TURNERS FALLS — A student art exhibit created by Sheffield Elementary School third graders provides insight into what they’d like to see from a new or expanded library.

The exhibit, called “Designing My Library,” is a collection of blueprint drawings for a potential new or renovated library. The drawings are being displayed at the Great Falls Discovery Center until the end of April.

Since 2022, trustees of the Montague Public Libraries have been working to secure state funding to expand the Carnegie Public Library or build a new library in downtown Turners Falls.

The exhibit was a team effort coordinated by Jocelyn Castro-Santos, the art teacher for the three Gill-Montague Regional School District elementary schools, Montague Public Libraries Youth Services Librarian Angela Rovatti-Leonard and the Great Falls Discovery Center, along with other contributors. The intention was to involve the voices of the younger community members in the ongoing library project.

“Knowing that this building project is happening, they did have some focus groups and I believe there was at least one or two teens that were included in the focus groups and interviewed,” Rovatti-Leonard said. “But, for the younger kids, I wanted to find some way that they could have their voice included in this project.”

Castro-Santos took some time to weave the topics of architecture, interior design and blueprinting into the students’ curriculum for the year. Their first project was to design a home for insects to live in. These drawings are also displayed in the exhibit.

Next, they moved on to ideas for a library. The students wanted books and cozy places to read those books, but they also had plenty of outside-the-box ideas for how to use a modern library.

“The students just decided what they would want in a library and added all kinds of fun things, and it was wonderful,” Rovatti-Leonard said. “They included what they wanted in indoor spaces and outdoor spaces. Just really creative thinking. … Some were funny, like an indoor pool … but there were … places for books, some included gardens outside where people could read.”

Other ideas included a food court, first aid center, an arcade, a “calming corner” where one can relax, an arts and crafts room, and a nap room.

At the end of March, a reception was held for the students to celebrate and share their artwork. Rovatti-Leonard said libraries are increasingly becoming community gathering spaces and hubs rather than repositories for books, and emphasized the importance of how to use that space for activities when making plans for renovations.