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Ideas for designing a themed primary school library
Ideas and inspiration for designing a themed primary school library
How exciting. A new library or the chance to revamp your existing library. But it can be a daunting task too.
Where exactly do you start? You have a feeling you’ll know it’s right for you when you see it but there are so many things to consider and so many choices to make including whether or not to take a themed approach to designing your school library.
To help we’ve pulled together some of the library themes we’ve designed for primary schools over the last 10 years.
Bring the outdoors in with our much-loved woodland theme library design
The woodland theme is a popular choice for many primary schools as it appeals to boys and girls of all ages.
We designed and installed our first woodland theme At Teagues Bridge School in 2014 after meeting with Headteacher Mrs Abdulla who was keen to create ‘a sense of awe and wonder’ with their new library.
“We were all very drawn to the woodland theme” says Mrs Abdulla. “The children in particular loved it and for us it was important that the pupils had a say”.
A themed library can certainly add the ‘wow’ factor to a space. It creates a space that children want to visit, for the sheer novelty value if nothing else and hopefully it sends a clear message that the library is a fun place to be. The Woodland theme for example includes a Storytelling Table which features a forest design. It’s a perfect starting point for oral storytelling or creative writing. Looking at the table, children will be taken on an exciting narrative journey – through trees, across rivers, on a boat – encountering animals, poisonous mushrooms and a mysterious tepee in the heart of the forest.
Norwood Primary School is an urban school, in the middle of Eastleigh in Hampshire and though there is a playground, there is no green space at the school. A big part of the brief for the new library was to bring an element of green inside the school. We used the Woodland Theme to design the space, incorporating tree-shaped PC desking and little Toadstool Seats as well as wall stickers in the form of trees, leaves and birds.
Creating a themed library taps into children’s imaginations. We adapt our range of furniture to include themed hidey-holes and secret reading spaces, bookcase end panels that tie in with the theme and desks shaped or designed in the style of the theme.
We add in soft seating which is themed and use wall stickers to extend the theme beyond the furniture. These small details mean that the library comes alive. It is no longer a library but a place of dreams and adventure. It will lay down memories for pupils of their first school library that will stay with them into adulthood.
Over the years we’ve worked closely with hundreds of teachers, listening carefully to their ideas. We have fed all of this into our product design and as a result, the woodland theme has evolved to include lots of different style treehouses, cosy reading dens, seating and of course, plenty of book display!
If you think a woodland theme library is right for your school, we have two case studies which you might find useful –
Kingsley School in Liverpool
Read the case study here
Bonnygate Primary School in Essex
Read the case study here
Add fun and excitement to your school library with our jungle theme design
Pimlico Primary School wanted to install a new library that would help pupils to further their positive relationship with reading. Our library designer, Jonathan Turner, presented a range of design options and the school chose a jungle-theme as they wanted to transform how pupils engaged with the books.
The Feature Wall offered built-in shelving, seating and space above for jungle themed displays. We also designed an elephant bookshelf which was an instant hit with the children.
“The children love it,” says Headteacher Catherine Burge. “Every class visits the library at least once a week and they take home at least two books
Celebrate your school’s local area with landmarks and features
Have you thought about highlighting features from your local area? At St Mary’s School in Marylebone, we incorporated famous landmarks such as the London Eye, Big Ben and Tower Bridge and transformed a small storage space into a colourful and vibrant library.Farndon Fields Primary School is located 15 minutes away from where the infamous Battle of Naseby took place. Headteacher Nikki Matthew was keen to reflect the local heritage in this inspirational library design.
Let your pupils’ imagination soar with our space themed design
Waterside Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent had two spaces which they have transformed into KS1 and KS2 reading areas. For both spaces they chose to have a themed library; a Space theme for KS1 and a Jungle theme for KS2. The Key Stage 1 area was a very small space – a recess in the lower corridor which housed a sink and a few cupboards.
Head Teacher, Joanne Knowles says “what was a small, under-used space at the end of the corridor is now the most exciting part of the school for our children”. As well as space-themed furniture and seating the library includes replica planets hanging from the ceiling, which gives children a fun way to experience the wonders of the Solar System.
Transform your school library with our magical underwater theme
Our library design specialist, Michelle Tomlinson, couldn’t wait to create our very first underwater themed library for Wolsey House Primary School in Leicester. We customised the Feature Wall to house a fun submarine seat with integrated book shelving either side and added the finishing touches with wall decals to tie in with the theme.
Create an enchanting fairy-tale library that children will love to explore
Kingsley Special Academy needed a child-friendly, accessible library for their SEN pupils but didn’t want it to be dull. The teachers had clear ideas from the outset and wanted to create a castle incorporating ideas from classic fairy tales and popular children’s books. The library also needed to have bookcases that offered lots of face-out book display.
Research has shown us that children are more likely to take a book from a shelf where the covers are displayed face-out rather than spine-out. At BookSpace, we have a special face-out shelf that is designed to showcase the front covers of the books. Read more about our clever shelving system here.
Or are you looking for a more neutral approach?
It’s fair to say a themed library design isn’t for everyone. Some schools prefer to look at a more classic range of shelving and perhaps feel a theme would constrain or reduce the possibilities for the space. A more neutral approach can give you scope to change the look of the library more frequently and create your own theme whenever you wish.
But it’s not all or nothing. Some schools simply choose to have a themed reading corner with a Book Tree, Birdhouses and Toadstool Seats rather than a theme for the whole library space. To see some examples of a more neutral approach to designing libraries, take a look in our gallery for ideas and inspiration.
And don’t forget we’re here to help…
If you choose BookSpace to design and install your new library you don’t need to worry about anything. We have years of experience creating bespoke libraries for primary schools and have seen most things, so whatever your space is like we’ll be able to confidently create a reading space you’ll be proud of. We work with you throughout the process, listening to what you want, what you like and what you don’t like. At your consultation meeting, we’ll spend time with you talking about what your ideas are and how you plan to use the library. Once you’ve received our initial designs we will work with you to finalise them and make sure you’re completely happy.
And even on installation day, our experienced fitters will take the time to consult with you and ensure you are happy with the progress.
Take a look at our free library design services or call us on 0121 246 2777.