools outside of school?

Play video online games (67 percent)
Download music (59 percent)
Watch videos (59 percent)
Internet research (58 percent)

List applications commonly used by students and activities they are likely
to do online. For example:

Facebook

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MySpace
Twitter
blogging
reading blogs
Xbox Live games
Other video games [provide space to list favorite games]
watch YouTube videos
create YouTube videos
watch movies online
watch television online
download music
listen to music in the cloud
download books
research topics of personal interest

Create a list of applications that shows you are aware of their interests
and are not judgmental about those interests or the time they spend online.
You are gathering information about the personalities, skill sets, interests, and
knowledge of your users.

Sample Technology Questions

Do you use technology in these ways for schoolwork or studying? [pro-
vide yes or no responses as choices]

communicating via texting
communicating via IM (instant messaging)
communicating via e-mail
taking notes
writing papers or reports
blogging
podcasting
creating spreadsheets
doing research
creating slide shows

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creating videos
creating webpages
checking grades
reading online content
playing games
other [provide blanks]

To what technology tools do you have personal access for schoolwork,
communication, or entertainment? [provide yes or no responses as
choices]

cell phone
smart phone
tablet computer
laptop
desktop PC
printer
digital camera
Flip or other video camera
USB headset
gaming system
Internet access at home
other [with blanks]

In which of the following ways could the school library make it easier
for you to use technology for schoolwork? [provide yes or no responses
as choices]

reduce website filtering
expand access to the Internet anywhere in the building
provide unlimited access to applications anywhere in the building
create a virtual library with offsite access through library website
provide greater access to handheld devices
facilitate BYOD (bring your own device) access
provide additional software tools, such as
________________________

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expand access to faster computers
provide SMART Boards for team collaboration
expand access to apps such as ______________________________
other [with blanks]

Would you use these learning tools for your schoolwork if they were
available in the school library? [provide choices: would use, would not
use, don’t know what it does]

Photoshop
Flash
Illustrator
PowerPoint
Animoto
Comic Life
FL Studio
Pro Tools
GarageBand
iMovie
Final Cut Express
Movie Maker
FlipShare
Aviary
VideoSpin
Avidemux
Wax
Blender
Audacity
Power Sound Editor
other music editor such as ________________________________
Wavosaur
Ardour
MAGIX Music Maker
Prezi

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Photo Story
other [provide blanks]

What iPad apps would you use if the school library had iPads? [provide
choices: would use, would not use, don’t know what it does]

GarageBand
Pages
iMovie
Keynote
Numbers
iPhoto
iBooks Author
Paper by FiftyThree
ThinkBook
Layout
other [provide blanks]

Because technology surveys are widely being given to students in school,
information that would be gathered using this portion of the survey may
already be available from another source in the building. If the school dis-
trict has not surveyed students about their technology use and their access
to tools, then the information you gather for the school library should be
shared. These surveys are valuable when building curriculum and planning
infrastructure; they serve the same purpose when planning your library. How
the information gathered can be translated into physical space planning will
be discussed in Chapter 6.

Technology Tools Not Only Focus
of the Survey

When building a needs-assessment survey for the school library, it is impor-
tant to gather information beyond technology. Planning for a 21st-century
school library requires exploring other user needs beyond technology to build
an environment that speaks to and supports all learners. It is important to
have information on learning styles, behavioral or cultural issues, and con-
temporary tastes.

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Every school library serves more than one style of learner. Documenting
the fact that your students represent a broad cross-section of personalities and
learning styles supports the need for different types of spaces and multiple
types of learning resources. Let’s look at questions that explore the learning
styles of your users.

Sample Questions about Learning Styles and Preferences

How do you like to demonstrate your understanding of a lesson? Please
rank the following activities from 1 through 12 with 1 being your first
choice.

debating or arguing key concepts
painting or drawing a picture
writing a paper
building a model
create a dramatization
participating in a group discussion
taking a test
creating a presentation
reviewing the topic with my teacher
designing a game
setting up a related tour away from school
interviewing a professional in this topic

Given a choice, how would you spend a morning outside of school? Please
rank the following activities from 1 through 12 with 1 being your first
choice.

reading
playing games
identifying plant life in the woods
building a rocket
taking water samples from a river
using a computer to design a car or house
playing a musical instrument
choreographing a dance

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composing a song
researching a topic of interest online
filming a movie
writing a story

When you are working hard, how do you like to take a break? Please
rank the following activities from 1 through 12 with 1 being your first
choice.

