Redefining the High School Library Media Center: Inspired by the Frankfurt Book Fair
The School Library Media Center EXPRESSED!
by David Di Gregorio 2008 (Updated 2018, 2026)
Redefining the High School Library Media Center
Inspired by the Frankfurt Book Fair
The School Library Media Center: EXPRESSED!
David Di Gregorio (2008, updated 2018)
There are schools that operate without libraries. One such school exists in my own neighborhood. Through the absence of their library, I believe they have come to understand—perhaps more clearly than ever—that such a purposeful space is indispensable to a truly successful school.
Several years ago, their library closed following the retirement of the librarian. Just last week, I received a phone call from that school. After all these years, they have decided they would like to reestablish a library. They have heard about the model at Tenafly High School and would like to visit and learn from it. I say hurrah for their students. With thoughtful planning and intentional design, they will come to enjoy—and depend on—their library.
Yes, a school can function without a library. But like all good parties, thriving towns, and even the cells in our bodies, a purposeful center—a nucleus—is needed to bring everything together. This, I believe, is precisely the role of the redefined school library media center.
A New Model: Impression and Expression
The modern library media center must do two things well. First, it must impress—continuing the essential functions of traditional libraries that ground students in knowledge and context. Second, it must enable expression, giving students and teachers the tools and spaces to create, communicate, and contribute.
When a school’s nucleus becomes rich with these broadly defined forces—impression and expression—it has the potential to transform the school in deeply positive ways. A welcoming and thoughtfully designed library media center supports not only academic learning, but also students’ social and emotional development. In doing so, it sets a healthy tone that resonates throughout the entire school.
Impression Described
With a foundation of high-quality print resources—well organized, tailored to the needs of the school community, and attractively displayed—the library media center stands firmly in tradition. Emily Dickinson famously wrote, “There is no frigate like a book.” That line may be even more relevant today, as we are increasingly distracted by the multitasking nature of digital devices.
The elegance of the book as a technology is remarkable: it can be mastered by a child not yet one year old, carefully turning pages with small fingers. A rich, tangible, and visually inviting print collection must therefore serve as the library’s base. Any school library that gives this short shrift, in my view, is missing the point.
I have visited newly constructed school “libraries” outfitted with luxurious couches, café-style seating, and only a handful of shelves of reference books. These spaces function more as lounges than libraries. In one such building—large and expensive—the library was sparsely populated, with no teachers present at all. Despite its comforts, the space felt hollow and cold, and, unfortunately, so did much of the school.
A strong magazine collection, presented in a comfortable—but not overly casual—setting, is also essential. Integrating flat-panel displays featuring unbiased news sources (such as BBC World News), with sound delivered unobtrusively through sound domes or similar technology, keeps patrons informed without disrupting the environment. When significant news breaks, the library should be the place students want to be.
Maps, flags, digital information displays, online resources, and curated exhibitions all contribute to the “impression” side of the library. Student work—displayed in multiple formats—beautifully bridges impression and expression, reinforcing the library as a living, evolving space.
Above all, the library media center must be welcoming, comfortable, and always professional. Students come to the library because they want to understand the world better. When that purpose is made visible—when it can be felt as well as seen—the space becomes something truly special.
Expression Described
Equipping the library media center to support expression places its other foot firmly in the present—and the future. This dimension, in many ways, is what keeps the library relevant. A library grounded in tradition while actively embracing what lies ahead is well positioned to serve its community.
With today’s increasingly accessible communication tools, the library media center can offer skill development, creative opportunities, and meaningful avenues for sharing ideas with real audiences. By embracing this role, the library becomes not just a resource, but a vehicle for expression—a true center of the school.
One of the most compelling examples of this philosophy in action is the Frankfurt Book Fair, held each October in Germany. More than 7,000 publishers, along with authors, editors, and creators from around the world, gather for the largest book event on the planet. I was fortunate to gain release time and attend in 2003, 2006, and 2009. Throughout the exhibition halls are presentation spaces, radio studios, and television broadcast facilities. Interviews and talks with authors and cultural figures are recorded and broadcast across Germany in real time.
The experience is best described as a cultural jungle—vibrant, noisy, alive. It is an extraordinary model for what an active learning community can look like.
Returning to our school library media centers: with a modest investment in equipment and an imaginative media specialist, a library can significantly increase its visibility and usefulness. It can also strengthen ties between the school and the broader community, breaking down traditional barriers. This evolution should occur thoughtfully and incrementally, shaped by each school’s unique culture and needs. As administrators and students begin to see tangible benefits, support and funding tend to follow.
I strongly believe that school libraries should incorporate tools of expression, including—but not limited to—a centralized broadcast facility, presentation or academic theater spaces, photographic equipment, web authoring tools, video recording and editing systems, audio production resources, and full-service duplication capabilities. These tools allow students and educators to organize, produce, and share ideas, projects, and information both within and beyond the school.
When these tools of expression operate alongside the library’s traditional resources for impression, a healthy circulation emerges—ideas flowing inward and outward. This dynamic keeps the library vibrant and relevant, firmly placing it at the heart of the school.