Students from Honors design class help renovate public library
The village of Shepherd is creating a new public library with the help of some Central Michigan University students.
HON 321G: Design for Good is a special topic Honors class taught by Sue Bowlby, an adjunct instructor of interior design. It is a service learning class based on helping the residents of Shepherd renovate a building into their new library.
"They already have (a library), but it’s about 900 square feet — like a closet," said Holly senior Amy Crockett. "So they have a new building, which was an old pharmacy building in downtown Shepherd, and will give them about 4,000 square feet."
Though the class is an interior design class, it is comprised of students with a wide range of disciplines. Out of eight students, two are interior design majors; the others have majors ranging from integrative public relations to neuroscience and communications.
The class will come up with an idea and make a proposal, but the library officials have the final say on what is implemented, said Alpena senior Steve LaBrecque.
"We’re giving some options and doing the work for them so they can just decide," he said.
Crockett is an integrative public relations major, so her role in the project has been promotion throughout the community, and she said response to the project has been positive.
"They voted to increase their taxes for it, and a lot of people think it will bring more people into the downtown area," she said.
Bowlby agreed with Crockett about having support from the community.
"The library staff has been very receptive to the students, and the public has been responsive and impressed with the students at the meetings we have gone to," she said.
LaBrecque said one of the main purposes of the class was to gain experience collaborating with different groups such as community and school groups.
As a neuroscience and psychology major, LaBrecque did research on the psychology of color to see which ones would give the library the best environment.
However, the students are not only in the classroom making proposals; as a requirement for the class, the students must spend at least 30 hours at the library doing work such as demolition, painting and tiling.
One of the things learned from this, Bowlby said, is the reality of a project. For example, carpeting was originally scheduled for April but was then pushed back to May, which means many of the students will not be in the area to participate and see the finished product. This was a major disappointment to the students, but representative of reality.
"The students have great ideas, but not all of the ideas can be utilized, unfortunately," Bowlby said.
The students worked hard to design a gazebo for the library, which they were enthusiastic about, but had to be put on hold, Bowlby said, which was another learning experience.
"When you go from academia to actually doing projects, you can have all the ideas you want, but to have them actually implemented is a different thing," she said.
Bowlby said she is pleased to have a hodgepodge of disciplines in the class, because it builds collaborative skills, which are useful in the real world.
"More and more companies are going to the type of management where you have collaboration and I think that’s key," she said. "It doesn’t matter what discipline you are, you will be working with others in the field."
Bowlby said she first heard of the project when she was approached by Interior Design Professor Jeanneane Wood-Nartker, whose office is adjacent to Bowlby's. Wood-Nartker was already involved in the library project, but did not have the time to take on the class.
"Because of our high-quality faculty, people continue to contact us," Wood-Nartker said. "Sue (Bowlby) can see the whole picture and push the students to achieve more than they thought possible."
The project involves more than just one class. Under the guidance of Ren Hullender, assistant professor of art education, students in Hullender's ART 446: Visual Arts and Aesthetic Education class have been working with Shepherd High School to design murals based on Shepherd's history that will hang in the library.
Hullender said his students go to Shepherd once a week and meet with the classes. He also said his students and the high school students email images back and forth during the week.
"Students are working all week," he said. "I'm really happy about that. I didn't anticipate it at all."
He said the goal is to have the art ready to hang by the time of the Maple Syrup Festival on April 27.
