Visit to the North Branch Middle School Library

We admit it. We’re biased.

We always like visiting our members in their libraries; and it is fun to go visit and see the neat things they are doing! This is a trip to the third library in the North Branch schools – the Middle School library.

So you can see right from the start this is a nice place – check out that sign! It’s nice and obvious, and just looks good. (Sorry, the picture is off center – the sign itself is lovely!)

I always like to see libraries clearly identified – not hidden away in corners! A library is the jewel of its community; and it’s good to be able to proudly point to it and exclaim: “There! That is our library!!”

Surprisingly – this is not the only library in CMLE with a cool garage door! (Well, it was surprising to me, anyway.) I love the industrial design look it gives the room as you start into the library. Design is always important in any organization – and it makes libraries more usable if we look good for our community members.

I love these little stools! They give some nice pops of color to the room, and make for some nice, versatile seating for students as they are using the library. Being able to move around makes the library more usable for everyone; and the nice ripple bench seating adds another air of coolness to the design.

I am always a big fan of making a library as usable as possible. Installing these nice catalog computers at the ends of aisles makes it fast and easy to find the books each patron is trying to locate – or to find a nice group of books. Usability is key in any kind of library. Notice the nice tags on the endcap – another great tool for making searching easier for people hunting for their books!

 

Check out these shelves! The primary users of these shelves are not going to be really tall; so proving shorter shelves means the books are accessible. And of course patrons want to be able to see over them, and lower shelving units will make the room feel more open – always nice!

This display is lovely! It is always good to get books out there on displays, to encourage people to take them home! A perfect collection development policy would mean every single book in the library was checked out. That never happens (and wouldn’t be ideal, I guess), but cover art on books sells, and you want to do what you can to encourage those books to head out the door!

 

Look at the nice tables! Individual desks give students a chance to sit down with their work and any projects they need to work on in the library.  You can see the wall shelves – nice and organized, with some cute art displayed on the top. Eye-catching is always good!

  Tech is important in libraries – our patrons need to access, manipulate, and share information. This library has those great wall screens, with desks right there; they are all ready for groups to work together on their projects for class!

Printing is important in a library! We are responsible for helping our community members to cross the digital divide; and printers can be hard to find at home. Additionally, printers available are ready to go for the important work being done in the library – ready for class work as needed!

Design is important. There is no value in making a library look blah and dull. Libraries are fantastic! We provide amazing resources, all kinds of assistance and services, and our Return on Investment  (ROI) would make a stockbroker weep with envy!! So adding these nice touches makes a library look as good as the work being done there – the neat trees, the excellent pops of orange (I love orange), makes the place look good!

We do always enjoy visiting our members! Have we been to your library yet?? We have over 300 members across our system, and we want to come visit you all! Reach out to us, so we can set up a day and time to visit you!