The students at Silas Wood Sixth Grade Center in the South Huntington school district are learning to write computer code, use 3D printers, experience virtual reality and have access to a green screen in what was once a library room that housed mostly books.
Like other public school libraries across Long Island, the space has transformed into a places where students work together and technical advances have led to new ways to learn. In many districts, school libraries have an open-air concept and offer students opportunities to podcast, code or video conference. The furniture is movable, there are private study rooms and while there are still books in the room, the tall stacks of bookcases have been removed.
Districts from both Nassau and Suffolk — including those in Amityville, Bethpage, Baldwin, Herricks, South Huntington and Valley Stream 13, have upgraded…