Parklands Library - Feedback from Parkview Primary School
The following responses are from Parkview Primary School 23 February 2004.
Here we have included the most popular suggestions from each age group
New Entrants
Likes
- Books, fish, computers, music
- Chairs and armchairs (coloured), rainbow on floor and wall, coloured cushions
Outside
- Flowers, plants, playground with slides, swings, bridge, tunnel, poles, bark, flying fox, monkey bars, swimming pool
Café
- Table and chairs; birthday cakes, chocolate, fizzy drinks, homey, milkshakes, breakfast
5 and 6 year olds
Likes
- Cool books, reading books, playing on computer, games, fish, Playstations, taking books out, music and headphones, crawling under tables, cushions, playing, beanbags, videos, tapes, game tubes, couches
Dislikes
- Walking upstairs, sitting down too long, reading, being quiet, watching people (sore eyes), choosing books (difficult), beanbags, hard seats, computer games
Stock
- Books, games, signs to tell us what books are where with pictures
Furniture
- Couches with cushions (for one person and for several people), basket of toys, lazyboys, armchairs
Equipment
- Headphones, stereo, computers, Playstations, TV, radio, playroom
Outside area
- Playground - monkey bars, merry-go-round, seesaw, flying fox, swimming pool, pool, 4 wheel motorbikes, trampoline
- Garden - flowers, vegetables
Café
- Popcorn, pizza, Popsicles, muffins, ice cream, cookie times, bacon and egg pies, juice, beer/wine for Mum and Dad
Other ideas
- Goldfish, live bird, mouse, dog, cat/kitten (i.e. Library pet)
- TV
- Lounge
- Lunch orders
- Watch movies
- Staff to wear uniforms and have badges
7 and 8 year olds
Likes
- Interesting books, reading in the library
Dislikes
- Getting lost (too many books), having to be quiet, being by yourself
Hours
- Noon at weekends, before school (8 - 9), opening day, after school, after tea
Stock
- Have children's books on something car-shaped - small shelves, back-board to hold books up, painted bright colours (rainbow)
- Posters comic books, colouring in
Furniture
- Toys for little kids
- Bean bags, chairs/tables for reading the books
Equipment
- Computers, Playstations 1 and 2 Xbox, iblock, cd, DVD and video players, board games, headphones, disco
Other ideas
- Fish
- Museum type stuff in library
- Name for library - "Parklands Best Library"; "Parklands Reading Library", "Magic Library", "Funky Library"
- Library store
9 and 10 year olds
Likes
- Videos, heaps of good books, fish tank, beanbags, DVDs, computer games, Playstations and Xbox, music/TV headphones, the view (at New Brighton), magazines, colouring-in
Dislikes
- Baby books, teenage books, romantic books, running and shouting
Stock
- On different shapes with wheels, long shelves with backing to hold up books, differently-shaped shelves around the shape, books spine out not face out
- Drop box
- Board games
Services
- Displays on homework topics
- Olden-day displays
- Keep library nice and tidy
- Homework corner
- Own space for children
Furniture
- Lazyboys, circle chairs, fish tank, colourful couches for more than one person
- Wooden floors to prevent coffee spills
Equipment
- TV, Playstations, security cameras, computer for the inters, games and research
Café
- potato chips, lollies, popcorn, hotdogs, pizza, ice-cream on hot days, coke in glass bottles, beer, coffee and tea for parents, juice. No chips. Fruit, biscuits, sandwiches.
10 year olds
Stock
- More children liked the idea of integrating information books than not. Reasons for were that they could get information all from the one place. Reasons against that children might read books they shouldn't.
- Posters, Playstations 2, Xbox, puzzles
Services
- Quiet area to read
- Furniture
- Stereos with headphones
- Big couches, small chairs, rocking chair, lazyboys
Outside area
- Big trees, shed for ball sports etc, garden, memorial stature, picnic tables, waterfall, pool, playground, flying fox, skate, water fountain, flowers, sculptures, pathway, wind meter, birdbath
- Bike stand near entrance
Café
- Cookietime, chips, muffins, cakes. Coffee, coke, other drinks, vending machine, chocolate, ice-cream, nachos, Milo, tea
Name
- Parklands community library
- Parklands daydream library
- Our library, Parklands Public Library
- The library
Other ideas
- Pet bird
- Staff uniforms, name badges, bright tee shirts
11 and 12 year olds
Likes
- Computers (games; searching; Internet), music, Playstations, listening posts, headphones, Xbox, big glass windows
- Computers (and the fact they're free)
- Choosing books to read at home; up to 20 books
- Relaxing time
- Concentrate on work
- Homework resources
- Photocopiers
- Internet for homework
- Videos and CDs for weekend
- Place for timeout; if not feeling well
- Radio
- Playstation games
- Magazines - gossip about celebrities
- Quiet, lack of disturbance, able to stay as long as I like
Dislikes
- Really, really quiet, books that you can't find, not enough computers
- Disturbed by kids running around
Stock
- Chapter books by authors' names
- Kids' books separate from adults'
Services
- Play area inside library, Little place for little kids, toys, Music in the library, storage for roller blades; bike stands; scooter place
- Toilets - wheelchair, close to adults, separate children's (majority preferred this), door from the library, look good and clean, mirrors, Parenting room, changing room
- Staff dressed brightly, names tags, uniforms
- Radio (92/Edge/Tahu) - headphones
Outside area
- Pond, swimming pool (diving), spa pool, playground with swings, slides, fort, hydro slide, pergola for reading outside, tennis court, flying fox, tyre swing, basketball court, skateboarding, parking lot, outside chairs, water feature, sponsored bricks, rock to carve name into, obstacle course, garden.
- Nice space to read
Transport
- Would go with friends, walk, by bus (only a few), skateboard, roller blade
Name
- Our library
- Parklands library
- Hiphop library
- Search library
- Fun library
- The coolest library in the world
- Marlo Scribes library
- Forest View library
Art
- Table where you can do craft, our own work; children's paintwork on outside
Korean and Japanese children
- Libraries in these countries have books, computer catalogues, internet access, some AV.
- Christchurch libraries are good for borrowing books, information
- Homework often done at home
- Books for recreation and information are easy to find
- Online catalogue easy to use
- Would like Korean comic books, videos, picture dictionaries (Korean/English), Korean language materials
- Outside the library - basketball half court; playground with big slide, tyre swing, garden with flowers
- Inside the library - board games like snakes and ladders, Korean chess, monopoly, scrabble, knucklebones; couches for family (parents) / friends to meet; books in Korean for parents, also Korean cooking books
- Café - noodles, Korean food eg. rice, Kim; juice, coke, fizzy drinks
- Transport - bike, walk, scooters - need for safe storage for bikes and scooters
Samoan children
- A small group of Samoan children echoed the need for books on Samoan / Pasifika culture.
