This was such a fun library – filled with people doing all kinds of neat work!! You can tell when you visit a library with lots of positive energy, and it makes the whole thing work so well!
This is the entrance. You can tell already there is a good energy in here. There are bright colors, cute design, and those books sitting on the shelves are available for kids to just take home and keep! If you look over the doorway, you can see the wolf family; and Talahi is the home of the Timberwolves. (I love seeing art incorporated into the library!)
Things may look slightly different now, but the day I was there this was the amazing sight I had as I walked inside. Yes – those are dragons!! (The second dragon is scheduled to also move up to the ceiling.) How excellent is this?? So great! This was a grant funded project to bring in an artist to make these very fun creatures. Kids can band together to walk these dragons, and they have been paraded down the hallways. (I have to assume there has been an uptick in the number of dragon books checked out – or maybe the art books!)
There are, of course, all kinds of books in this library for everyone to enjoy. These books are for younger kids, and are arranged to be easy to find and easy to browse.
Continue reading Visit to Talahi Community Elementary School
Being beautiful is not a requirement for a successful library – but of course a nice setting with an open and airy feeling makes everyone feel good. This library has deliberately added art throughout the library, for sharing information in a visual way, and providing patrons with art to admire. I love this large textile sculpture, called Sunshine Rain created in 1976 by Merle H. Sykora.
I will always be won over with good seating – and check out these tables! People sitting down to work need more space than just a computer – they need to have space for books and other materials right there. These tables provide patrons with not only computer access, but good space to work and even a little privacy from neighbors. Great!
Just look at those smiley books – I love to see cheery art in libraries! It really does help to attract people to a library when the environment is welcoming. Usability in design is a key factor in driving use of the materials we have to share with our communities; so making it fun is always going to be the right choice!
The library was filled with patrons, who we always avoid photographing (privacy is important!), but this quick shot across the room shows not only the cute art that is all over the library – but also the nice display and the sturdy furniture! Creating a space is just the first step in an effective library; building a collection that is connected to patron needs and wants – and in a school that means connecting it to the curriculum – is another important aspect. You can see how nicely everything is set up here, to encourage use of the collection! (Books that just sit and look cute are a waste – making it cute to encourage circulation is the way to go!!)
The big shelves filled with projects and activities were definitely exciting looking – I wanted to go try out some things, so I’m sure kids would be excited too! (Note: They really were! The place was definitely hopping before school, with kids trying out all kinds of great things!)
Look at this cool Jenga set! The very excellent wooden blocks were stacked really high – so it was satisfyingly dramatic when a misplaced block was removed and the entire thing crashed to the floor! (Yes it was also very cool to watch it be built – but everyone loves a good crash!)
3d printers are increasingly popular in all libraries, because you can do so many neat things with them! Of course it’s fun to make cute plastic items; but the plans for these printers is much grander. Kids need to know all kinds of technology skills, and these printers will be used to teach kids how to manipulate objects digitally then to create them in the physical world – great!
When I visit libraries, of course I’m a guest – so it wouldn’t be polite to just grab things away from the patrons. But: Reader, I was tempted here! These are round robots, each being driven by a separate person as they race around this track! The students could use apps to direct their robots to zoom all around the course, banging into each other and having a great time. Later, the tools they use will be adjusted so the students will have to do their own coding to make the robots go – an excellent idea!! Coding skills are important in being an information literate member of society, and it’s great to see that happening in such a fun environment!
This photo of the little drones is slightly blurry, as I was excitedly talking with a student about these and the other tech devices. Listening to the kids themselves explaining what they were doing, and what kinds of cool things they could develop, was fantastic!
In this library, the furniture and shelving is not only size-appropriate for the audience they are trying to serve, but cute and colorful! (I love the way these round chairs look – enticing to kids!)
Colorful items are a key component in any cheerful library, especially in one serving younger patrons. These cute and colorful drawers are separated for different age groups, filled with activities to do after the students have finished their work. Puzzles, games, and things to color are part of the offerings – all easily sorted and accessible.
Shelves filled with nice-looking books make their contents enticing! The books are carefully labeled, to show patrons the different qualities of the books they may want to read. Books left on the shelves are not doing patrons any good, so this kind of marketing is great to see! (See that collection of blue Hardy Boys books? My brother and I read all of them, and seeing them in any library always makes me happy!)
Installing seating right at the point of material availability is a great idea! Give patrons the chance to be so entranced by the books they are finding, that they sink into a chair to look through them. Displaying popular or interesting books at eye level is another great way to be sure they are easily found by patrons.
Again, thinking about usability is key for patrons of any age. The descriptions of the Dewey numbers make a system that is incomprehensible to our patrons more understandable. I love to see these kinds of signs! If patrons understand the groupings of our materials, and know where to find things, they are more likely to take materials home with them – which is our goal! (Libraries do not collect items for ourselves – they are for our patrons to use.)
In addition to the cute (and useful!) furniture in this library, they have a regular display spotlighting authors! The books were flying off the shelves here – always great to see. Displaying materials draws the interest of patrons this way is always valuable for patrons – and the more they use materials, the better everyone does!
And of course, libraries are so much more than just books now! We are information centers, with all kinds of information literacy and resources for our patrons to use as they learn! 
I love this feature that I’m seeing in more libraries: a self-check system. In this library, patrons can return books themselves. This frees up staff time to focus on providing more in-person service to patrons; and it gives patrons a better understanding of one aspect of library operations, and another opportunity to practice their technology skills! When they go to a public library, they are likely to have a chance to self-check books; so this practice will be valuable.
And fundamentally libraries are here to provide instruction and assistance for their communities! We are information professionals, and here to help our communities access materials of all types. So this dedicated instructional location is not only really cute – but so important in providing quality service!