SMP Facilities

1. SMP4: School Library Media Center Facilities: Inside the Walls and Beyond
Alina Odom
FRIT 7331

2. SMP4: School Library Media Center Facilities
Analysis of the Overall Learning Climate:
The learning commons at Brooklet Elementary School is a warm and welcoming place
for all learners! The space is filled with older more traditional wooden shelves, tables, and
chairs. However, there is a lot of color added in the décor and also some added furnishings and
rugs that make this space kid friendly and inviting. The shelves are not too high and
accommodate all students (even those who are in wheelchairs). Shelves are also placed with
enough space in between them for students to move easily by walking or in a wheelchair. There
is a story time area with a colorful rug, colorful cushions for people to sit, a Smartboard
surrounded by a string of lights, and a rocking chair. There is another reading nook with a
different colorful rug, bean bag chairs, a bench, and open floor space for people to spread out.
There are colorful stools placed in between the rows of shelves for people to sit on as they look
for a good book. These stools are lightweight and can easily be moved out of the isle if needed.
The books on the shelves have sections dedicated to easy fiction, fiction, books in Spanish,
informational books, and biographies. Another area is a designated makerspace storage area that
includes two storage carts on wheels. The carts can be rolled to wherever they are needed, or the
bins inside the carts can be removed to be used where needed. A LEGO wall fills another area
with a LEGO table and containers full of LEGOS for building and playing. There are many
shelves with books, but also shelves with board games and puzzles. There are stationary bike
pedals that can be used while sitting anywhere and students love using these as they read.
Chromebooks can be found on a table in the center of the learning commons, but can be moved
to be used where needed. Wireless internet is available for students to use on their devices
provided at school. Students have access to a variety of online resources such as Destiny,
Galileo Kids, Brainpop, Brainpopjr., Pebble Go, Newsela, Google, and YouTube. A 3D printer
is located on a table next to the windows that line the hallway so that people both inside and
outside of the learning commons can see work being printed. The circulation desk has a self
check in and a self check out station. Students use this independently as they return books and/or
check them out. Students and classes use the learning commons for collaboration activities,
literature circles, making, independent work time, research, 3D printing, small group work,
whole class work, and anything in between. Attached to the learning commons is a student news

3. room. This is where the live morning announcements are filmed and broadcasted on to YouTube
Live. Students can watch the broadcast on the Smartboard in the learning commons, or in their
classrooms.
Brooklet Elementary School provides a virtual facility by providing resources available
online. The school’s website is https://bes.bullochschools.org. There is a resource tab on the
homepage of the school website with a list of online resources available to students and parents.
(Please see the attached snips below.) Students have access to these websites at school and at
home. Students can log in using their school log in information given to them by their teacher to
have access to these websites on their school and/or personal devices. Epic is the online e-reader
site currently used. Our county is working on buying a new online program that offers more
books online for students to access. Students and teachers can also access the school OPAC,
Destiny, at school and at home to see what resources we have available. Here is the link to the
media center website that is located within the school’s website.
https://bes.bullochschools.org/library

4. Overall, the Brooklet Elementary School learning commons is a wonderful place for
people to learn. There are so many wonderful resources offered in this space. The learning
commons is a welcoming place in which children and adults enjoy spending time because they
are asked to come to this space and made to feel welcome when they do. As our students and
staff continue to grow and learn, our learning commons continues to change. As with anything,
there is always room for improvement. As technology tools change, so do our resources offered.
E-books are an area of need and an area that our learning commons needs to address. As more of
our teachers have expressed interests in group studies, e-books would be a good tool for us to

5. acquire. This would also help resolve some of our issues with lack of space for storage of
resources. We have a large circulation of physical books, now we need to work on our virtual
collection. Our school population continues to grow and one wing has already been added and
filled. Another wing may need to be added soon. As our population continues to grow, our
common spaces seem to get smaller. It’s hard to accommodate resources for over 720 students
in one space. Storage is becoming an issue. Our traditional furniture is also bulky and heavy.
We are currently working with a furniture company to replace the big wooden furniture with
more kid friendly furniture including tables that have wheels and can be joined together or
separated and chairs that can stack. This plan to replace furniture is set for this summer 2019.
This will make our learning commons less cluttered and therefore offer more space. This will
also make our learning commons more visually appealing. The media specialist and teachers
continue to work together to find ways to use this space for the good of our school and to best
serve the students who attend.
References:
Johnsons, Doug. (2013). The indispensable librarian. California: Libraries Unlimited.