I have been following this thread for the last week or so with great interest. I am
in the process of planning a new library in a new school building. I am currently
working in a middle school that consists of 18 portable buildings*we have no
permanent structures. The current library is about 1200 square feet with 8000 books
and seating for 32 students.
I have been fortunate to work with an amazing architect that has gone to bat for
the library on many occasions. The state said it should be no more than 900 square
feet; the architect slipped a 3600+ library past them. He has the philosophy that
the library is the heart of the school, the heart of learning and thus should be in
the center of the school. I teach on the Navajo Reservation and the architect is
Navajo. He planned the library so it is shaped like a Hogan (traditional dwelling
of the Navajo) because the Hogan is the center of learning for the Navajo students
at home and the library should replicate that at school.
In another 18 months or so I will be moving my collection into a huge new space:
complete with state of the art wireless internet connections, excellent online
resources and databases, and a great print collection, both fiction and
non-fiction. My students use the library regularly and the teachers can't wait to
have space for more than one class at a time.
I cannot imagine this new school with out the library. The closet public library
the kids have access to is 50 miles away. I feel it is my job to provide the
students and the community with the best library I can*.for many it is the only
place they can go to get something to read!
Jennifer B. Brown
Navajo Middle School
Navajo, NM 87328
505-721-5305
jbrown@gmcs.k12.nm.us
Radical Militant Librarian
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