Brighter. More functional. Better access. These are words that describe the newly renovated Mahomet Seymour Junior High School library, and the result has been higher circulation numbers.
Students came back from Winter break to find their library had new colored shelves and a new layout, according to Amanda McFarlane, MSJH media specialist/librarian. The students were treated to a new loft space at the beginning of the school year.
“That (loft) space was a storage area for computer equipment,” indicated Heather Landrus, MSJS principal. A wall was knocked down over the summer and a half story loft area was created to house graphic novels, short stories and a reading area. McFarlane and Landrus both said their hope was students would appreciate hanging out in the loft area and enjoy reading.
As for the rest of the library renovation, the time had come to remake it.
“The shelves were dark wood and tall, probably from when the building was built 40 years ago,” Landrus said. The library’s renovation was discussed last year, Landrus added. Teachers said they wanted to be able to bring large groups in, and that space just wasn’t available with the old layout. There also was the issue of the wall color.
“The walls were a tanish yellow. Very outdated,” Landrus said, adding “we had painted every other area in the school. It was the library’s turn.”
Landrus said it was Donnie Rogers head custodian, who came to her before Thanksgiving and proposed the time for the upgrade was now. “He said he had the time in his schedule and the kids deserved a new space.”
A new layout was planned. A trip to IKEA returned new shelves and some updated fixtures. Modern paint colors were chosen. Over Winter break, volunteers, including McFarlan’s brother in law from Scotland, constructed the shelves.
Another step in the revamp was deciding which books needed to stay, and which hadn’t been circulated in many years.
“One early out day, faculty went through the books and decided which ones they still used and which ones we could take out of circulation,” Landrus said.
The library also features books based on what students currently are learning. These books are displayed on brightly colored shelves. One such shelving collection is the “Green River,” nicknamed for a group of low green shelves that divide the library’s space in half.
“The Green River is our nonfiction and reference books,” McFarlane said, adding books for pleasure reading are found on new shelves along the walls. On this particular day, the Green River showcased books on Ancient Greece, which the sixth graders were learning about in Social Studies. Sixth graders could also utilize the recently constructed planetarium, built in the loft by a group of teachers to reinforce learning about the constellations, which they are studying throughout the curriculum.
Other displays include books on poetry and electronic resources on the American Revolution, McFarlane said. She also had numerous resources available to eighth graders who recently finished up a major research paper, and created a display for them while they were reading “To Kill a Mockingbird.”
Finding resources for research papers is something one student commented was easier to do with the library remake.
Students say they like the new set up. Charlie Moore, 8th grader, said he needed to find information on Magnesium, and thanks to the new library’s Green River, he was able to find his resources quickly.
“I like the new set up,“ Moore said. “There is so much more space. It is a lot lighter.” he said, adding he thinks it is easier to conduct research with the computer resources, chiefly a screen on which the lesson can be projected.
Books aren’t the only thing that has changed in the library. McFarlane, who was a middle school English teacher in Champaign for 10 years before pursuing her Master’s degree in Library Science, said community libraries are utilizing programming to bring in patrons, and so is she.
In the library, students can find areas to work on group projects, space they can enjoy, such as the loft area, and even a place where they can utilize hands on activities such as adult coloring books. Other programs started by McFarlane are Trivia contests, and displays on current pop culture, such as a Star Wars book display in one corner. In October, McFarlane created a Back to the Future display, and hosted scary story telling for any student who wanted to participate or listen.
Moore said he especially enjoys the trivia days because he participates on the school’s Scholastic Bowl team and trivia contests are good practice for him.
The combination of the revamp and the new programming has increased the library’s circulation numbers, said Landrus.
“December’s circulation numbers were at 2/3 of what circulation was total for last year,” McFarlane said. She added as of mid-January, she thinks the number of items circulated this school year has surpassed the total number of items that circulated last school year.
A final upgrade to the library has been in the form of the website, which anyone can see and enjoy, McFarlane said. Students and community members alike can find out what’s happening at the Junior High library by going to msjhlibrary.weebly.com, or by accessing it through the Junior High portion of the district’s website. There is even a link to an Amazon Wish List to help McFarlane purchase materials for the students.
“We want this space to be a multifunctional room,” Landrus said. “We want it to be a research lab, but most importantly, we want it to help foster a love of reading” for students.
Between hands on activities, easy to access research materials, a comfortable area to enjoy a book, and a librarian who is passionate about learning, students at MSJH have every opportunity to foster that love right in their own building.
