Magale Library’s Education Book Nook
Over the course of this school year, Magale Library staff have been setting up its educational resource center, in the corner of the first floor. It’s essentially a children’s books library project done in collaboration with the Education Department for their students to utilize, but that’s not all it is. With the space becoming ever more defined, and its shelves continuing to be lined, the question of how it got started and the nature of its existence is one that has echoed around campus.
It all started a year ago when Dr. Terrie Johnson, Chair of the Education Department, and Dr. Joan Turek, Assistant Professor of Education, attended an event hosted by the Caddo Parish Schools at the professional development center. They were able to connect with the director of librarians for Caddo Parish Schools, who had been handing out books that would otherwise need to be discarded. They selected some of those books to take back to the Centenary Education Department, and left their business cards with her. Then, in August 2024, just before leaving for Centenary in Paris (CIP), Dr. Johnson received a call from the director. She spoke about the closing of Werner Park Elementary School and how they wanted to distribute all of the books from the library because, as Dr. Johnson quotes her, she “couldn’t stand to have them recycled!” The other elementary schools had already come through to make their own selections and they still had so many books if Centenary wanted to take ten or twelve boxes. Of course, Dr. Johnson agreed to take some in, but she was about to leave the country. So, she got in contact with Coach Byron Dawson, Head Coach, who said he could get some guys together to make the pickup. And they ended up coming back with around forty boxes of books.
At first the boxes were stored in the Jackson classroom 109 and the Education Department invited alumni, current students, and recent graduates who were starting their own classrooms to come take some books and build their own collections. With the fall term on the horizon they had to move the remaining thirty or so boxes into a storage closet that, with materials recently received from the State Department, barely fit in the room. They knew there was no way they could keep all those books there but were certain they didn’t want to discard them either. “Rich, good, solid, wonderful children’s literature. And we were just thrilled to have [the books], for them to be taken and used in classrooms,” Dr. Johnson said. That’s when they turned to Magale Library and got in contact with Patrick Morgan, Library Director.
It was good timing too, “we’ve been kicking around the idea of doing some kind of kids reading nook slash curriculum library for a couple of years,” Patrick said. Ever since the computers had been moved to the opposite end of the library, the space they used to occupy had been rearranged a few times, efforts to figure out what configuration was most engaging or how the space could be used. It became the perfect location to set up the nook- next to big windows that let in a lot of natural light, right next to the entrance, close to the vending machines, and room to expand. So, Magale Library leadership agreed to turn that space into a home for all of the books.
The cataloging of all the remaining books is an ongoing process that has involved the entire library staff. Cataloging children’s books can sometimes take a long time, often because they are so thin the call number has to go on the front of the book making organization take longer, they tend to be a variety of shapes and sizes which can be inconvenient, and these books are mostly on the Dewey Decimal System as opposed to Magale’s usual Library of Congress Classification system. Even with all that working against them, the library staff have made steady progress and find the work well worth their time. There have also been some fun discoveries along the way, such as the realization that Magale used to have a larger educational resource center that they donated to Werner Park Elementary School some time ago.
Dr. Johnson looks forward to being able to refer the education students to Magale, “in this digital age, having that area in the library does force our students to go there and do it the old-fashioned way. You know, look at what’s on the shelf, pick the books up, open them up. Flip through the pictures and pages and all of the tactile things that are essential to choosing what you’re going to read aloud to your students.” Already some students have had the chance to use the space; at Magale Fest this year several students did children’s book readings.
The nook as a space is still in development as well. There are plans for a mural to be done by Jessie Bonnevier, the same person who did the murals for Magale’s basement study rooms. New furniture such as low shelving to go under the windows, beanbags, reading lounges, fun rugs, and more rolling whiteboards are all potential additions to make the nook more eye-catching and welcoming. “In my mind, that area is kind of like a pond,” Patrick said, “I want it to be the kind of space that feels cool for people to hang out in of all ages, but that still looks like a fun space.”
A resounding sentiment shared by everyone involved is excitement for the community development this nook will encourage, creating a living space for anyone and everyone to gather in. Not just for Centenary students but extending out to the greater Shreveport population as well. “It’s such a great resource I hope for the [Shreveport] community to realize that we have that wonderful space,” Dr. Johnson said. The library staff are looking forward to using this nook to encourage more local engagement with ideas such as a Saturday reading program, a location for after-school tutoring, or even somewhere for parents to wait for their kids at Suzuki. The hope is to make it clear that the library is welcoming even if you have nothing to do with Centenary. Patrick spoke about how a space like what they’re trying to cultivate could have a positive influence, “I like the idea of some kids who live in this neighborhood, in this area, liking this library. And because they like this library, they like all libraries, and maybe they like school.” He concluded his thoughts by explaining how Magale is a public facing part of Centenary and how to create a feel similar to that of a public library, places that foster connections and community, is the real impact and benefit of the nook and other future developments to the library.
