ROCHELLE — At its Jan. 21 meeting, the Rochelle Township High School Board of Education unanimously approved a bid of $746,050 from Stenstrom Construction in Rockford for remodeling work at the RTHS Library-Media Center (LMC). The work will begin in early June and conclude in early August.

The Stenstrom Construction bid was the lowest of five. The highest bid for the work was $1,168,500, RTHS District Business Manager Kevin Dale said. The remodel will include versatile space, flexible furniture, a content creation room, updated technology, and modern design. The LMC has not seen major changes since it was constructed in 2004. 

“A high school library remodel will create a versatile space for learning, collaboration, and creativity for our students and staff,” RTHS Principal Chris Lewis said. “Flexible furniture and updated technology will support individual study, group work, and presentations. Makerspaces and quiet zones will foster hands-on learning and focused tasks, while modern design will make the library a welcoming hub for students, staff, and events. All of these elements will better reflect what students will see in college and future workspaces.”

RTHS Librarian Ann Marie Jinkins said the changes to the LMC are necessary because of changes to education and students’ needs over the last 20 years. The LMC has more of a need now for flexible space. 

Libraries are used today for recreational reading, individual homework, tutoring, collaborative work, and small group meetings, which all require new seating arrangements and flexible furniture choices, Jinkins said. 

“The RTHS library had one style of square table, one kind of student chair, and one kind of armchair,” Jinkins said. “A library’s furniture should be mobile and of varied sizes to meet all students’ needs for studying, collaborating, presenting, and relaxing, as well as staff needs for flexible teaching or meeting space. Students’ need for PCs has declined, but large built-in computer tables take up space that could be a flexible seating area. More clubs and small groups meet in the library now, and space is hard to find throughout the day and after school. We need more flexible space.”

Since 2004, RTHS has adapted the library to meet changing needs, Jinkins said. Early on, shelving was moved to create a central seating area large enough for a class to visit in addition to the library classroom space. Before each student was given their own Google Chromebooks, there were 24 PCs and laptops around the perimeter of the library in addition to the computer lab because wait times for computers were so long.

Changes have also included removal of shelves to make way for more quiet seating groups and flexible learning spaces as RTHS’s nonfiction print collection has been replaced by digital sources. Original computer lab tables were replaced, the student task chairs have been replaced in both the computer lab and main area, and the armchairs have been reupholstered, Jinkins said.

Jinkins and the RTHS administration began discussing a remodel of the LMC in fall 2022 and shared and discussed design articles before she visited 12 college, school and public libraries in spring 2023. 

“I was most impressed by the flexible spaces and furniture arrangements at Grayslake North High School, Lake Park West High School, and Moraine Valley Community College,” Jinkins said. “I submitted a design to RTHS administration in May 2023 that incorporated flexible meeting rooms, a content creation room, a variety of flexible seating areas, and a makerspace classroom. I’m pleased that the final design by GreenAssociates incorporates the results of the student and staff needs surveys from 2023 and my research into the new library’s design.”

When she packed up RTHS’s old library at its previous location on North 7th Street for the move to its current location, Jinkins was excited about the Flagg Road building’s larger space for a collection of 15,000 books, a computer lab, a classroom, and computer workstations for study hall visitors. 

Today, much of students' reference and nonfiction research needs are met by subscription databases like Ebsco and Gale in Context, which students access easily on their own Chromebooks.

“We can move the remaining print collection to wall shelving to make more room for students,” Jinkins said. “Instead of a lab of 30 computers, now we need small meeting space options. In 2004, creative makerspaces were not part of libraries. Now the library classroom will also contain basic makerspace materials for creative projects in addition to the librarian’s teaching space. Instead of one kind of seat or table, students expect different chair and table styles and heights for different activities.”