looking out the window
texting my friends
getting something to eat or drink
going for a walk outside
talking with friends
being alone and resting my eyes
playing a game
stretching
checking Facebook
critiquing other people’s work
listening to music
daydreaming

Would you come to the school library and spend more time reading if the
library had the following resources or characteristics? [provide yes or no
responses as choices]

greater selection of magazines
more genres/types of fiction
more selection in the types of fiction I like
more graphic novels
more nonfiction of interest to me
more best sellers
digital books (e-books)
digital readers (e-readers)
better lighting

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more places to sit
places to sit that are more comfortable
quiet spaces
a reading club
fewer distractions
more distractions
access to beverages

When you read for pleasure at home, what are your habits? Please rank
the following choices from 1 through 12 with 1 being your first choice.

lie on a sofa or my bed
sit in a special chair
take off my shoes and put my feet up
sit outside
sit near natural light
listen to music
have a beverage
have food
read on a digital device such as a Nook, Kindle, or iPad
text my friends about the book
share with an adult about what I am reading
like to read for more than 30 minutes at a time

What are your favorite colors? Please rank the following colors from 1
through 12 with 1 being your first choice.

white
red
light blue
green
yellow
brown
black
orange

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teal
royal blue
purple
other (specify)_________________________

Which stores do you find the easiest to navigate and find what you want?
Please rank the following stores from 1 through 12 with 1 being your
first choice.

Apple

American Eagle Outfitters

Barnes & Noble

Bath and Body Works

Dick’s Sporting Goods

Foot Locker

Gap

GameStop

Old Navy

RadioShack

Starbucks

U. S. Cellular

These types of questions can help you plan learning spaces that will en-
gage learners in new activities and encourage greater use of the school library;
the answers will also help you understand how flexible the space needs to
be and how to incorporate constructive “down time” into the environment.
A good way to study how to merchandise your resources is to observe retail
environments. Big retailers spend a tremendous amount of time and money
catering to young people and soliciting their business. Signage, lighting, color
and texture schemes, display fixtures, traffic patterns, and placement of prod-
ucts can all be studied in the retail environment for ideas for your new library.
However, retail environments are simply idea-generators; they are not the
model for your new library!

Build your survey to test your own ideas and to counteract preexisting
biases (your own and others’). The survey information should generate new

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ideas and provide a starting point for innovation. Forming a team to brain-
storm through the information you receive from students is important. You
will want a group of people to think through all the possible physical and
program responses to this information. These later brainstorming sessions can
be extremely stimulating with the right mix of participants so select a group
of people with energy and a willingness to think outside of a traditional box.

Obviously, the questions must be modified based on the age group you
are surveying. My examples target middle and high school students because
that is where I see the most immediate need for new thinking and change.

The next step is to simply start talking to students and teachers about
what their needs for learning are. The next chapter will help you plan and
conduct effective focus-group sessions.

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Chapter 4 Focus Groups with
Library Users

Normally, people participating in a formal focus
group do not know who is responsible for the ques-
tions they are being asked. Nor do they know how
the information will be used. People have the com-
fort of answering questions while feeling anony-
mous. This feeling of anonymity encourages people
to be straightforward and direct with their answers.
They do not fear offending their host.

Holding focus-group sessions with students,
teachers, and parents to discuss new concepts for
your school library will not allow anyone to be
anonymous. But you must build a climate of trust
with no fear of reprisal so that people participat-

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ing will be honest about their feelings and opinions. If you are going to in-
teract with the group, you cannot be defensive about your current library,
explain why things work the way they do now, or try to influence partici-
pants’ viewpoints. If you are the moderator of the discussion, you cannot be
domineering, an approach that results only in wasted time. Ideally, the host’s
personality and point of view fade into the background, keeping the focus on
the subjects being discussed—in this case, ideas for an effective new library
space. When conducted impartially, these group sessions can be extremely
thought-provoking and provide insights you might not otherwise get. People
will build on and bounce off of one another’s ideas, and new concepts will
materialize.

If you can be objective, then you should be the host/moderator, asking
questions and probing into answers for more clarity, and encouraging every-
one to voice opinions. The goal is to get everyone involved in the discussion.
Don’t be alarmed if people change their opinions during the course of the
discussion and don’t be concerned if you never reach consensus on a ques-
tion. You are still gathering information; some will be actionable and some
will not.

