“Learning Commons” or Library?

The layout is not the only thing that’s making a big transformation: Westside staff is considering calling the library the “Learning Commons”. Westside’s librarian, Miss Sutton, evidently thinks very highly of this. She believes that “Learning Commons” would be a better name because “It’s more than a library. It is also a place to work in groups, collaborate, and hang out.”

The library’s full name is the Mincberg Library, yet nobody at Westside High School has ever referred to it that way. The student body will continue to call it the library, because that’s how it was introduced to them. Incoming freshmen will most likely call it whatever they are told; however, current Westside students agree that no change is needed:

Danielle Williams (11th) says “I think that the library is a good name because it’s the original name that built up what it is today. Naming it the learning commons would be foreign and confusing for those who are new to Westside.”

Additionally, Samia Rashid (12th) says, “I think there is an implication with the name ‘the library’ that it is a learning commons. It seems unnecessary.”

The name will likely not have much impact. Those in the library will continue to study with other students. However, it’s strange to see such a familiar space making changes.