Media center 2.0 – Notre Dame

First phase of renovation of Notre Dame’s media center nears completion, features plug-in “media bar.”

New carpet installed this summer is part of phase one of Notre Dame’s media center renovation.

Workers from Rochester, Mich.-based Frank Rewold and Son Inc. are currently putting the finishing touches on phase one of a three-phase plan to renovate Notre Dame’s media center.

According to Julie Frakes, the school’s facilities manager, most of the major work on this current phase is finished, with carpet installation for the media center’s production room expected next week.

“We unloaded the storage pod on Wednesday and aim to be in full operation by August 15, when the center is needed for ‘Student Boot Camps,’” Frakes said.

The project’s first phase includes new carpeting and paint; a “media bar” by the large curved window wall with beefed-up electrical service as well as special Byrne charging stations; a new, large (78” x 139”) electric projector screen with a ceiling-mounted projector; new unique and “funky” furniture; the relocation of a reduced-size circulation desk; the removal of many book shelves and books; and new stacking chairs for occasions when extra seats are needed for presentations.

A drawing provided by TMP Architecture, Inc., shows the three phases of the media center project. The highlighted portions of the drawing define which areas will be addressed during each phase.

Frakes said that the next two phases of the media center renovation will be completed during the next two summer breaks. Some of the features planned for these next phases include quiet break-out areas, high-back enclaves, mobile lounges and “sushi-style” tables and chairs.

Cathy Moras, who manages the center for Notre Dame, is thrilled with all the changes. “I am excited about the flexibility of the space with the addition of new furniture and technology that will allow the media center to be of service to the entire school community,” she said.

High-back study enclaves similar to the one in the photo are planned in subsequent phases of the media center renovation.

“The American urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg once wrote about the importance of the ‘third place,’ a gathering space for discussion and learning,” Moras said. "I see the renovation as making the media center more comfortable and relevant as our own third space, a place where students will love to hang out to study, to be social, and to learn before school, during lunches and study halls, and, of course, after school.”

Notre Dame interim president Andy Guest said that the project is being funded through a percentage of the Parents Club Super Raffle proceeds, which are allocated toward projects like this one that enhance overall student experience.

“We believe this renovation will make the media center a much more comfortable, contemporary and technology-friendly space for the students to study and collaborate,” he said.

TMP Architecture, Inc., based in Bloomfield Hills, is providing architectural and design services for the project. Official from TMP said the benefits of the media center refurbishment include more efficient space utilization that can be of better service to the students through flexibility of design as well as new technology.

TMP also said students will now have a space that is much better able to be more responsive to their constantly changing needs, plus the new furniture will be flexible and easy enough to move around for collaborative learning.

Moras said that given the publishing world’s ongoing and very rapid move from traditional books to digital books, the school took the opportunity during phase one of the renovation to make some needed changes in inventory.

“We purged 84 boxes of outdated reference materials in preparing for the renovation, so there are fewer physical books as a result of the renovation,” Moras said. “We will continue to have some current fiction, textbooks and magazines available in the media center. But we also participate in the Michigan Electronic Library’s MelCat system through which students can order books from anywhere in the state and have them sent to the media center.”

Notre Dame’s media center renovation is being funded through a percentage of the school’s Parents Club Super Raffle proceeds, which are allocated toward projects like this one that enhance overall student experience.

She also noted that the media center has a substantial collection of e-books through Overdrive and FolletShelf as well as many subscription databases available to students, faculty and staff on and off campus. Links to these resources are available on the media center’s website at www.ndpma.org/media-center.

Moras also hinted that there has been some discussion on a new name for the media center.

“While it’s still only in the thinking and talking stage, we’ve been considering several options, including the ‘Innovation Center,’ the ‘Learning Commons,’ and the ‘Knowledge Center,’” she said.

Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.

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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy

Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." The Marist Fathers and Brothers sponsor NDPMA's Catholic identity and manages its educational program. Notre Dame is accredited by the National Association of Independent Schools, the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.