The Public School Learning Commons
The morphing of the School Library into the Library Common
Once upon a time, School Libraries were filled with books. Lots and lots of books,
but not much more.
Information started be available on other formats. Microfiche and microfilm were
added to the book, movie and equipment collection, but the heart of the collection
was still books.
Then slowly but surely, librarians started adding new-fangled things like filmstrips, and educational films on big reels. Of
course equipment to
show these on was
needed, so that was added to the collection.
In the 1980s personal computers were introduced to schools,
with many of them installed in school libraries. Disk drives,
CD-Rom databases and then eventually online databases
greatly expanded the knowledge base available to students
and staff, and the school library evolved into an information
center. Students and staff no longer had to be in the library
to use available school library services.
In the late 1990s e-readers became available. These were soon followed by digital devices
that allowed individuals to listen to audiobooks, and librarians have never looked back.
21st century learners need 21st century libraries and those are libraries are now
transitioning into Learning Commons.