How to Furnish a School Library

Good library design helps students enjoy their library experience.

The school library can be a community hub for a school. However, it needs to be well-furnished, comfortable, and accessible in order for students to use it to its full capacity. When you are changing the furniture around or purchasing furniture for a whole new library, consider how students will use the space and why they will use the space. While a library is for research, it will also be used for groups of students and as an informal gathering, tutoring, and research location.

Things You'll Need

• Pen
• Notebook
• Bookshelves
• Folding table
• Study tables
• Side tables
• Chairs -- folding, plastic, and upholstered
• Floor mats
• Study carrels
• Computers
• Staff counter and drop box

Instructions

1. 

   Are students mainly working in the stacks, or are most of them working on projects together?

   Observe the library patrons. Walk around the library with a pen and paper and take note of the ways that students, teachers and other staff are using the library. Are there a lot of individual students browsing through the stacks or doing research? Are there groups of children working on assignments together?

   Design a survey for students and staff about their desired uses of the library. There may be needs that are going unfilled for lack of appropriate furniture and working spaces.

2. 

   Create areas where students can get together if that is an expressed need

   Plan for new and renovated library furnishings. Create a diagram of the library space. Determine how you can meet these needs within the library space.

   For the youngest students, these furnishings might include individual seating mats or large circle time mats.

   For older students, these furnishings might include options for individual and group study, such as comfortable chairs arranged in a circle around a table or plastic chairs at study carrels.

   For staff, the furnishings might include checkout tables, desks, a staff room table, a book drop off slot, and desks for personal computer use.

   Everyone will require the use of bookshelves, tables and chairs for workshops and group study, library material display areas, computers and tables, and individual study carrels.

   Determine the size of your collection and decide whether you want to display all of it on the shelves at the same time. You will likely require special display areas for books that you want to highlight and racks for magazines.

3. 

   Get durable folding chairs

   Implement the plan. Purchase furniture. Consider the following when you are purchasing new furniture.

   For large events, purchase stacking or folding chairs and a folding table.

   Choose couches and comfortable chairs that suit the height of the oldest students in the school. Choose furniture that is made out of thick, durable plastic or other materials that are very easy to clean with a damp cloth. Choose furniture in a color like black or brown that will not easily show stains.

   Get low tables and side tables to place near the couches to provide space for group work.

   Get wooden tables where larger groups of students can congregate, and purchase plastic chairs that slide under those tables.

   Purchase study carrels.

   Purchase a staff library counter with adequate desk space for paperwork and a computer. There should also be a book drop and an open counter space where patrons can check out books.

   Purchase floor mats for the youngest children. Plan for colorful mats that are made out of stain-resistant fabric.

   Buy appropriately-sized bookshelves. Depending on the age of the student body, you may want to have bookshelves that are over 6 feet or under 6 feet high. For elementary schools, you will need shorter bookshelves.

References

• School Library: Whole Building Design Guide
• BCI Library Design: Library Space Planning Guide