Darlington’s Upper School Library is popular during school-wide breaks and free periods, but it often becomes crowded. This year, Librarians Melinda Holmes and Michael Jacobs have decided to make the library’s busiest times into something different.

“The Hub” is the McCallie-Kennedy Library’s alter-ego. When the sign is up, students know that some of the traditional library rules are no longer in effect. Chairs are allowed to be moved, students can speak in louder voices, and they can gather in larger groups.

“With the name, we just started thinking of easy, recognizable things. [We went with] The Hub, kind of like the hub of activity, and the library has always been a hub, like our sign says ‘Gather, Discover and Inspire,’” Holmes said. 

In order to meet the needs of different types of students, the library needed to offer a group environment as well as an individual environment. The Learning Center agreed to offer quiet space as an alternative to the organic environment that the Hub produces. 

“It’s never fun to hear someone complain to you that they can’t get their work done in the library because it’s such a foreign concept, or have a parent call and say, ‘why can’t my child study during their free period?’ It’s an opportunity to provide more dynamic programming at certain times,” Jacobs said. 

On Friday, Sept. 13, life-sized games like chess and Jenga were available for students, and more activities such as impromptu music, read-aloud poetry, Halloween activities, and craft activities may be available in the future. 

“We want the library to be a welcoming place, so when we were having to be disciplinarians, it was so defeating to us. It wasn’t what we wanted to be, it was just sort of what we were forced to be. This has allowed us to really connect with students in a positive way,” Holmes said.