LAWRENCE: LHS library renovation project unveiled

With a snip of the scissors, the first phase of Lawrence High School’s library renovation project was officially unveiled at the Lawrence Township Board of Education’s Nov. 16 meeting.

By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
   With a snip of the scissors, the first phase of Lawrence High School’s library renovation project was officially unveiled at the Lawrence Township Board of Education’s Nov. 16 meeting.
   The renovation, which includes technology updates, was funded by a $46,000 grant from the Lawrence Township Education Foundation. The grant request was written by media specialist Carina Gonzalez and LHS Assistant Principal Alyson Fischer.
   ”Thank you so much,” Ms. Gonzalez told the school board. “I am in a school district that supports public school libraries. I know when we do things like this, other schools are jealous. Other librarians have been contacting me. They are jealous.”
   The renovations included eliminating the desktop computers that lined the walls, setting up tables where students can gather to share ideas and creating a “juice bar” so students can recharge their laptop computers and other devices.
   Ms. Gonzalez said that “the first thing we did” was to lower the height of the bookshelves by 25 percent. Research has shown that “reluctant readers” are intimidated by tall bookshelves, she said, adding that their perception is that the more difficult books are put on the taller shelves.
   ”It scares them away,” she said.
   The 23 desktop computers were eliminated in favor of allowing students to be completely mobile, Ms. Gonzalez said. Now, 60 students can be accommodated instead of 23, she said. Students can recharge their laptops at the juice bar, which is a counter-height bar that has charging stations. Some of the tables also have USB ports.
   The furniture in the library also was re-upholstered, Ms. Gonzalez said.
   The goal of the renovation is to move the classroom into the library. Students can collaborate more easily in the library than in the classroom, because desks are not conducive to group learning, school district officials said. Students can sit around small tables in the library and bat around their ideas.
   ”We are ready for ‘BYOD (bring your own devices)’ or anything that comes down the pike,” Ms. Gonzalez said.