All of the furniture in my new display and reading section came from Ikea, and it is the first thing the students have noticed! I learned how to make tissue paper look like different types of flowers. The desk organizer has come in handy for items that students always need, and now they have a go-to place to find it. Since I am alone in the library, it is necessary to close the doors sometimes so that I can attend meetings. It is not very often that we are closed because I always want to be available if my students need me, but my sign says closed on the reverse side.
I found these eye catching rules that were created by another teacher, Krissy Venosdale, who has tons of beautiful graphics available for download on her Flickr stream. I loved these because they are not like traditional rules, but they show my students that I have high expectations. The In Our Library board is also my message to my students that they are going to do wonderful things, but they are not alone--they have my support and the support of all of their teachers. I can't wait to see my bird bulletin board fill up with tweets about my students' favorite books! The final touch is the dry erase frame calendar that my wonderful colleague, Monique German, found on Pinterest. If you look closely, you will see the letters for each day. I love this idea because my students and teachers can see, at a glance, what is happening in the media center during the week.
Ok...I know you are thinking the library is not all about looks, and you are right! But it goes a long way to have a warm, inviting space that your faculty and students want to spend time in. When I began my job six years ago, I spent two weeks in my library painting, making curtains, cleaning and rearranging. It all paid off because I had students and teachers who wanted to spend time with me, and I was happy! After six years, I needed some change! My goal was to make a space that is conducive to learning, creating and reading, and I am happy with the result! I think my students are as well from the comments they have made about the "whoa that is awesome" decor.
My Pinterest Boards are not all about crafting and decorating. I also have boards for the meat of our library program...learning and creating.
If you don't have a Pinterest account, I encourage you to sign up today and start pinning! You will find so many wonderful ideas that will benefit your students!
Happy pinning!
