And there were comfy chairs as well! 

Let's talk Learning Commons, PLEASE!

Loertscher, D., C. Koechlin, and S. Zwaan.  The New Learning Commons: Where Learners Win!  Reinventing School Libraries and Computer Labs.  Salt Lake City, UT: Hi Willow, 2008.

Diggs, V., and D. Loertscher.  "from library to learning commons: a metamorphosis."  Teacher Librarian.  36:4.  April 2009.  32-8. 

• program is the foundational principle for the transformation of the space
• student learning is the focus: a changing culture of teaching and learning that saw information literacy skills taught in the library, in computer labs, and in classrooms
• the Java Room, one morning a week, in partnership with a local coffee shop -- bait-and-switch? no, shift to a client-side focus
• PLCs, or professional learning communities are developed in the district: fit well with libraries as teachers work collaboratively with a focus on student learning and achievement
• one Friday per month, with food and drink, students attend open mike session to hear poetry readings, sing songs, perform skits, play music, etc., in cafe environment = library as social centre, a participatory culture that requires a new set of literacies that "almost all involve social skills developed through collaboration and networking" -- Collaborative Intelligence: the ability to pool knowledge and compare notes with others toward a common goal with school library as collaboration space with technology, some privacy, and an environment conducive to learning with someone nearby to answer questions
• "the showcase for high-quality teaching and learning -- a place to develop and demonstrate exemplary educational practices.  It will serve as the professional development centre for the entire school -- a place to learn, experiment with, assess, and then widely adopt improved nstructional programs" (from Koechlin, Zwaan, Loertscher

   

• inquiry as natural progression, organized around quistion development, practice described by Wiggins and McTighe, Understanding by Design (2005):  is essential to provide "teacher and students with a sharper focus and better direction for inquiry"-- developing personally meaningful essential questions "render the unit design more coherent and make the students' role more appropriately intellectual" (27) -- not simply pulling books or bookmarking websites or creating pathfinders but sitting down with teachers and saying, how can WE improve on this unit so our students can learn not only more but better?  It is OUR job, alongside the classroom teachers, to offer our students today the oppourtunity to thibk critically and develop questions that they really want to answer; questions that will lead them to turning informaiton into knowledge and subsequently that knowledge into wisdom for a lifetime
• inquiry is dynamic, learner-centred process --- Signage says, Ask, Ask, Ask!  Think!  Create! 
• eggplant coloured lounge chairs, restaurant-style booths, cafe-height tables, laptops, wireless, group workrooms PLUS remedial reading group, ESL taking notes, exploring art exhibits, absorbing space; club meetings, group projects, peer tutors, quiet reading and study for 1.5 hours after school -- that is, flexible learning space, full all day long, multiple groups and individuals, welcoming, social and intellectual
• 58" flat panel TV, wall mounted -- provides info, entertainment, collaborative and educational messages -- project showcase, daily schedule, music videos creaed by students, etc. PLUS digital signage / if they build it, they will use it
• community support /
• build the program first