Thursday, September 29, 2011

Signs and wonders in the library part 2

This morning we took delivery of six large house plants. My colleague Robyn went out shopping with the school gardener on Monday and they selected the plants. Here in Turkey house plants can be expensive, especially ones of any size. Why are we adding plants to the library? We want to improve the environment and make the library more welcoming and comfortable.

According to the House of Plants website having house plants in the room leads to

  • Improved concentration levels leading to improved productivity particularly with those working with computers



  • Faster recovery from mental tiredness



  • Interiors feel spacious, looked after and clean



  • People prefer to occupy rooms that contain plants



  •  Already we have had many students commenting about how lovely the plants are. So these plants would fall into the "wonders" category.

    I did say a few weeks ago I would report on the impact the new, big and beautiful library signs had on the library. Our students like these very much. Some of the comments we have had include "Now this feels like a real library", "Everyone can see where things are". We have also noticed a purposeful atmosphere when our students are in here - with their teachers and when they are working unsupervised. Below you can see the contrast between the old sign and the new one.