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.