Alex Locke part 2 commentary continued.  this didn't save.  maybe I hit the word max before but here's the rest of the comments or the Forest Edge, WI school library.

The enclosed work space in the middle is a smart and useful design choice.  Teachers could work in there during a library class and not be disturbed by the noise of library class.  Having a teacher working in the library during library class increases the sense of community.  Students will see that everyone uses the library.  Students often have difficulty imagining their teacher in contexts other than teaching their class.  Seeing other teachers using the library will help students understand that the library is a valuable, communal space that everyone uses and benefits from.  As a result, they may respect the library rules more and the see the library as the  heart of the school.   That is assuming the school district has the luxury of keeping that space free for anyone’s use.  I hate to say this but in every district I’ve worked in, a space like that would be snapped up in a…heartbeat…for a speech teacher, special ed teacher, occupational teacher or staff member to use since schools (especially older schools) are always short on space and rooms for staff.  But maybe in school buildings built more recently, the library could retain this space, since architects and principals would hopefully plan construction  to  build enough rooms to accommodate all of the staff.

One drawback is the apparent lack of STEM space furniture and storage, at least based on the photos provided.  My suspicion is that this school system probably has a separate STEM space with a separate STEM teacher, which is a pretty good way to go.  Personally, I like teaching STEM as part of my library curriculum, but I feel like that is being phased out for librarians, at least based on the experience I’ve had in my districts.  Schools seem to have either a science teacher or a separate STEM teacher teaching STEM.  However it would be nice to have some STEM storage and collaborative tables for a STEM unit even if it isn’t taught regularly throughout the year by the librarian.

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