Books are on the move again!

Below is a photo we have been waiting to take for a long time now. Behold! The very first books to be located in the addition!

That's right, folks! Adult Fiction is moving to its permanent home on the second floor of the north addition (on the front of the building) starting this week! Here are some more photos of workers assembling the shelves in preparation for the move:

Pretty exciting!

While we were upstairs marveling at the shelf assembly, we decided to check on progress of the rest of the floor. Check it out! We have carpet. Here's the pattern in the Heritage Room:

 

We also have cabinets! These are in a staff work area upstairs:

All this means that the third and final phase of construction is upon us. Starting this week, we will again move departments around the building so workers can renovate the space. In a nutshell, here's what's moving and where it's moving to:

1. Adult Fiction: Moving from its temporary location downstairs to its permanent home on the second floor of the addition that's on the front of the building.
2. Adult Non-Fiction: Moving from the original Reference Area to space in front of the new elevator upstairs (between the elevator and Adult Fiction).
3. Reference Desk: Moving to its new permanent location on the second floor.
4. Computers: Moving to their new permanent location, where Fiction USED to be before construction began.
5. Administration: Moving to the Heritage Room while existing offices are renovated.(Heritage Room will still be closed)
6. Children's Area: Moving to the new auditorium on the first floor of the front addition while its space is renovated.
7. Young Adult Department and Audio-Visual Department: Moving to the original Circulation/Lobby area while its space is renovated.
8. Circulation Department: Moving to temporary quarters in the library's future store/vending area.
9. Entrance: The main front entrance will be open! (and just wait until you walk into our new atrium!)
10. Elevator: New elevator will be open and operational, which means no more navigating the back hallway to find the elevator we usually use to bring book carts upstairs.

So as you can see, things are moving along, and we're getting closer to the finish line! We ask that you bear with us during the next few weeks as we transition to Phase III. There will probably be some inconveniences during this phase. Some non-fiction books will be packed away for a bit due to limited space. During the next couple weeks as we move books around, the Adult Fiction will be inaccessible to patrons until the temporary construction wall comes down.

But don't worry! You can order any non-fiction book you need through the PINES network, and staff will be able to go into the new addition and grab the fiction book you want during the short time Fiction is closed off. So if there's a book you cannot find, please ask us for help!

Preparing for Phase 3 of Construction

In less than a month, things are going to get REALLY interesting around here, as our staff moves everything into the new parts of the building so workers can revamp the old parts during Phase 3 of our construction/renovation. This means the Children's Area will move to the new 300-seat auditorium downstairs, the Young Adult department and Circulation will move, and Adult Services, including Reference, will move to the area that's BEHIND the WALL upstairs. Naturally, things are shaping up around the building, as we get closer to the move date...

Things like... CARPET! Check out these photos of the upstairs of the addition that faces Dudley Drive, the future home of Adult Fiction:

Also upstairs, here's a shot of our laptop bar. We'll have this counter with stools where you can bring your laptop, plug in to an outlet and use our free wireless Internet access. These windows let you look down into our new atrium at the entrance.

Speaking of which, the Atrium is shaping up nicely, too:

And last but not least, you may or may not remember that the public elevator will be relocated. Instead of being off to the side, the new elevator is right in front of our big staircase (where the original circulation desk stood.) This area will still be Circulation when construction is done, but it's going to look different. Here are a few shots of work on the elevator. Downstairs:

And upstairs:

Pretty cool.