Lakewood Elementary School among 43 Dallas ISD campuses to get library makeover

The library at Lakewood Elementary School is set to see a makeover as part of a districtwide effort to better serve students.

Dallas ISD announced June 2 that 43 campus libraries will be redesigned to help students develop creative skill sets. The redesigns are related to the district’s R.E.A.D. Labs program, which stands for "Research, Explore, Application, Design," according to the district website. The program will aid students by establishing “zones,” such as video studios, coding stations, recording booths for podcasting and inquiry stations.

The space redesign will replace many freestanding bookshelves in the middle of libraries with new modular furniture for collaborative work in the R.E.A.D. zones, according to DISD officials. New carpet, graphical murals and technology are also planned.

At each of the campuses, a program lead will manage the R.E.A.D. Lab and work with teachers and students in the zones, the announcement stated. They will also keep the physical library maintained and engage with the community through events.

Gay D. White Patrick, director of DISD library media services, said in the announcement that district libraries, other than newer ones, have not had a major makeover for more than 40 years.

“This makeover is an opportunity to refocus on the goals of education and to address new concepts and designs in the next-generation libraries to better serve the soft skills our students need for success as graduates in today’s world,” Patrick said.

Work at Lakewood Elementary is expected to be completed by December. A full list of all DISD campuses set to receive a library makeover can be found here.