Renovation Realities!

The reality of demolition activities hit very close to home today as work in the reception area outside my office began in a big way this morning. Carpet is being ripped up and walls knocked out which creates a noisy environment for sure. The sound of progress!

Furniture is being dismantled in a couple of locations so the big empty spaces are growing! It reminds me of the blank canvas needed to create that work of art. We look forward to the rebuilding even if it means living with some barren areas for a while.

The small rooms in the AV area have been completely removed on the west wall and WOW the natural light is already pouring in from the windows - even with the plastic drape still in place. We can see the benefits of opening up this area even in this preliminary stage. Can't wait to get the seating set up there and be fully celebrating this enhanced space. Patrons have sometimes asked us to put more seating in that AV area and there has just never been room so now we'll be able to meet this request.

At our weekly construction meeting this morning we collectively tried to look down the road going two weeks ahead and will likely by then be seeing the early signs of space reconfiguration - new walls, reinstalled doors and/or windows, repairs needed to address what has been added or removed. Hopefully the plans and activity will match up with our crystal ball gazing.

Renovation Week One Comes to a Close

It's the end of week one of our 2nd floor renovation and so far so good. The demolition crew has been pretty amazing and they definitely prove out the "power in numbers" concept. They seem to move around as one; clearing, removing, relocating and storing in the blink of an eye! Communications among the contractor, staff of the architectural firm and library staff are running high and that's just how we want it to be so that we get the results we need and want.

Yesterday work was done to prepare for complete demo of some of the small rooms in the AV area. Those rooms are now divided off by protective plastic to minimize traveling of dust and small debris as the walls come down and, of course, to alert folks to stay away from the area. The good news is that service in the AV area is not impacted at all so please come in to continue to browse and check out items of interest to you.

Speaking of items in the AV area, in light of the stunning news of Michael Jackson's death, I want to mention that we do own several CDs featuring his music so if you want to become acquainted or reacquainted with his songs, remember the Library as an option to do so.

We continue to be excited about the outcome of the renovation activities and I'll be sharing continuing progress in the weeks to come.

Second Day of Renovation

Today when I stepped off the elevator I was greeted by a concrete floor entirely stripped of the carpet that was there yesterday. Workroom demolition continued today as counter tops and shelving were removed and readied for relocation. We are repurposing any number of items during this renovation including cabinets, shelves, doors, windows and furniture. So they've got to "live" somewhere while awaiting the new location.

I've heard that tomorrow the rooms in the Audio Visual area will be demolished as will the closet and kitchette upstairs near the administration entry area. If that goes forward it should be a noisy day.

I've got to say that the staff has been going along with the flow with several in or about to be in temporary quarters for a while. Many have found it a good time to go through files and recycle papers or reconsider what is needed within the work station. This temporary time is not much fun but reorganizing in a refurbished space should prove more satisfying.

Second Floor Renovation News

The Renovation of the Main Library's 2nd floor is up and running! Work began today on demolition of back-of-house spaces. We expect that things will be upside down for staff for a while and are using every nook and cranny we can find to store things. Since we're reusing and repurposing many pieces of furniture and equipment, we've got to find temporary homes while waiting for the workrooms and offices to be reoutfitted. During this phase very little of the activity will be evident to the public.

The areas being reworked first include a workroom that will be shared by two departments, a graphics workroom, the entry to the administrative area, staff lounge and the small area in the Audio-Visual room. We think the first phase of demo and reconstruction will take about 7 weeks so that would put us into the first week of August. Patrons and staff might see some prep work in and around the public spaces at about that time as the contractor prepares for teardown of walls to create the new public spaces.

I'll be updating daily - or at least on weekdays - to keep everyone informed about what's in store for the day or to report what was done the prior day. We're looking forward to the enhanced space use - not so much fun in the middle of it, but in my experience definitely worth the effort.