LLC: Effective Practice Guide

• Suggestions on creating an environment where the school community wants to spend time
  • Creating an environment takes time, and observation. Set up the space how you think it may work for the school community. Re-evaluate regularly. If something isn’t working, change/adjust it.
    • This might be moving a group of tables from one area to another
    • Changing where a section of resources are located
    • Creating designated areas to work in.
• Create a welcoming, warm, and safe environment:
  • Some suggestions:
    • Keep circulation desk tidy and free of excess materials/inquiry projects/resources
    • Keep tops of book cases free of clutter, with the exception of displays
  • Colourful
  • Showcase Student Learning
• Open lines of sight (ensures a versatile usable space for everyone)
• Bring in elements of yourself/ the school/ the community
  • Picture of family/pets
  • University degrees
  • Something Unique about YOU
• Begin a ‘relationship’ with your collection
  • Get to know your collection
  • Where are certain popular books?
  • Take time each week to handle the books in the collection, browse a shelf a week.
  • ASK staff members about their favourite/gem titles, are they in the collection? Where are they located? When will the Classroom teacher want that resource during the school year?

• Floor Plan
  • Every space will be different and bring its own uniqueness.
  • Find a flow that will work with the space
  • Make a floor plan, and play with it
  • Get School community involved: What would they change/keep?
• Entrances/Exits
  • Consider where you want classes to enter and exit?
• Emergency Exits
  • Please don’t block them.
• Shelving
  • Can it be moved?
  • Need something different?
  • Is it working with the diversity of a Library Learning Commons?
  • Could wheels be added to make it more accessible?
• Designated Areas
  • Reading Nooks?
  • Everybody, Non-Fiction, Fiction, Mature Fiction, Junior Fiction?
    • What works with your school community?
• Bins
  • Sometimes help keep things easy and organized
• Office Space (shipping/receiving/processing new materials/repairs)
  • Usually this area is for the Library Clerk to complete their processing
• Routines/Procedures/Best Practice
  • Does the school community already have established routines?
  • Work with the staff to create routines that will work for everyone

You are not the previous TL, bring your own best practice forward that works for you

You may want to consider:

• What do students need from the library after hours?
• How do you provide library services without physical space?
• How do you provide library services without taking up your time after hours?

How to make a virtual learning commons:

• Microsoft Sharepoint
• Online web design site -> Weebly, etc.
• Libguides (High schools)

Things to add:

• Link your Virtual Learning Commons to the DLC
• Showcase Learning Commons Programs/extra-curricular programs
• Online resources / links students and families can interact with