School No. 13 is preparing for opening of the new library space. Its makeover is a gift from Sergey Korostelev from the Magnezit Group for the 85th anniversary of the educational establishment.

The anniversary was celebrated in December last year. On the occasion, the school territory was furnished at the initiative of the Magnezit Group leader, graduate of school No. 13, Sergey Korostelev, and with support of the company: the school got a real orchard with fruit and fir trees. And another gift was announced on the ceremonial event devoted to the 85th anniversary of the school – realization of the new library space project.

When talking about a school library, we usually imagine a room with high book shelves blocking the light entirely. This is exactly what the library in school No. 13 looked like in the previous school year. Today it is spacious, well-lit, bright and modern thanks to the realization of a project by the European Institute of Design student, Arina Verzakova. The library turned into an information and recreation center.

– The most difficult at the initial stage was to understand how all the necessary things fit in one small space, which is why I started looking for modern solutions for book storage. An expandable library seemed an easy and interesting solution. It includes large cabinets with movable elements acting as sliding door cabinets. But it is not the doors sliding in this structure but the narrow sections with book shelves. This storage system allowed to clear 60 percent of the library area, says Arina. – When choosing desks, I preferred modular ones. They can be used individually (for 1–2 persons) or gathered in pairs (for up to 6 persons) or one big round table. It wasn’t easy to decide on the color. I didn’t want the color to be the main accent in the interior design like it happens frequently. This is why I chose calm light-green and beige colors. And colorful chairs added to the brightness that is so favored by kids. They can be removed, when necessary, they are very light and can be stacked. This also allows to save space in the library.

Very soon the library will open its doors and begin its active life. Everybody will be able to come here to read a book, to talk and rest. Also, presentations of scientific works by the students, class events, literature meetings, round table meetings, seminars, school contests “What? Where? When?” and other events are to be held here.

– Our students win in intellectual contests not only among the district schools but also on the regional level. Also, we have experience in participating in the Russian school championship in intellectual games. Thanks to the new library space we will be able to improve training of our children for the competitions. For example, during the “What? Where? When?” game on the country level the handouts are also shown on two screens. Now, we have a multimedia tablet and a TV set in our library for this purpose. Also, new office appliances have been bought and two microphones have been built into the ceiling. Everything is of the best quality. The teachers and students of our school would like to thank Sergey Pavlovich Korostelev and the Magnezit Group for this gift. Thank you, Arina, for the wonderful project of our school transformation, and I would also like to thank the Satka District Development Assistance Fund and the contractors who implemented the idea, says Larisa Kulikova, Director of school No. 13.

– I saw the renovated library space before the appliances were fully installed. However, I understood that everything turned out just the way I imagined it in the beginning. Of course, there are some things that I would have suggested to make differently. But it is my first project which became a successful experience: it showed me what it is like to be a working designer. During the work, I understood that I would like to create furniture, probably even for schools, in the future. It is very interesting and unusual. I would like to thank the Magnezit Group for their trust and for the ability to express myself as a professional, adds Arina.

BY THE WAY:

The Magnezit Group has been creating new education environment for several years. In 2019, with the support of the company and the “Sobranie” Fund, an information and library center were created in school No. 4 named after V.G. Nekrasov after the project by the Design School of the National Research University “Higher School of Economics” (HSE University).

Also in 2019, the renovated central library was opened in Satka. The concept implying creation of multifunctional and easily changeable spaces was also developed by specialists and students from the HSE University with the support of the Magnezit Group and the “Sobranie” Fund. The re-equipment allowed for creation of a space for intellectual rest with the purpose of shaping a totally new view of the library. View of the library it not only as a place where books are available, but also as a center where movies are shown, master classes, lectures, conferences and discussions are held.

Source: “Magnezitovets”. Photo by: Vasily Maksimov