The addition's filling out! Plus, some peeks behind the wall

Happy to report that the addition facing the parking lot is starting to look like a building!

Pretty exciting, huh?

Also, we took a peek behind the temporary wall on the second floor to take a look at the space that will become the larger Heritage Room. Check out these photos!

In the above photo, you can see the old Heritage Room space (look for the big round light fixtures.) The photo was taken at the edge of the new space. Laura Carter is standing there at the edge of the old Heritage Room offices (wall is gone)for perspective.

This last shot gives you a better look at the old space. The new Heritage Room will have its own conference room for classes and meetings. Plus it will have more space: for the collection, for storage and for the staff! We are excited!

They're working on the roof!

Workers are starting in on the roof for the addition facing the parking lot.

Hello, up there!

Also, they're building the steel framework for the glass structure over the future lobby.

It's exciting to see things take shape!

Taking Shape!

The addition facing our parking lot is starting to look like a building!

Workers are framing out where the windows will be on the first floor.

Bricks are picked!

If you have never been involved in the construction of a home, then you would be surprised to know how many variations there are when it comes to bricks and mortar. So many colors! So many textures! Unfortunately for our building, the bricks used 20 years ago are no longer available today. Therefore, we've been on a quest to find a close match for both brick and mortar. If you've been to the library recently, you've probably see a few of our "test walls," short little bits of brick and mortar. The winner is on the left in this photo:

In case you're wondering why there are two different types of brick of these samples, it's because our building has two different styles of brick... the walls of the first floor have a lighter colored brick; the second floor has darker.

In other news, we shot this interesting photo the other day:

Look closely. See the big pile of red dirt? With the worker standing almost up to his waist in a trench? Inside the Library? You must admit, this is something you don't see every day!

Just a quick warning: Soon, the electrical guys will be doing something called "coring" which means they have to drill through the second floor concrete down to the first floor in order to pull cable. It will be noisy. We don't yet have a date, but it will take a day to do the drilling and they will try to give us at least 48 hours advanced notice. This is something that has to be done. Please bear with us... the end results will be worth it!

Moving right along

We now have steel framing up for the front addition! This is where we'll have a 300-seat flat floor auditorium when all is said and done. The new auditorium will be able to be divided into three separate rooms, giving us some much needed additional meeting space! Upstairs will be more room for our ever growing collection:

In other news, check out the progress on the other addition (facing our parking lot):

We have a concrete slab! Work is moving right along.

We snapped a photo this morning from the door into what once (and will be again) our circulation/check out area, and check it out! See that rectangle of gravel? That's where our new elevator will be!

Bye bye, Bricks. Hello, Tunnel!

Workers are now removing bricks from the front of the building to prepare for the addition!

The workers are saving as many bricks as they can for reuse. Also, this "tunnel" may not be very pretty...

... but it was constructed last week to protect everyone from the remote possibility of falling debris as we enter/exit the building.

Thank you for keeping up with our progress by reading our blog!

Men of Steel!

Exciting times at the Library... the workers are installing the steel beams for the addition!

On the other side of the wall

If you've been to the Library this week, no doubt you've heard all kinds of hammering and other noises on the second floor. So what's happening on the other side of that wall? The pictures below say it all:

As in, DEMOLITION:

Here's a view through a window into what used to be an office. If you look through the metal studs, you can see the main part of the library's second floor.

Pretty cool, huh?

Some people have been asking us about our beautiful vaulted ceilings on the second floor, as seen below:

Don't worry... they're not going anywhere! The vaulted ceiling is being removed ONLY in the areas that will be under the acoustical ceilings in the new office areas. All of the vaulted ceiling that will be exposed to view when the project is complete will remain as-is.

In other news, get ready to see the framework for the additions popping up outside soon... steel beams have been delivered!

Looking out the window

Here's what our staff has been seeing for the past week from the office windows. These photos were taken from the second floor windows on the east side of the building (right above our now-closed-off lobby), looking out over the retention pond out front. You can see the reflection of the blinds in some of these shots, but you have to admit, these are some really neat views of the work that's being done on the foundation for one of our additions!

