The Kolver Family Library is not only the home to 17,000—and counting—books, on any given day you’ll find students in study rooms doing homework, laid out on couches talking to friends, or in tightly packed groups cramming for a test the next period. It’s been a hub for student activity since it was renovated in 2015, and coming next fall it’s going to become even more of a dynamic learning space.

The library will be closing its doors on March 17 to prepare for the renovations, and on April 2 the construction will officially begin. The renovations are expected to end in early August. When students enter the new library in the 2017-2018 school year, they will be walking into a creative space filled with state of the art technology and “places for everyone to work.”

Middle and Upper School Library and Information Services Specialist Annette Lesak is a part of the renovation process. “Aesthetically pretty much everything is being changed in the library,” Lesak said. “We are keeping the basic footprint of the space, but other than that, new carpet, the ceiling will be higher up, brand new shelving, brand new furniture.”

The new library will house different “maker” opportunities for students to expand their learning. Students will be able to prototype a product in the library, 3D print more easily, or even use a laser cutter to build a project.

New additions include “The Teleport” —a booth with televisions where students can Skype different people—both a story studio, a closed off space to “reflect traditional storytelling,” and a design studio for students to prototype projects, an outdoor patio, and interactive projectors that project games onto the floor. “The whole thing is going to be very cutting-edge,” Lesak said. “It will be able to accommodate many different types of activities in a way that the current set up really isn’t conducive towards.”

When creating the new library, the design team, made up of members including Lesak, Lower and Intermediate School Library and Information Services Specialist Mary Catherine Coleman, and architect Trung Le, wanted to keep the school’s best interest in mind, making the space flexible and accessible to every student. “One of the things that we thought about was, ‘How do we make every square inch of the space useful to every student, age 5 to 18?’” Lesak said. “The new library feels like every spot will be flexible, not too kiddish, not too grown-up, but a nice in-between.”

Martin Moran, Director of TIDES & Cross-Curricular Pedagogy, has been a part of the renovation process from the beginning. “We wanted to find a space that could house and promote the type of learning that we think is natural to Parker,” Moran said. “The type of learn by doing, the type of progressive learning that happens in the school. We wanted a place that really embodies that.”

Over the past three years, faculty have discussed renovating the library with students, teachers, parents, and Wonder Design Studio. Through workshops and discussions, the Parker staff has made sure to include different voices in the process in order to get input on how the space can be the most beneficial to the Parker community. Moran said, “What we wanted to do was bring in a process that includes people, that brings in an outside perspective, that gives people a chance to weigh in on what they think the space should be and build it from that.”

The “outdoor classroom,” a patio that extends towards the field, will serve as a platform for students to connect their learning with nature. “One of the things that we found in the process of meeting with students and teachers was the idea of having the space being interwoven in the environment,” Moran said. “We thought, ‘What better way to do that then to have this spot that people could use both to create learning opportunities that you can’t do inside, but also potentially to have space where a student can step outside for a while.’”

Despite all the new additions and technology integration that is taking place in the library, the Parker staff is determined to keep the core values of a library intact. Moran said, “We wanted to make sure that the books themselves are interspersed with all of the other new technology so it’s one big learning experience.”

A number of students and teachers are eager for the new changes and what they will bring. Freshman Sean Andrews expects more space. “I notice that the library gets really crowded because more people are going than they used to,” Andrews said. “I hope that there will be more space for students to do their work, and for it to be a better working environment.”

Upper School French teacher and Department Co-Chair Lorin Pritikin is looking forward to what the new change will bring, but can’t help but feel worried. “I’m very excited the renovations are going to happen, but being a purist and somebody who loves turning pages,” Pritikin said, “for a library I get a little nervous when it gets really high tech and my students have forgotten some of the habits of research.”

Pritikin has had students ask her if they could use her classroom for a workspace due to the lack of quiet places in the school. “Another concern is, if you think about kids who prefer quiet and seek quiet to do work, it’s hard for them,” Pritikin said. “For some students the collaborative and social space works, but the quiet zones for those who need them are becoming more scarce.”

Fifth grade teacher Mike McPharlin, who uses the library frequently with his class, is excited for the coming renovations. “I hope that the space for the new library provides us as teachers opportunities to do some new things with our students  that we might not be able to do in our classroom,” McPharlin said. “I also hope that the library serves as a hub for the school for new ideas and collaborations between different grades and different teachers, between my students and other students.”