Our library has extended hours and we are very busy both before and after school. Kids work and parents assist them with the Accelerated Reader program and the Star reading level testing, sounds like Dede's school. Our school offers some great incentive activities that can be earned with the AR points. We include a book party, book draw (one free book from Scholastic), and after school activities like ice cream sundae making, or crafts with small groups of teachers. We also have an client-side environment as far as usage during the day; individual students and staff can come to the library at almost any time and get the help or materials they need. Areas we struggle with include our online equipment check out; just today someone's request for a computer projector was erased and they did not get what they needed for a lesson.

We have etended our hours so students can visit the learning commons at recess and lunch to pursue their own interests. We are creating a parent training and meeting space attached to the library and hope this will encourage parent particpation in web 2.0 training tools and reading resouces available through the learning commons and its website. We have extended our hours once a week to be available for teacher visits and collaboration. Our book club wiki now has several books being discussed so students can participate in book discussions and online activities even after the physical book club has gone on to other titles. We have a teacher collaboration wiki to get around the part time library hours so we can plan units where even whenever the inspiration hits and all members of the staff can see the collaboration with email alerts and can plan with us as they wish. I would like suggestions on getting more of my staff comfortable planning in this way. They still prefer to tell me in the doorway what they want with no prior notice or objectives. I would also appreciate suggestions on assessment of units afterwards. Another client side thing was a survey I gave the kids at the end of the year to measure our library program against what they wnat in the future hoping to make lessons and materials of greater impact to them.

Our in-library computers are primarily used for Accelerated Reader and STAR reading level testing, as well as research and projects. Our computer lab is used for a variety of purposes. Some of our teachers are very tech savvy and have the kids doing amazing things with our in-house, learning commons programs which firewall issues don't affect. Currently, our library is more of the traditional model where students come in for advice on which books will suit their academic or entertainment needs. Teachers bring classes in for library lessons: library use, research, safe computer use, setting reading goals, etc. One issue with this ivory tower learning commons idea is that our student population is quite impoverished. I snorted a bit at the idea of students being able to access the commons from home because this assumes a certain level of wealth that my students' families are nowhere near. Realistically, the bulk of student computer use would take place at school for the simple reason that our community generally can't afford luxury electronics when they're just scrambling to keep the electricity on for heat and light. Does anyone have some amazing ideas for a dynamic learning commons in an impoverished community?

All of you who have commented here are making progress towrd a real learning commons and your efforts will be evident as the clients, both teachers and students feel a sense of ownership and excitement. Any of you who would enjoy working on building a virtual learning commons with a large group, please email Dave Loertscher at reader.david@gmail.com. Our first meeting will by Sept. 14 at 7pm pacific on Elluminate. It is free but we'd like a commitment to help as well as to use what everyone contributes to help build your own.

School opened this week and we have jumped right in to the client side, 21st century skills. I have been a library media specialist for 10 years and have a very busy Library Media Center but this year, for the first time, I have math teachers lining up for me to help them create class wikis for their students. Science teachers are using Zoho notebooks with their classes so that the students will have a record of the year that they can share electronically with their teachers and the other students in their class. I have a few students organizing a "listening lunch" for Banned Books Week, and I have teams of teachers collaborating in CLT's every period of the day. They can use me as a resource as they develop units and lessons and incorporated technology. Next week, our 9th grade students work collaboratively on VoiceThreads to show a digital story of "technology over time". They will have used digital notecards, shared works consulted electronically, and learned digital citizenship as they gather their sources to produce their stories. The possibilities are so exciting.

Even though I am not yet working in a school library setting, so many of these client side initiatives and shifts are familiar to my current position. As a data systems manager for a University's HR department, there is a need to use ever evolving technology but also a "deer in the headligths" response from end users. The biggest challenge over my years in this position has been to encourage and foster collaboration while trying to also utilize change management techniques. In reading through the New Learning Commons, I can see that I will be continually faced with these same challenges with incorporating new technologies and getting the "clients" onboard with the changes.

Our school is trying to become client-based. We are offering a 1 to 1 laptop iniative for students. Now, that is forcing staff to keep up with the demands of the students. We are becoming more web 2.0 based with projects, online databases, and access to library materials from home. However, we have a long way to go before we meet the demands of our "clients," our students. It is a beginning and it has only been 6 months since students have had the laptops, but I am noticing improvement already.

We have the technology to be more "client-based"-a large computer lab, lap tops, an online library catalog, smart boards, new spacious library, but we lack the leadership, vision, or energy to get there. The students are apathetic, the teachers overworked, the administration is juggling the bottom line, and parents can only complain. We continue to try to "re-tool" the student to fit the system instead of the other way around. Has technology so fundamentally changed our students that everything we used to understand is now obsolete? Where does the catalyst for change come from?

