North Elementary School Library

We recently converted an existing cafeteria into a new library media center that supports a new way of learning and using resources. In addition to housing the District’s book collection, the flexible, multi-use facility serves as a classroom, arts and crafts project room, campus technology center, and community meeting space. A sense of openness and accessibility makes this space comfortable and reinforces the importance of transparency and collaboration. Everything is flexible. The large, open volume dedicates two of its four walls to book shelving that can change to accommodate various collections and display art or student projects. The rest of the collection is located on movable shelving units designed by a parents’ group that worked with us on the renovation. These movable units offer flexibility to arrange the collection in multiple ways and allow for easy space reconfiguration for multiple uses. A glazed folding door separating the media/technology room from the main reading area can be fully retracted to dissolve the boundary between these two program areas, encouraging collaboration.

Daylight is brought into the space via high clerestory windows along the longitudinal walls, reducing glare and bathing the main volume in soft, indirect natural light. The rich, vibrant interiors were chosen to spark the imagination. The project is designed to CHPS and LEED for Schools.