The rise of digital technology and innovative new approaches to education have given rise to a new sort of library: the learning commons.

Here’s a sure fire way to put students to sleep. Have them take turns reading dictionary definitions for “library.” Case in point, Merriam-Webster says “a place where books, magazines, and other materials (such as videos and musical recordings) are available for people to use or borrow.” While respectable, it’s not exactly the stuff that gets today’s techno and social savvy K-12 students revved to learn.