The presentation of the ideas and possibilities surrounding the Learning Commons are intriguing to read about and even dream about someday implementing. The idea of young people needing to "build their own information spaces" made so much sense in light of the current practice of restriction and control evident in many schools today. It places the responsibility of ethical use on the individual while allowing students to avoid restrictions and experience new technology.
Also, the example scenario of Joyce Valenza's students at work (pg. 15) was incredible. I could not help but think - students can teach! Although the Teacher Librarian is expected to keep up with the latest and greatest, it's difficult for a limited staff to share with a large population of students. Encouraging students to share their skills with podcasts, blogs, wikis, nings...etc. will increase the learning experience in multiple ways.

I'd just like to add that the school I currently work in does have a client-centered feature and that is that it is wireless and have 20 laptops (which might be down to 18 now I think). The students
naturally love the laptops and I wish we had more. The upkeep and maintance of the current ones has been an issue becasue no one factored that in when we ordered them. As laptops come down in price, I hope we can buy more.

Lastly, the library is brand new and its design is very pleasing and would accomodate a Learning Commons approach. There are some positives but as Nancy has written, why build a beautiful, showcase library and not have students use it to their liking?

I am currently observing in various Elementary School libraries and work as a paraprofessional in another district. Unfortunately, I have not witnessed many features which make the libraries where I observe or the library in my school "client side." In all of the schools, there is fixed scheduling, which is a huge barrier for collaborative efforts. I am yet to observe moveable furniture or the library extending hours before or after school. I have seen some positive client-side features, however. All of the schools have had unlimited checkout, especially for the older students. Also, a few of the library media specialists have been very focused on acquiring books that the students want to read and fostering reading skills.

Unfortunately, I do not think my school , where I am currently a guidance counselor, has any client-centered elements. Sadly, we do not have before or after school hours, which I believe high school's should have. We also limit the number of students who may access the library during study halls which really annoys the students. Many students are turned away which is sad yet there always seems to be a reason why it can't be open access (safety, lack of staffing etc). The Learning Commons approach is so intriguing and one that I think the students will love! The resistance I see will be trying to convince administrators and faculty the benefits of this model. It seems like there is always more resistance to change by the faculty who like order and control. I still think it's worth the good fight though!

I'm curious if there are libraries who have made a complete turn-around or if gradual steps/changes are implemented to get to the learning commons ideal environment.

I think my school has the technology to be more client focused, but as others have mentioned, frequently the actual application of the technology needs to be reconsidered. Philosophically, I think our school would be supportive of a new Learning Commons, but there are big obstacles like fixed scheduling and the resulting lack of collaboration with classroom teachers. In my school, I think this type of scheduling will probably be difficult to change. However, I think we could move toward a more client-side environment with the extension of library hours. This would at least increase availability to users even if we were unable to change fixed scheduling during the day.

I am a former high school English teacher working toward my LBS cert. I can see that almost anywhere I may be employed, I am going to run into the traditional way of doing library business. The schools I have worked in and that my children attend are deeply entrenched in the old ways. The Learning Commons is such a paradigm shift, and yet so keenly intuitive (The kids would glom on immediately!), I am wondering about the resistance any of you have met and how you sold the concepts? And who best to present it to?

Skyline High School, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, opened this fall. The media center design, program and philosophy is that of the New Learning Commons.
Flexibility of space/use, wireless, cultural hub, focused on the learner, and collaborative site for the entire school community describes this media center that supports the school’s learning communities, magnet groups. The media specialist is committed to teaching the students the HOW as opposed to the WHAT. The media program has taken the idea of preparing students for the 21st century to the highest level with the emphasis on a flexible, technology-rich learning environment that is designed to meet current student needs, which include a café, and to anticipate future needs.
Website:
http://skyline2.aaps.k12.mi.us/mediacenter/Skyline_Library/Home.html

The ability to take classes online would be especially valuable for advanced and remedial students. The first often have schedules so tight they must sacrifice an AP class, and definitely do not have room for a practical art. At my school there are many practical arts offered, including horticulture and culinary arts. If a student could take the AP class online, as they are offered, he then might be able to add enrichment to his day. For a student who fails a class, remediation through online courses might encourage him not to drop out, but rather to work to graduate with his class.

There is a messiness about the commons that makes it alive. I am reminded of Summerhill, all the way back to the sixties, where learners pursued interest in a non-regulated fashion. The library, afterall, is the largest classroom in the school, and the classroom should be a place of energy and dynamics. Once a teacher was asked why her classroom was so noisy. She responded, "That's the sound of students learning."

Our school is client-side in that it has flexible hours, is open from 7-4:30, and students can access a full lab in the morning, afterschool, and at lunch. But we are way behind in technology, with our actual hardware being so slow, it discourages students from using it. While we do have three full computer labs, many teachers bring their students in for a "day off", while they grade papers in another part of the library.

