I have only been working in school libraries for a little more than a year, and what has been made abundantly clear to me is that school libraries, at least the elementary ones within my school district, are in need of further modernization. I work at the same school district I received my K-12 education from and have thought about how, in the past, my school libraries always appeared with the times, with their Apple desktops, connection to the Internet, easy access to the library catalog, and social activities. Now, working in the elementary library I frequented as a child, I am saddened by its current state, with its limited schedule, worn collection, and absence of computers. This can largely be attributed to budget cuts that date back to the Great Recession, ever since many public school districts nationwide, including mine, have made decisions that redirect library funds (Sparks & Harwin, 2018). While some elementary libraries in my district are faring better than others today, they can all benefit from additional investments.

The idea of the school library learning commons intrigues me. I believe it truly takes into account the interests and needs of this generation of educators and students, who must engage in knowledge building in such a fast-paced information, digital world. Characteristics of the learning commons are being embraced in school libraries, but they are not yet fully in the libraries where I work. Reading stories like Gwyneth Jones and the makerspaces she created in her library to incite the creative and innovative spirits of students (Luster, 2018) is inspirational, giving me hope that my district can make the elementary school library a place where students do not just need to be in but want to be in. A key aspect of the learning commons is participatory learning, in which people come together to take part in the exploration, learning, creating, and sharing processes, given some encouragement, motivation, tools, and resources (Jenkins, 2013). It is by incorporating the learning commons idea that the school library can become the learning center of the 21^st century.

In some ways, the district seems to be heading in the right direction. In the last two years, the annual budget of elementary school libraries has increased from a few hundred dollars to $1,000. Last year, the Library Services department partnered with the Technology Services department to program a few Chromebooks to the library catalog for student use. This year, we were notified that the district would be adopting Sora, a reading app that gives teachers and pupils access to a district digital book collection and that of their local public library system. These changes are needed and welcomed, but there is so much more that can and should be done to transform the library to the caliber of the learning commons, which “serves school curriculum but also is known as a place for experimenting, playing, making, doing, thinking, collaborating, and growing” (Loertscher & Koechlin, n.d., p. E3). It is this environment that can further get educators and pupils excited and committed to growing their minds through the different learning opportunities offered by the school library.