I have slacked at writing posts the last few weeks because I have been pushing to get a preliminary grant proposal written. If we are awarded what I hope (and we won't know until next summer), the library is going to become a much more active and comfortable place to be.
I've requested furniture and a number of other things to help make the library a more inviting place, but my favorite element of the project is what I am calling the Learning Bar. It looks a bit like the photo at the right.
The idea is that you can bring in your own devices--or check out an iPad that the library purchased with a grant last year--and connect them to show on the screen. Up to four computers can be connected at one time, so you can work together on a group project, share data from lab work, or meet with a whole class.
I'm really excited about this and the other collaborative elements we're going to add to the library in the coming year.
Now I'm heading out to the bound periodicals to see what titles we can remove from the collection to start to make room for some of the innovations that will be coming to the first floor. Librarians call this "weeding"--and yeah, it is just about as fun as the garden job. Sigh.
