[LM_NET] HIT: Naming a prek-5 library

[Sarah Ducharme <scducharme@YAHOO.COM>]

Thanks everyone who responded to my question about finding a more "relevant" name 
for our new library (at my director's request)
It seems we all agree that the word "library" is a perfectly great word to describe 
our fabulous space.  Here are the responses:
*****************************************

Research center?
Literacy Center
Information Central
 
We use Information Center but it sounds like a place
to give to directions the Mall.
 
Would he want to change "hospital"
or "fire station" to something that appeals to him?  It's a
library and one of the things we love as school librarians is that we can teach
students to enjoy libraries in school AND then go to the libraries that
are outside the school.  If we call it something different it will
ultimately confuse our patrons.
 
call me old fashioned but I still like Library the best --
no matter what we called it when I was in the elementary school, the students
still called it a library and I was their "library teacher".  If
our goals based on National Standards is to promote life-long learning and
create life-long learners, Library is still the best term.  Once they
leave the K-12 cocoon, it is a Library -- be it public or college/university,
so why not use the same terms.  You never hear about the "PublicMediaCenter"
or "College Learning Commons".  It doesn't
matter what it is called -- it matters what is going on so that the students
correlate the Library to learning and fun.
 
We jokingly called my library the building's second
Multi-Purpose Room.  =)

At the NCSLMA conference  in North Carolina this fall, Eisenberg suggested that we 
(media specialists, librarians, etc.) focus on the
"information" aspect of our job.  In fact, I think they've changed the name of the 
library program at his
university to "Information School."
I don't know if this appeals to you at all, but it's something I've been
thinking about a lot as I start a new program this year. If you're interested,
one of his sites is: http://projects.ischool.washington.edu/mbe/
 
Maybe he would like Enrichment Center, or Learning Resource Center (LRC).  Or maybe 
there is a former student who has died in service to the country. That is what 
happened here, the library was named after a young man who died in the first desert 
storm encounter.  Final idea, have a contest. Make a big "to-do" about it. Then 
after the name is picked give them a nice gift, picture in local paper, reception 
in the library. Hang a brass plaque outside the door.
 
Sarah Clymer Ducharme
Grade 8 Humanities
ASIB, Budapest
scducharme@yahoo.com

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