You cannot become an actual participant unless the focus group is made
up of librarians from your district and you are one of them. Selecting a mod-
erator for this group may be difficult, so hiring a professional facilitator might
be the wise solution. This group will have strong feelings on the topic, well-
supported, well-articulated biases, and preestablished opinion-leaders. You
are going to want a moderator who can engage the entire group and is skilled
at recognizing when a conversation thread needs to be tabled or terminated.
Having said all that, if you are in a large enough district I would encourage
holding one of these focus-group sessions to gather the collective knowledge.
Providing an opportunity for all school librarians in the district to express
their views is especially valuable if several school libraries will be renovated or
built simultaneously.

Focus-group sessions are enjoyable; they are always stimulating conversa-
tions and usually a source of creative ideas. However, do not expect to walk
out of a group session with solutions wrapped up and delivered to you. Solu-
tions may be elusive and require time to evolve as you review notes or read
through the transcripts of the meetings. Organizing thoughts into actionable

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concepts usually requires the time to wade through the information and is
best done by your brainstorming team.

Selecting your focus-group participants will also be different from usual
focus-group protocol. You will know the people—and they will know you.
Select a broad range of students and teachers to participate—not just your
friends and supporters. You want both frequent and infrequent users of the
school library. In focus groups you are gathering personal stories.

Focus group questions should be open-ended. You want diverse answers
and divergent discussion. The group will evolve and remix their alliances as
the questions change. If members of the group are concurring too much, a
dominant personality within the group might be tainting the results by be-
ing too persuasive. Try to challenge participants with additional questions
but don’t overreact. If the group continues to be like-minded, then you may
just have a group in your cloistered school environment that has developed
group-think based on information they have previously heard—or maybe the
group has come up with a wonderful concept!

You can accept the information as is or try other techniques to contin-
ue gathering new ideas from participants. Two processes I have used are a
SWOT analysis or Six Thinking Hats. A SWOT analysis asks participants
to view everything through the eyes of a Strength, Weakness, Opportunity,
or Threat. You ask similar questions in each category but explore the answers
from all four perspectives.

The process described in Edward de Bono’s Six Thinking Hats can be a
slightly more quirky way of doing the same thing. You would have the group
focus on responding to questions based on six categories. Each category is
represented by a different colored hat:

• blue is for thinking and organizing;

• white is for focusing on facts and figures;

• red is for an emotional response so you are looking for how people
“feel” about a concept;

• black is for discernment and everyone tells you all the problems with
a concept;

• yellow is for the optimistic viewpoint so you want only positive com-
ments; and

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• green is for creativity, so these answers need not be logical or even
possible, and often they can be humorous.

Extensive resource material is available on either process if you want to
use one of these structured approaches to gathering information. Both of
these tools can also help evaluate information or brainstorm through possible
ways to design a space based on a stated need.

Start the Conversation with
Open-Ended Questions

When you start the focus group you will want to have flip-chart pads avail-
able and someone else in the room making lists. Even if the session is being
recorded, the visible lists help people focus and build on the conversation.
Questions that can be used to get the conversation started might be:

• What can a school library provide that is not available in your class-
rooms?

• When you walk into the school library, you always notice…what?

• When you think about acquiring information, what do you think will
be the role of books in the next year?

◌ In five years?

◌ In ten years?

• What do you think a “virtual library” is? What words would you as-
sociate with one?

• What does collaboration mean in a library space?

• What furniture features do you think are important when you are
using a tablet computer? (Ask the question for laptops and smart
phones, too.)

• What features should be included in a space designed for reading
printed materials?

• What features should be included in a space designed for reading on
an electronic device?

• Do the colors of walls and furnishings in a library matter to you?
Why?

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◌ What colors make you feel energetic? Why?

◌ What colors make you feel calm? Why?

◌ Are there colors that you do not like? Which colors? Why?

• What words do you associate with your current school library?

◌ Which of these words give you a positive feeling? Why?

◌ Which give you a negative feeling? Why?

• When you study, what tools do you like to have immediately acces-
sible?

• Can you describe a team project you have been involved in?

◌ Please describe how each member of the group worked.

◌ And what types of tools did you each use?

• To demonstrate new areas of knowledge, what types of documenta-
tion would you like to produce for a grade?

• What is currently your favorite learning activity in the library?

◌ What ideas do you have that could make the activity even more
interesting?

• When you are collaborating with classmates on a lesson, what tools
do you use?

• When you go to a store, how do you find what you are looking for?

