We don't need libraries anymore? Right?Thank goodness that not everyone is so narrowsighted as to think that children only need spacious classrooms, computers and the internet to develop their creative talents, and foster a thirst for enquiry and knowledge.
I suggest that good 'future' thinking is what is really needed, and as usual (when it comes to design) the scandanavians are right into it!
Imagine a children´s library where movements activate the room and elements in the library, and where imagination is stimulated by sound, images and light. And at the same time it is possible to place oneself in isolation and become deeply absorbed.
How do we create a physical and virtual sensation of being inside and outside, of being both alone and part of a social group?
Here we have an entire conference devoted to this theme - The Children's Interactive Library - with presentations available for download in pdf form. Amongst these papers you may find ideas and inspiration for tackling the "learning spaces" agenda that we began to discuss in 2007.
Let's keep the focus clear - libraries do have a valuable place in our schools and communities!
We know that the information society is changing, and that the way children look for information and the way they use information is changing.
The question is whether we as libraries are also keeping pace with the change and if so; is it in the right direction and in what way are we involving children – with their different talents - in this proces ?
Innovation is what it is really about!
