Tech-Friendly Learning Hub

Tech Friendly Interiors

IMAGE COURTESY OF HUNTSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS

School libraries and airports have something in common. They’re being renovated to function more flexibly in the modern era. They’re becoming more than just thoroughfares.

In the past, school libraries and airports were often drab, monochromatic spaces filled with tightly packed, uncomfortable furniture. Individual space was scarce, and electrical power outlets were few and far between. Today, comfortable and spacious furnishings combined with 24/7 access to the Internet and plenty of recharging stations are transforming these spaces.

School districts across the country are renovating their outdated libraries to create welcoming places where students and teachers are free to explore, create, and collaborate. The road to renovation isn’t always easy though. Huntsville City Schools in Huntsville, Alabama, ran into a bump along the way.

Tech Friendly Interiors

IMAGE COURTESY OF HUNTSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS

In the spring of 2011, the district was preparing to open a new high school, but there was a concern. The library was traditional and unwelcoming, and it didn’t quite fit into the new state-of-the-art building. Tall, dark book stacks lined the walls and inflexible tables and chairs occupied floor space. Surprised by the outdated nature of the library, the new superintendent and administration conducted a study to determine how many students were using the space before, during, and after school. The survey showed the library was vastly underutilized.

During the summer of 2013, the district transformed the space into a Media Center and Internet Café. Renovations were fairly simple and straightforward, but they made a tremendous difference. Square tables and hard, wooden chairs were replaced with colorful, flexible furnishings and soft seating. Group meeting areas with display screens were added. Book stacks were replaced with accessible, perimeter shelving, and the lighting system was adjusted so it can be dimmed for video presentations. Lastly, the “No food or drink” sign was removed and single-serve coffee makers were installed.

Tech Friendly Interiors

IMAGE COURTESY OF HUNTSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS

The Media Center and Internet Café quickly became the heart of the high school and a tech-friendly learning hub. It’s a welcoming, engaging, and comfortable place where students gather to study and socialize. The new space accommodates multiple learning activities, and it facilitates individual and group study. Students and teachers have 24/7 access to the Internet and plenty of outlets to recharge their laptops.

Laptops are plentiful in the Huntsville City School District. In the fall of 2013, the district shifted to an all-digital learning environment. Each student in grades 3-12 receives a Windows laptop, and students in PreK-2 receive iPads. A wireless network provides reliable and equitable access to digital materials and resources.

Tech Friendly Interiors 

IMAGE COURTESY OF HUNTSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS

After renovating a traditional library into a modern media space, the district improved upon the design. This newer space is adjacent to the cafeteria. Modular flooring enables students to bring food into the area. If the floor gets dirty, carpet squares or vinyl squares can be replaced easily.

The digital-learning shift positively impacted students’ achievement. They’ve made proficiency gains on state and national assessments, and more students are graduating. By 2015, the graduation rate was 88 percent, up 33 percent from 2011. The Huntsville City School District was so successful in transforming a traditional school library into a versatile, modern and comfortable media space that administrators replicated the design in other schools. They also improved upon it. The newer media spaces are adjacent to cafeterias in each school to generate more foot traffic (and use).

The new spaces have modular flooring too, which enables students to bring in food. If the floor gets dirty, parts can be replaced easily. Modern flooring products that look like wood, stone, or vinyl are more aesthetically pleasing than traditional flooring, and they have better acoustics.

The Huntsville City School District has proven that renovated school libraries can become more comfortable, user-friendly and accessible places. Like renovated airports, school libraries have become so much more than thoroughfares.

This article originally appeared in the issue of .

About the Author

Scott Leopold is a partner at Cooperative Strategies, previously DeJONG-RICHTER. On Jan. 1, 2017, DeJONG-RICHTER and Cooperative Strategies merged to provide expanded services to school districts nationwide. Since 2005, Scott has provided school districts with the technology tools they need for successful planning. He is available at [email protected].

Featured

  • New Kent State Academic Building Earns LEED Silver Certification

    Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, recently announced that its newest academic building, Crawford Hall, has earned a LEED Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, according to a news release. The facility was recognized for its innovative design, water conservation technologies, energy-efficient systems, and sustainable construction materials, among other features.

  • How One School Reimagined Learning Spaces—and What Others Can Learn

    When Collegedale Academy, a PreK–8 school outside Chattanooga, Tenn., needed a new elementary building, we faced the choice that many school leaders eventually confront: repair an aging facility or reimagine what learning spaces could be. Our historic elementary school held decades of memories for families, including some who had once walked its halls as children themselves. But years of wear and the need for costly repairs made it clear that investing in the old building would only patch the problems rather than solve them.

  • Fellowes Launches New 3D Modular, Product Configurators

    Contract interiors and architectural solutions provider Fellowes recently announced the launch of new 3D modular and product configurators for several of its product lines, according to a news release. The new products offer SIF file integration and pricing for the Volo, Markerboards, Sena, and Rising product lines in connection with 3D Cloud, which provides 3D product visualization and 3D digital asset management.

  • StarRez Releases 2025 State of Student Housing Report

    Student housing software solutions provider StarRez recently released its second State of the Student Housing Industry Report, according to a news release. The report is based on the results of survey data from more than 400 higher education institutions around the world, both StarRez clients and not.