◌ At a museum?

◌ At an amusement park?

◌ What kinds of signs help you the most?

◌ Do any other tools help you locate things of interest to you?

• What is something you would never expect to see in the school li-
brary? Why not?

These are some of the questions I would use to gather information from
students. The goal is to have them think about what they do naturally while
learning. You also want to understand other ways they gather and use infor-
mation in their daily lives. I would suggest you mix technology questions
into the conversation periodically but do not allow the whole session to focus
only on technology. You want a broad base of information for the planning
process.

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Provide whimsical questions that force people to break their stereotypi-
cal image of the role and look of a school library. Often, having participants
sketch ideas can be useful, especially when you are asking them about features.
Often people will not know the name or brand of some product, but they will
know what it looks like. Also ask them about objects they may have seen in a
totally different context that would spark a new concept for your space.

Having a focus group with teachers or parents should be structured simi-
larly. You want them to think about possibilities, not just about making the
current space more comfortable. Unfortunately, it will be much more dif-
ficult to get them to think “out of the box.” This “blue-sky thinking” is es-
pecially difficult for any parents who believe the school library is simply a
repository for books and that your main job is keeping track of them. Don’t
exclude these parents from your group but make sure they are balanced out
by more-creative thinkers. The positive side of including parents who view
the school librarian as a custodian of books is that they may hear something
that enlightens them and awakens their imaginations. If not, you have the
opportunity to document adult opposition to change.

These group sessions can be hectic; therefore, having a second person in
the room who is not participating is extremely helpful. Besides managing flip
charts of lists, your assistant can help you with other minor tasks, allowing
you to focus on the flow of the conversation and develop probing questions
on the fly. If you don’t record the session, managing the group is impossible
without a person to take notes.

If you are recording the session, which I highly recommend, make sure
everyone is aware that you are recording and has given you written permis-
sion. When asking for this permission, state clearly that participants will be
helping you with a research project. These sessions should never be conducted
in public, nor should transcriptions or detailed notes of who said what be
made public. Explain that the information you are gathering will be summa-
rized and presented in public, but participants’ comments are confidential,
and they will not be identified. At the beginning of the session, reiterate to
participants that they should speak freely in the focus group and after the
session should honor the privacy of others who have spoken up in the group.
These simple ground rules make the information you receive more candid.

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Now it is time to stop talking. One of my favorite ways of gathering
information is observation. I am an observer, or, as I like to say, “I study
people.” The next chapter provides tools and tips to hone your observation
skills.

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Chapter 5 Do As I Do, Not As I Say

Observation is a valuable skill when planning new
spaces. People tell you many things about how they
use the school library; often they will focus on tell-
ing you what they think you want to hear or what
they believe is true. But watch them interact with
the current library space, and, in a very short period
of time, you will observe their behavior and see for
yourself how they use the space.

For a number of years, I have used a simple
process developed by Conifer Research and intro-
duced to me by Steelcase interior designers at a
conference. The process is referred to by the begin-
ning letter of each element; these are “AEIOU.” It is
process of observing how people work, what envi-
ronments they are drawn to, and how they interact
there (Conifer Research).

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These observations are an unfiltered, nonjudgmental look at what people
find familiar and comfortable, and what tools they like to use. Sometimes
what you observe will be a surprise. As Fozzie Bear said in the 1979 Muppet
Movie, “Ahh, a bear in his natural habitat—a Studebaker”—not what you
expect until the camera pulls away and you see him driving a Studebaker
stationwagon. He does look natural in that old car; he is having fun, driving
along with an occasional bump in the road, but he’s happy and comfortable.

Humans are also creatures of habit and will adapt their surroundings to
make themselves as comfortable and natural as possible. Observe your own
behavior; how often do you vary your morning routine? Is your coffee cup
positioned in the same place each day as you work? How often do you move
your desk phone? And even though your furniture at home is not nailed
down, once you have it where you are comfortable with it, how many times
do you move it? We set up our environments to work naturally for us.

When we are in an environment that is not comfortable or is not working
for us, we try to adjust it. If we can’t, the situation becomes awkward. I have
seen awkward situations in school libraries all over the country. The first really
awkward observations came in the 1990s with the introduction of comput-
ers. My art director used to have an expression that summed it up: “Really
horsey.” In some school libraries computer areas are still “horsey,” with people
overcrowded around computers, poor ventilation and temperature control,
tangles of wires, nonadjustable chairs, no teaching space, poor acoustics, and
total inflexibility of placement within the space.

