Libraries as an "extension of the playground"

I recently raised on two Teacher Librarian forums the idea of the library acting as an “extension of the playground.”

I received more than a dozen responses and have decided to share some of the information that was received or posted. Thankyou for your contributions.

Some do not support the idea of the library acting as an extension of the playground citing the library as a learning space and/or reading occurs. Loud conversations etc are not encouraged. One response was explicit in that the library was “not the playground”.

Another response cited personal experience where the application of the idea attracted the disenfranchised as opposed to those who may be seeking the library for learning, reading or even quiet activities e.g. board games. This stemmed out of the idea that libraries were in the eyes of teachers spaces for socialising.

Other responses supported the idea of the library as a “community” space during break times to allow students to access library services in a more informal manner. Social activities of a passive manner are allowed e.g. board games, playing (appropriate) games on computers, reading, homework and quiet chatter. Interestingly there was no reference in the postings and discussion to the library as an “extension of the playground”.

So then the question is, what is meant by the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground?"

To understand the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground”, it required me to define what is meant by “playground”. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it “refers to a piece of land used for and usually equipped with facilities for recreation especially for children”. So if applied to a library during a recess or lunch break, the library must be equipped with facilities for recreation in order to be deemed a “playground”.

Therefore if the concept were applied, as Teacher Librarians, it would be our responsibility to provide students with appropriate recreational activities to keep them engaged.

I do have concerns with the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground” in terms of the wording of the phrase. The word “playground” can be opened to many interpretations, as suggested by one contributor. Some may see this phrase as allowing behaviours allowed in outdoor settings to be applied indoors. If allowed, it creates concerns for learning and social needs along with safety of others. There are one or two schools which I have observed personally as adopting this approach. This has created behaviour management issues, particularly as they may behave in a manner that would not normally engage in within the normal classroom setting. Students complain, insisting they have a right to engage in the behaviour e.g. sitting on a table or entitled to warnings despite the imminent risk of safety.

Therefore we should not apply the idea of libraries as an “extension of the playground”. I have supported the concept of libraries as a recreational space during break times within the context of encouraging recreational activities that are passive when compared to normal playground activities - whether it is playing board games, card games, (appropriate) computer games or reading. Quiet chatter while seated is acceptable. It is important that it is explicitly stated as to what is allowed and not allowed in the library during break times along with expectations for behaviour. I would involve students and staff in the process as a means of encouraging ownership of library spaces and resources.

My Fix to shelving books in setting up a library

One challenge faced in the setup of the library last term was how to allocated shelves for items belonging to a collection.

My colleagues and I were given a list of shelves and bays to be allocated to items within the fiction collection. It based on the allocation of items within the former site We stuck to it to begin with, but as we worked along, we found that some letters required fewer bays. Other letters required more bays. We were making changes using pen and paper.

Then we finding that there was no balance. Sometimes we would end up with empty bays or sometimes there were none left. Pen and Paper amendments were not going to work at all for me. It only made me and colleagues more confused.

I went to Excel and wrote the original list, then our list with amendments, The numbers had to balance on both columns (in filling the total number of bays available) otherwise I had to start again. I also did this for a set of letters that needed to be re shelved.

The numbers balanced and we had our shelf allocation done with no fuss. I was happy and everyone was happy.

I decided to repeat the approach for the Non Fiction Collection because we ended up with more bays allocated than originally planned. We actually got the room to fit some more in. I applied some mathematical formulas (basing it on original percentages) and again done with little stress. 

We did make some changes along the way but it was never going to be an issue.

If your stuck with allocating shelves and bays, never be afraid to use excel and let it do the number crunching for you.