Visual Map of Learning Space
While carrying out the VAST Heuristic tour, photos were taken of the site to document the positive and negative aspects of this learning space.
Positive design aspects from the outside in
An undercover ramp leads down to the library from the main school area. This provides weather proof and wheelchair access.
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This photo shows the view of the library from the borrowing desk. It is an open area and the windows down the left hand side of the building and along the wall of the computer lab, allow light to come in and views to the outside can be seen. Displays are able to hang from the ceiling as well as from the pin boards. The shelves are on wheels and are able to be moved. They are colour coded to enable the students to differentiate between fiction (green), non-fiction (orange) and reference books (blue). Due to the colour scheme of the library and the displays, the library looks inviting and a place to relax and explore.
The computer area is equipped with twenty desktop computers. These are available for classes to use with their teachers to do research and are also used by the students to play games during lunch breaks.
Negative Design Aspects
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This is one of the meeting rooms. It can be accessed through the main library area or via the blue concertina doors that can been seen at the left of the photo. When the doors are opened, the two rooms become a large meeting room used for staff meetings. The tables are on wheels and are able to be folded down, making them easy to move around the room and make floor space if needed.
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Here the library can be seen as the last building on the outskirts of the school. The outside of the building is bland and has no signage.
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This photo shows the library building on the left, in close proximity of the l music room to the right. The noise from music lessons can be heard in the library.
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These are the main doors to the library. These can become overcrowded with the amount of students coming and going from the library. The width for wheel chair access is questionable.
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These are two separate storage rooms for resources. The photo on the left shows a room that holds the maths resources for the school. All the items are bar coded to keep track of the resources. More shelving along the walls above and below the single shelf could assist the organisation of the resources.
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The walls of this room are curved and painted blue with the intention to use it as a media room, however it is now used for year level meetings. Teachers were able to work with their students in small groups, however as the reading data wall is being constructed, students and parents are no longer able to use this space due to privacy issues.
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Learning Space Problem
The photos below show the three main library spaces used by the students at play time and by the teacher librarian during lessons. Although the shelves separate the areas, on busy days students of any year level spread across the entire library. This creates a noisy and crowded atmosphere. The lack of comfortable furniture to encourage quiet reading is limited. While the shelves are moveable, the places to which they can be moved are limited. It would be ideal to have designated areas for different activities and for certain age groups. (Photos of students have been taken using the cartoon effect and in grey scale, to ensure anonymity).
All images have been sourced by L. Frazer (2016).