Here are some photos taken on Tuesday, Aug. 23:

And on Friday, August 26:

Column footings

More excitement this week outside the Library. Yesterday, there was a big cement truck outside as workers poured cement to make the column footings for the foundation of the addition on the north side of the building:

Here's a quiz and a little lesson for you. Any idea what these are?

If you guessed helical piers, you're right! These are basically giant screws that go deep into the ground to support the foundation of a building. They can go down REALLY deep (with extensions added) in order to reach just the right density of soil needed to support the weight of the building. They're installed using a special machine that has a gauge on it that tells workers whether or not they're at right depth. Our foreman told us that they are already putting these piers in at the front of the building (where the lobby used to be) for that addition. Guess how deep they had to dig?? 37 FEET! Wow.

Digging the foundation for the foundation

As you can see from the above photo, workers are now digging up the ground where the foundation for our north addition will go. These holes are for the helical piers, which will support the foundation. Workers will be doing a lot of testing very soon to make sure everything is just right: soil testing, concrete testing, pier depth testing and even glass testing!

This morning, the front of the Library was rumbling with activity as work continues on rerouting a storm drain. Check out this bulldozer!

The topsy-turvy Library

Wow, what a difference a week makes! We are now a week into Phase II of our renovation, and this place is hopping!

The Heritage Room has been closed since Aug. 1, and many of its things have been placed into storage. Workers are currently dismantling shelves and packing up the remnants of the room, seen below.

Heritage Room researchers, don't despair! While a lot of our materials are currently in storage, a large portion is still available to you at the Reference Desk, including our microfilm readers, Civil War and American Revolution resources, and many genealogy books. Also, visit our website, www.clarke.public.lib.ga.us to check out all the online resources for family history researchers. If you have Heritage Room-related questions, call our Reference Desk at (706) 613-3650, ext. 356 or email heritageroom@arlsmail.org.

The Library's other collections are being shifted around, too. Upstairs, all of the nonfiction has been condensed and moved to Reference. The middle of the second floor is big and empty:

Plus, we are in the middle of moving our adult fiction collection from upstairs down to our Young Adult area:

Our Young Adult area is a little crowded now. Those shelves are taking up the space where the YA activity tables used to be:

Finally, if you're looking for our magazines, they've been moved upstairs, next to the Reference computers:

There's a good reason for all this moving around. Very soon, two-thirds of the second floor will be walled off as construction workers start building the much-needed addition! If you have trouble finding something, please don't hesitate to ask us.

Moving dirt, moving books!

If you have children who are fascinated by bulldozers and earth movers, now's the time to come see us! Look at this giant pile of dirt! And the big concrete pipe sections!

All this work is happening so storm drains can be rerouted to make room for the new addition out front.

Monday, August 1, starts Phase 2 of construction, which will bring some big changes. Starting that day, the Heritage Room will be closed, along with the Auditorium and Small Conference Room. Don't despair... you will still have access to some of our Heritage Room resouces, and there are plenty of useful tools online at our website. Just visit the Reference Desk to ask for assistance.

We're getting ready to start moving our books around in preparation for Phase 2. Over the next week or so, you'll see Adult Fiction being moved downstairs to the Young Adult area, and Adult Nonfiction will shift over to the Reference Area. We'll post photos of the big move here when it starts.

Once again, if you feel lost or can't find what you're looking for, please ask us for help! We really do appreciate your patience as we work to make the Library even better for our community.

Finding new routes

Remember how in the last post, we said parts of the building were going to be blocked off for construction?

Well, that time has come. Starting this morning, the front lobby (including the elevator) is no longer accessible.

Likewise, the corresponding part of the building upstairs is inaccessible as well (this includes the ETC, the ladies' restrooms near Adult Fiction, the upstairs "bridge" between Fiction and Nonfiction... also known as the Top of the Stairs Gallery).

But don't worry! We have laid out alternate routes using the back hallway downstairs and what used to be the Staff Workroom upstairs. You still have access to an elevator (formerly the staff-only elevator in the back of the building) and restrooms upstairs (in the former Staff Workroom). Just follow the signs to find your way around the building, and if you feel lost, ask a staffer!