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Education
Meet You at the Cybrary
Feel free to talk above a whisper in Live Oaks’ 21st-century library
Well-lit open spaces and comfortable seating make the Live Oaks cybrary a welcoming spot for students of all ages as well as the community at large.The Great Oaks system of career campuses strives to “be on the bleeding edge of technology,” according to Senior Vice President Steve Jackson.
To meet that aim, a vibrant and accessible media center is an absolute necessity. And at the Live Oaks campus in Milford, that necessity is now a reality.
Live Oaks is one of four campuses in the Great Oaks system. It provides career education for almost 600 high school juniors and seniors from 12 area high schools, plus evening education programs for a floating number of adult students.
In December 2006, Live Oaks hosted a grand opening for its new cybrary, capping an 18-month project to overhaul its previous library for the digital age.
Live Oaks’ original library had been constructed in 1973, eons ago in the virtual world. Administrators set out to upgrade the facility to 21st-century standards, while also making changes that would be welcome in any era.
The center had three primary objectives: expand the physical dimensions; load the cybrary with technology; and make it a more open and inviting area. Administrators are convinced they nailed all three.
“It’s truly an outstanding facility,” says Jean Ciancio, public relations coordinator for the Great Oaks System.
The new cybrary has ample space, with books, workstations and several soundproof meeting rooms. It also has room enough for two classes of 25 students to work simultaneously.
On the technology front, the cybrary has laptop computers, wireless cards, two Smart Boards and editing rooms for electronic portfolios and multimedia materials. An informed help desk, also home to Live Oaks’ information technology department, provides additional support.
Just as important, the new facility is well-lit, open and welcoming, a far cry from the cramped facility it replaced.
“It’s so much more inviting than the previous library,” Ciancio says.
And that invitation extends beyond the high school students enrolled there. In contrast to the previous facility, the cybrary is open to adult students and the community at large.
“We didn’t want to build something that nobody was going to want to use,” Jackson says.
To ensure the cybrary’s user-friendliness, the Live Oaks staff did extensive research before embarking on the upgrade. It started with visits to various facilities, where the system’s librarians could “put their dream hats on,” Jackson says.
They took the information back to the community, where they solicited the input from students, staff, parents and other community members about what the various customers thought was required.
“It worked out to everyone’s advantage,” Ciancio says.
Story by Dan Markham
Photo by Michael W. Bunch
© Copyright 2007 Journal Communications Inc.
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