What's in a name?
Wednesday, December 7, 2011 at 06:31AM The Greek word gymnasium means "place to be naked" and was used to designate a locality for the education of young men, including physical education (gymnastics, i.e. exercise) which was customarily performed naked, as well as bathing, and studies. Wikipedia
A couple weeks ago, my friend Scott (Dangerously Irrelevant) McLeod send the following tweet:
@blueskunkblog @joycevalenza At what point does library change so much we no longer should call it a 'library?' goo.gl/9Rtxd #edtech
I am not sure if Joyce replied, but I more or less blew the message off. I was pretty busy when I read the question and had the feeling that Scott, as he is want to do, was baiting me a little. So my knee jerk response was to refer him to a column I'd already written about what "librarians' should be calling themselves - "Names Can Never Hurt Us," LMC Nov 2005. After some rather long-winded (but always self-amusing) exposition, I simply concluded:
My dad used to say, “Call me what you want - just don’t call me late for supper.” I would say, “Call people what they want to be called - just make sure they are doing the right thing by kids.”
Does that apply to the rooms and buildings in which our programs reside as well as the job titles under which we operate? Call a place whatever you want to call it, just so long as what's happening in it is of value to those it serves?
But more than job title, I am beginning to think that the term "library," especially in educational institutions, needs an upgrade. As sentimentally fond as I am of the term and despite the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes over me when I know I am going to a "library," it may well be that the library's function has changed enough to merit considering a name change.
I've never been a big fan of the term "media center" for the same reason I've never much cared for the title "media specialist.' Media is too often equated with "mass media" and too many people think we are the public relations department. I've heard "Information Hub" and "Learning Materials Center" and other attempts to define by name the purpose of the place. Probably the best so far is "Learning Commons," a term begun, I believe in colleges, and popularized and promoted by Dr. Loertscher.
EDUCAUSE's 7 things you should know about the modern learning commonss, 2011 defines the term this way:
The learning commons, sometimes called an “information commons,” has evolved from a combination library and computer lab into a full-service learning, research, and project space. The modern commons is a meeting place, typically offering at least one area where students can rearrange furniture to accommodate impromptu planning sessions or secure a quiet place to work near a window. In response to course assignments, which have taken a creative and often collaborative turn in the past two decades, the learning commons provides areas for group meetings, tools to support creative efforts, and on-staff specialists to provide help as needed. And yet the successful learning commons does not depend solely upon adaptable space configuration or the latest technological gear. Its strength lies in the relationships it supports, whether these are student-to-student, student-to-faculty, student-to-staff, student-to-equipment, or student-to-information. Effective learning commons are alive with the voices of students working together, establishing the kinds of connections that promote active, engaged learning.
Not bad in describing philosophy of new "library spaces," not just their functions. Of course, changing the name of your room without changing your program and policies is not going to do any more good than changing your name to Warren Buffet would be in helping your bank account.
Of course, there is always my favorite replacement term for library: the Intellectual Gymnasium. But judging from its etymology (above), a room full of naked learners may not the image we wish to cultivate.
Other suggestions for the names of reinvisioned libraries?
