MASL - Facilities Handbook

Excellent school library media centers require excellent programs, staff, materials, and facilities. The Maine School Library Facilities Handbook is designed to assist school library media specialists and architects in planning new or renovated facilities to meet the continually changing needs of both school children and school communities.

Computers and telecommunications continue to transform how students access, use and create information. Goals 2000, the State of Maine Learning Results, Improving America's Schools Act (IASA), and other school reform legislation carry the expectation that all students will be able users of a variety of resources and technologies. Students in our schools must develop the skills needed to locate, evaluate, and use information in order to meet their academic and personal needs, and to participate fully in a technological society. The school library media specialist, in collaboration with classroom teachers, provides a library media program in which individual users, groups of students, and whole classes learn, develop, and practice these skills.

These expanded expectations for students, along with the need to follow federal ADA requirements to accommodate the needs of the disabled, necessitate a new look at library design. Library media center facilities must provide for a variety of learning and teaching styles and access to new technologies. The library media center must be flexible and incorporate spaces which can accommodate a variety of simultaneous activities: whole class instruction, individual research, group work, recreational reading, and quiet study. ADA requirements often necessitate more space and special equipment or furnishings to accommodate the needs of physically disabled students. The growing role of school library media centers necessitates additional areas and increased square footage.

Given the geographical size and rural nature of Maine and its variety of school situations, it is difficult to create one design upon which other libraries should be modeled. Since many factors, such as grade levels, enrollment, and location affect design and because every instructional program is different, diversity in a library media facility design is expected and desirable. A plan for renovation or construction of a library media facility requires the collaborative efforts of school administrators, school board members, architects, teachers, library media specialists, other staff members, community members, and students.

A well-designed library media facility serves as a focal point for a school and its community, exemplifying their uniqueness, aesthetically and functionally. A creative and inviting space will attract users of all ages.

This handbook is intended to provide a starting place where basic information is furnished, and to serve as a link to resources that supply many of the specific details and information that may not be included here. Further assistance with planning and designing a school library media facility is available from the Media Services staff of the Maine State Library.

The guidelines offered in this handbook are based on several assumptions:

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION. School library media center facilities must be designed to meet the needs of the library media program. Library media programs are continually changing, so facilities must be designed to be as flexible as possible in order to meet future needs.
EVERY SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTER MUST BE OF SUFFICIENT SIZE TO CONTAIN ALL THE ESSENTIAL AREAS. Library media center size should not be determined by school population. It should reflect patterns of use, which often mean that whole classes, small groups, and individuals will be using the library media center at the same time for different purposes. In order to provide a comprehensive program, a school library media center must include all essential areas listed.
SCHOOL LIBRARY MEDIA CENTERS ARE COMMUNITY RESOURCES. In many communities school facilities, such as the library media center, are becoming learning centers for adults and others in the community outside of the normal school day. Consideration must be given to this use of the school library media center when designing a facility.
ACCESS TO INFORMATION MUST BE EQUITABLE. ADA requirements must be met to ensure equal access to information resources and technology for all students.