Ashmont School Design Includes Public Library

St Paul Education Regional Division No.1 (SPERD) and the County of St. Paul Library Board have been in discussion regarding the shared community library/school learning commons currently under construction at the new Ashmont School.

The county library board had requested that an exterior entrance be built so that library guests would not have to travel through the school. However, Heather Starosielski, chair of the SPERD school board, explains, “We were concerned about security issues in the school if guests did not pass the office.” The location of an exterior door would have added other concerns, as neither a sidewalk nor a parking area has been planned for that side of the building.

The new area will provide a learning commons with access to books, computers, group and individual workstations, and a variety of learning tools for both students and community members. Moveable glass walls will allow the flexibility to make group use areas larger or smaller, depending on need. The county library board has expressed a preference for more traditional, stationary walls, and for the name of the space.

Although ‘learning commons’ is the preferred label for these spaces across the province, SPERD and the county library board have agreed to the name “Ashmont Public Library” to ensure that the community continues to recognize that the space is open to all.