When architects designing Concord's new elementary schools rolled out initial sketches last month, some parents asked where the library was.

The buildings had been dotted with small libraries, where teachers could lead activities in spaces lined with age-specific books. But after discussion about a space many consider the heart of a school, a planning committee has decided architects should plan for central, though perhaps not traditional, libraries.

"There was consensus developing that a large space would give us more flexibility in the future," said Eric Williams, a school board member who sits on the Elementary Facilities Steering Committee.

School board member Clint Cogswell said he appreciates the idea of the smaller libraries, but creating multiple libraries would force schools to divide their book collections and provide more supervision.

"From a management standpoint, it's nice to have it staffed so children can come and go," said Cogswell, also a member of the steering committee.

Either design would provide roughly the same total area to library space, he said.

Superintendent Chris Rath said the small libraries would be structured to emphasize technology and activities. They might include space for students to work on projects, performance space and areas for reading aloud, she said.

"We're really looking at it as an information center, a resource center, a very active place for adults and children," Rath said.

The district plans to make the libraries a more regular part of classroom instruction, she said. A desire for frequent library time made school board Vice President Megan De Vorsey inclined to favor the architect's initial, multiple library scheme.

"I saw it as allowing more access for children," De Vorsey said.

De Vorsey, who was not present for the last steering committee meeting, said the libraries are now a place students go only a few times a month at a designated time. The smaller libraries might be more easily integrated into the school day, she said.

But she said HMFH Architects Inc. had designed centerpiece libraries in other elementary schools that board members toured.

"They had beautiful central libraries, and there is a feeling the library is a heart of the school," De Vorsey said. "You don't want to lose out on a beautiful space for books."

One design for a new Kimball School places a two-story, glass-enclosed library in the building's center, with classrooms opening into that space, said school board President Kass Ardinger. The library would include smaller spaces for group activities or computer research, she said.

"You're really getting that sense the library would be the space that would define that school," Ardinger said.

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