I have spent a lot of time recently thinking about school libraries. I worked for the past 20 years as a schoolteacher, math and computer science, but I spent a lot of time at my most recent job hanging around the library. Why? It was the place to be on campus. Everyone came together there when they had free time. Teachers at lunch on the patio; students played games, worked on projects, or tucked themselves into the nooks to gossip with friends. High school classes came in to do research facilitated by the librarian, while lower schoolers had free reading time as part of their day. The school paper wrote a piece highlighting the library as a space for all students, filled with activity and energy (Comai, 2024).
This is so very different from the school library of my youth. As a little kid, I was encouraged to sit on the rug and listen to stories read by the librarian. While there was a fair amount of fidgeting and chatter, it was still an adult-led activity. As I got older, the library was a place where I would go to check out books for an assignment, usually with some direction from the librarian. But the assignment and the research were highly structured. There was no noise, no playing, and little self-directed learning happening in the school library that I spent time in as a kid.
But this is shifting! Participatory learning brings the student to the center of the equation. Students are invited to construct their own understanding of how things work, bring their interests to the forefront, and engage in questioning and discussion based on their own ideas. Henry Jenkins describes participatory culture as one that focuses on creation, from zines to YouTube videos, where creating can move from enjoyment into political action. The teacher or librarian takes on the role of a guide, helping students create their own work, harnessing their own ideas. “They don’t need us snooping over their shoulders, but they do need us watching their backs,” Jenkins says, describing this model of support (Edutopia, 2013). This might take the form of supporting appropriate use of technology and developing skills around being safe online (World Economic Forum, 2016; Stone, 2013). While kids are often labeled “digital natives,” Niahm Ni Bhroin asks us to consider things like permissions, privacy, in app purchases, passwords, cookies, and the like. All are big concepts. Kids may be comfortable with the big stuff, like navigating the web, playing games, posting, and sharing, but don’t always fully understand the bigger consequences of their online activities (2019). School libraries as hubs of information can facilitate this student-centered exploration, letting kids take the lead, but providing the support needed to develop the skills to be safe online.
School libraries are becoming community hubs for learning on their school campuses. “Librarians across the country are working to create innovative spaces for their students, to enhance their learning process and nurture their imaginations,” says Sara Luster (2018). The school library looks and acts differently, providing a space that allows students to be the center of their own learning.
@ValB
References
Bhroin, N. N. (2019, February 13). Digital natives or naïve experts? Exploring how Norwegian children understand the internet – Parenting for a Digital Future. Parenting for a Digital Future –. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/parenting4digitalfuture/2019/02/13/digital-natives-or-naive-experts/
Comai, M. (2024, October 4). Westridge library’s one space serves all: Convenience, cramming, and community. Westridge Spyglass. https://westridgespyglass.org/9897/features/westridge-librarys-one-space-serves-all-convenience-cramming-and-community/
Edutopia. (2013, May 7). Henry Jenkins on participatory culture: Big thinkers [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gPm-c1wRsQ
Luster, S. (2018). Reinvented School Libraries Unleash Student Creativity | NEA. Retrieved July 1, 2026, from https://www.nea.org/nea-today/all-news-articles/reinvented-school-libraries-unleash-student-creativity
Stone, A. (2013, March 19). 12 technologies that will reshape school libraries | K-12 Dive. https://www.k12dive.com/news/12-technologies-that-will-reshape-school-libraries/111708/
World Economic Forum. (2016, June 16). 8 digital skills we must teach our children. Medium. https://medium.com/world-economic-forum/8-digital-skills-we-must-teach-our-children-f37853d7221e