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!

Tearing down columns, putting up walls

The outside of our building looks dramatically different. Workers have finished removing the concrete columns and metal framed canopy from the front.

Looks kind of bare, doesn't it? The whole front of the building will be bumped out to create space for a new lobby, new vending/cafe area, and a 300-seat multipurpose meeting room.

While all this is happening outside, the inside of our building has a lot of work going on, too. Workers are preparing to block off parts of the building to accommodate construction.

Our Educational Technology Center (computer lab) is now closed. The computers have been moved to our Reference Area upstairs, and now the Reference Desk is staffed by both a Librarian AND an ETC worker.

Everywhere you look, there are new temporary walls put up, like upstairs near the Reference Computers where a partition has been put up to create a staff work area:

Those study carrels are where the ETC computers are now located.

Or downstairs at our Periodicals and Self Holds shelves:

The wall got moved several feet to prepare for work on the front of the building (just on the other side is where the walkway leading to the lobby is!).

Lots more changes are in store in the near future. However, we're still open and are ready to serve your information and entertainment needs!