Joyce Valenza's website is amazing. One thing I noticed is a number of subscription databases. We have a number of teachers that have begun using our Grolier online Encyclopedia, but many teachers still allow students to use Wikipedia as a source (in spite of many inservices I've done), for one reason: because it's easy!

Forget Google...how do we compete with Wikipedia?

The two libraries I work in both have certain client-side features. One, Sunnyside Elementary, has no computer lab, and there are just two computers in the library besides the mine. But at this school the library is open all day with a flexible schedule, so students can come in nearly any time a class isn't scheduled for research on projects. The library opens an hour before school and stays open an hour after school, so students can get homework help, do research, or read. They can use the computers to find information using a sign-up sheet. There are also computers in most classrooms (2nd -5th grades) and the library website and catalogue is available 24/7. At the other school, Guadalupe, there is a fixed schedule that makes it more difficult for students to come in in small groups, but there is a computer lab next to the library. I have just been hired there, so I hope to use all I've learned in this class and make the library an up-to-date, critical resource for students and teachers.

On the one hand, we have the technology. On the other hand, the focus of the technology has always been focused on montoring computer screen rather than incorporating technology into the learning commons. The library has Vision software; the initial intent was to insure that students were following the AUP guidelines. However, as students have shown respect for the computers systems and a greater willingness to really expand their computer skills; we have started to reconsider the value of Vision as a collaboration tool. The system allows users to chat, share documents, run demostration activities on the computer. Many of our teachers have used the system in their teaching and I will be training new teachers over the summer.

This year, I will have a number of students in CSF and as part of the library media association (our afterschool library group) who will be mentoring students in creating IGoogle, troubleshooting Microsoft Office systems, setting up online live homework help afterschool, and building custom search engines for teachers. Since we are open until 6:00 p.m. every weeknight, we can expand the library activities beyond just homework time.

Client-side applications or services? Tech-wise-- we can't afford new software so we'll be using more google apps and cloud-computing in the library. Opening more channels of interactive communication via blogs, wikis and group discussions using twitter and wordpress as well as google presentation chat feature. When I think of client-side, I automatically think of Sun Systems. Weren't they the ones to come up with the idea. I love the idea of cloud-computing and allowing users to float between applications, locations and web portals, no boundaries, no walls and no rules. Of course, in school we have all those limitations but allowing students to investigate the web tools for classes is key to my library services. Workshops and teacher collaborations are what I do more than book-talks, shelving and cataloging. Teaching teachers how to use netvibes and noodletools and then in turn creating a lesson out of RSS feeds is exciting and something that I am eager to do more of in the coming school year.

The Library Resources web page also includes links to teacher web sites and Library Pathfinders.

There are many features of our school library that are examples of a client-side environment. The library is open before school begins, during lunch, and after school for student use. After the library closes, students are able to access resources through the Library Resource web page which has a direct link on the main page of the school web site. These resources include links to web sites and also subscription databases. The server for the school currently lacks a stable IP address so the OPAC is not accessible outside of the library. Hopefully, planned improvements to the server will make web access to the catalog possible.

Dr. L commented in another chapter how sometimes it is easier to draw the new teachers at your school in first. I have found this to be true in my situation. Going on my fourth year in a middle school library, I took over my postion from a burned out librarian who had been in the position for over 20 years. Over the past three years I have slowly drawn more and more teachers into my library. Usually it was the new "lonely" teachers, then the English department, and I have slowly been "chipping away" at a cantankerous group of teachers who are always complaining about everything. It has been a slower process than I had hoped for but I have hope.

The features of my school library that are client-side are mainly centered around books and reading, although we have recently worked on improving our library's website. Client-side features at my school library include: 3rd through 5th graders can check out as many books at a time as they want; the library is open before and after school, and at lunch, for students to research, play games, read (but not use the computers); we practice the just-in-time theory of teaching; and we our website has links to some student assignments and a few pathfinders. This class and your books will help me encourage our school to move forward in these areas and others. One feature that strikes me about the Experimental Learning Center is seeing classroom teachers and teacher librarians collaborating. In "real life," the classroom teachers would rather collaborate with their grade-level colleagues, and collaborating with the teacher librarian happens as they pass through on their way to the lunchroom, or in the hallway when we manage to catch them. An online arena may be quite attractive to them, and may certainly encourage collaboration to happen more readily.

Although our school is very far from a toward client-side environment I think we are starting. The school has set up a computer lab for students afterschool which allows them to work in anything from writing an essay to emailing their friends. Unfortunately one of our main resources for computers which is the library is only accessible to the students during nutrition break and during lunch which is not enough time for close to 2000 students who would like to use them.