Susan mused about why her students love the library. I can think of a few additional reasons. OWNERSHIP, OPPORTUNITY, and BELONGING are three of the big ones.
Our students hear me state continually “This is your library, not my library.” Then we go to work teaching what ownership of a space means including maintenance, establishing rules and procedures they want & need, determining what items to buy and to weed, and generally learning how to make decisions.
Opportunities exist for students to select materials for themselves, for other teachers who call & email requests, and for future purchases. There are always tasks to complete and plenty of work for anyone seeking the opportunity. No matter how bad a student’s past experience in school may have been, the library gives him or her the opportunity to begin again. Don’t forget about the opportunities to learn about anything a student can dream about. Technology opportunities help diminish the gap between those who have and the many students who have none. A student who wants to be involved finds that opportunity in the library which leads to belonging.
Belonging to something, being part of something special, giving part of oneself to a school, identifying with something good. These are all things that students have talked to me about when asked why they wanted to be in the library club or to be a volunteer. They want to be valued and recognized for their contributions. They want to be connected.
Libraries are places of learning. Not all learning is academic. The emotional and social growth occurring is also important to middle school students.
Why do you think students love the library?