Member visits are always great! Being able to see what different members do in their libraries is always going to be interesting. Libraries do a lot of similar tasks; but the way that individual libraries choose to go about them, and to meet the needs of their community members, is always going to be different. We can learn from the work that everyone is doing across the system!
You can tell right away when you come into the building, before you even arrive at the library, that this is a place that is enthusiastic about their community of students. Check out that ceiling! I tried to hone in on one of the tiles with the cool painting, and the picture is a little blurry, but they were all interesting. I would definitely spend time looking up if I were walking the halls here!
When you arrive at the library, you can immediately see where the important functions will happen. This is the Circ Desk – located near the front door for easy access to checking out and returning books, and to give patrons (students primarily) a central location to find staff who can help them.
You can get a good perspective on the space of this library here. The Circ Desk is there on the right side of the photo, and you can see all the space for students to use desks, to wander and look at books on shelves, and space for teachers and library to spend time working with students individually and in groups.
I am always, always a fan of design that considers usability for patrons – and this a great example of doing that! High-interest books are found right here, just inside the front door and easy to locate. Kids can flip through this shelf that is sized just right for them, and they can easily find books that have eye-catching cover art, and books that appeal to them and their own reading interests. Location and size both contribute to making these books more valuable to the users.
This visit happened at the end of the year, when books were due back from users; so the shelves are a little more full than usual. But you can see how many great opportunities kids (and teachers!) have to find books useful in the classroom, or books that are just fun to read. Books that are interesting to read, and well organized, encourage kids (and adults) to read more books – always an important goal in any library!
Comfortable seating is always a draw in any library! I have a love of rocking chairs and books, so was pleased to see this cool set up!
And of course, libraries have many different ways to share information. Books, of course, are always important; but we are also a great place for our patrons to use computers to connect with the internet, to hone their technological skills, and to find information using digital tools. Students can use computers right here in the library to supplement their other technology work.
Art is another important tool for sharing information, especially in a school environment. This sculpture is one of several located in the library on the shelves. They were created by students in art class. It is always great to see libraries connecting with and partnering with other groups, and in school libraries this often means working with academic departments such as an art department. (A student working in the library gave me some information about how these little sculptures were created – it was so nice to get that info from a patron!)
Sorry that this photo is kind of off kilter, but what we are looking at is two-fold. First: plants of any sort (including artificial) are always great to see in a library! Real plants can help to clean the air, and even artificial plants can help to reduce stress in people who see them. Second, it was hard to get in a photo, but you can see the very cool glass shelves! Library staff can put up books in these glass shelves, and they are on display out on the hallway – how neat!! Displaying books is always a great way to help increase circulation, and to help connect books with patrons.
Every library is unique, and every library I have ever visited (literally hundreds of them) has something interesting to set it apart. While there are several interesting and unique things in this library, I enjoyed seeing this (completely harmless, empty) wasp nest. Bringing in nature to any indoor environment is great for people, like students, who spend a lot of time inside. But it’s just a neat thing to have something unique to potentially engage student interest in coming to the library!
Have we been to your library yet?? If you are a CMLE member, you know that we want to come see your library!! We are working our way through our membership list, and are looking forward to chatting with you about a visit – so send us an email and let’s make this happen!