We are now moving into another awkward phase for school libraries—a
phase in which school libraries are becoming transliteracy centers. So let’s sit
back and observe what is going on, document what is working, and sketch
out ideas for an enhanced model.

Observing Activities

Observing activities is easier if you are not involved in them, a circumstance
that makes it difficult for a sole librarian in a school library to step back and
watch. But in today’s world of digital cameras and budding photographers,
perhaps you can enlist the aid of students to document learning activities for
you to watch later. You want unscripted activity. What are the activities going
on in the library? How do the groups cluster and move around? Are all the
activities being directed, or have students initiated their own events?

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The activities you see will not be surprising; some students will be read-
ing, some browsing, some writing, some drawing, some working at comput-
ers, maybe a few socializing, probably a couple just thinking or daydreaming,
and perhaps several are mentoring their peers. If you allow beverages in the
school library, how does that activity evolve?

Once you have observed this basic view of the students, look at the pic-
tures more closely. As the students work, are they standing? Do they move
around? Are they sitting? How do they sit? To which area of the school library
do they migrate naturally? Did you set up stations with the activities already
in place? Or did you take the activity to the learners? Is there enough space
for the activity or do the students seem crowded? Perhaps plenty of room is
available, but students crowd together simply because that is how they want
to work.

If they are reading, do they have enough light? Are shadows falling across
their books? Are they sitting together? Who moves into their own corners
away from others? Have any students turned their backs to the room, reading
in their own isolated worlds? Are any two people reading together? What was
the process for selecting their books? Was it quick, or did they vacillate? Did
you bring resources to them or did they make selections?

Is the activity naturally making the group loud? Are other people in the
library, who are not involved in the activity, watching them? Is watching in-
teresting for other people or annoying?

Are people using computers, laptops, or tablets? Are they sharing these
tools? How did they get them? From a cart? From their own backpacks? Or
were the devices already sitting on a table? Is anyone monitoring students’
work or responding to their questions? How do you know when they need
help?

When you learn from observation, you are looking beyond the obvious
and starting to notice the details. I have watched first- and second-graders
engaged in activities in a school library and find them fascinating to study.
Already they are becoming skilled at adjusting to the environment, making
themselves more comfortable. While sitting at a table they will frequently fold
one leg under them because their feet do not touch the floor. When sitting
back on the chairs, younger students are never ergonomically positioned at
keyboards; therefore, younger students stand or sit on the edge of their chairs.
Nor can they see a whiteboard unless they stand up, so learning during group
instruction in a computer area involves a lot of jumping up and down.

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Whatever the activity, they continually flock together to see each other’s
work. They are always available to “help” one another, almost by instinct.
They make noise, no matter what the activity.

Many of these young readers like to clump together to read silently. For
them reading is not necessarily a solo activity. Rarely is any furniture available
that supports this configuration, so they move to an open floor space. Several
always break away and drift into a corner or lean against an end panel using
that time to be alone. The lighting in the corners or between shelving runs is
terrible; no adult viewed those spaces as reading locations.

One morning of observing these younger students in a school library
provided me with numerous ideas for space planning and furniture selection.
Observation will for you, as well.

Observing Their Environments

It is time to take a break and leave the school library. Go out into the world
and observe the environments where children and teenagers go voluntarily.
Observe them in retail environments, restaurants, parks, museums, and play-
grounds. These are places where millions of dollars are spent on design work
for school-age children. These are locations you can observe for how the floor
space or zones are arranged; you can also see traffic patterns, colors, textures,
building materials, noise levels, lighting, and even ancillary sound.

If you are planning a library for an elementary school, children’s muse-
ums are good places for inspiration. Though these are usually learning envi-
ronments with much larger budgets than a school has to work with, you can
still appreciate the bold colors and tactile nature of the space—and think
about how similar results might be achieved less expensively. Children’s mu-
seums are also excellent locations to think about how the zones work and how
children are encouraged to move throughout the space.

Zones within a museum or library are conceptually similar. You must
decide what resources complement each other and should be adjacent. A
museum usually has a much bigger footprint so it can accommodate large
permanent components. New school libraries should plan zones that can be
more fluid with easy-to-change components; as needs vary throughout the
school day, flexibility is important.

Signage in a museum is usually very graphic, clever, and positioned to
optimize its ability to self-direct children. Also, notice that children are drawn

38    Do As I Say, Not As I Do