VBCPS Learning Commons Renovations

It’s not often that we have the opportunity to improve so many schools at once, so we were excited when VBCPS approached us to remodel sixteen of their school libraries.

The center of any school is the library, and they are modernly referred to as “Learning Commons”, which lends itself to describing their role as the center of learning and discovery in each school.

Over the course of the next 8 months, sixteen Virginia Beach school libraries will be completely re-done. They’ll get brand new furniture, carpet, paint, and even some new electrical outlets and countertops.

We met with each school several times to discuss their ideas, goals and thoughts for their new space. We talked about what the library of the future might look like, and what furniture and construction needs they would have to make that vision a reality.

In each library, we are completely removing most, and in some cases all, of the existing bookcases. In the elementary schools, the top shelves are too high for our smallest learners to reach, and in the high schools the bottom shelves don’t attract the attention of the students. Most importantly in every school, these stationary bookcases restrict users from being able to quickly and frequently rearrange the space.

In the new spaces, all of the bookcases will be mobile, and 42″ tall, which allows the Library Media Specialist to quickly re-configure the room. With the Learning Commons being one of the largest spaces in the school, it is frequently used for staff meetings, multiple classes and project based learning.

We’re excited for the first school to be remodeled starting in just one month, and we’ll be back to share the progress, and other aspects of the design!