Media Centers – Not Just for Books

Over the past few decades, what were once libraries transformed into media centers. This change reflected an increasing reliance by students on media and technology and a decreasing reliance on books.

The inventory of books was thinned out as research started coming from CD-ROMs, and eventually the Internet. Somewhere along the line, the media center became known solely for research and any other pursuit was outside its domain.

That’s a disservice to the media specialist, who is a lot more than just a guide to the nearest available computer. Even though research can now be done with a pocket size device that connects nearly all the known information on the planet, students still want a place to make sense of it all—and someone to help when needed.

MEDIA CENTER DESIGN & EQUIPMENT

Since it is often one of the largest spaces in the school and full of technology, it’s inevitable that the media center will be used for testing as well. But with the right design and equipment, it can be a place where knowledge meets minds.

It can also be the place where one of the most crucial skills of 21st century learning can be taught and practiced—how to find and assess the validity of all this information and determine credible resource material.

This requires forward-thinking concepts, including:

Furniture and equipment that reflects the versatility of the media center space. It’s part classroom, part commons area, and, yes, part testing center. Less tables opens the space up for more comfortable, movable furniture that can serve all of those purposes.
Allow certain areas of the center to appear more like a coffee shop than a school. This provides a more welcoming environment for students who are used to working and interacting in such settings.
Sometimes media centers need to be quiet, but perhaps a presentation needs to be delivered in the area. Flexibility in furniture and equipment can provide multiple “rooms” in an open space.
And finally, sometimes students want to work alone. Comfortable seating, such as beanbags, can help students find a peaceful place to read and study.

It’s time for the media center to once again be a place that every student loves to visit. Its purposes are just as crucial now as when the walls were lined with encyclopedias. It’s only in the media center where students interact with knowledge in a way much different from other areas of the school.