…an historic red brick WWII firearms plant creating a wonderful, award winning amalgam of old and new.  Because it’s earthquake-resistant, during the tremors that led to last year’s tsunami, only a few newspapers fell. 

As I mentioned in my blog on Fukagawa Library, this post wouldn’t have been possible without the magnanimous contribution of Hitomi Takeuchi and her excellent English skills.  Hitomi, Yoko, Kanako, my husband and I took subway, bus and walked half a mile with the magic of cherry trees blooming in Tokyo as a backdrop…

…to visit this library.  Coincidentally, the cherry blossom is the symbol of Kita ward and the library boasts tables and clear dividers at self check in its shape.

Set at the edge of a large park, grassy steps just outside the building create an amphitheatre.  Off the lobby, a lovely cafe with al fresco and library user seating overlooks the green expanse.  I noticed three big screen televisions promoting library services as the large main desk, open plan, plants and gleaming blonde wood floors drew us in. 

Our guide, Mr. Hiromoto Matsumoto from the administrative section, greeted us.  Wearing the blue staff uniform coat, he first took us to a meeting room and gave us packets about the library.  Tea was served and we met Director Mitsuo Yamomoto.  Both men were so welcoming and knowledgeable as they gave us a tour.

They told us that since they opened three million people have come.   We learned that after the war, MacArthur used the original structure for medical purposes.  Then the self defense army used it as a hospital until 1975 when the Vietnam War ended.  Parts of the floor are glassed over to showcase the preservation of history and there was a display with photos of the construction process.

Even though the old ceiling was not up to code, for aesthetics, black iron trusses resembling modern sculpture were left in place.  Along with windows and skylights, they draw your eye upwards. 

It’s a huge busy place, though fairly quiet (the children’s area is on the second of the three floors to reduce the noise factor downstairs).  They have about three million items and are designed to hold five million.  There are 33 Kita ward local government staff and forty private sector part time staff who do circulation and shelving. 

Several lovely courtyards with patio seating, gardens, ficus trees, climbing ivy and rocks let users enjoy the sun.

For the physically challenged, all adult materials are on the ground floor and they have elevators.  Book cases with ledges that pull out at wheelchair height, wide aisles, walker style shopping carts and electric scooter chairs make it easy to browse.  The vision impaired use special PACs…

…that speak the title of a scanned chipped item and raised pathways help guide their way.  These wondrous things… 

…which I call Braille Trails, are all over Tokyo, often in vivid yellow.  On the third floor volunteers read to the blind in two rooms with privacy shades or they can listen to audios.  There’s even a monthly class in Japanese sign language on how to use library computers.  Other volunteers make posters etc. in an activity area up here.

We saw the Kita ward history and information room and the archive area where valuable materials are kept in the closed stacks.  These incredibly tall shelves allow for an enormous amount of storage…

…and automatically move when you unclip the cords on the end.   

You can check out 30 items (including one DVD and ten CDs from their large A/V collection) and renew by phone or in person.  Everything but parking and printing is free.  Audiovisual items must be returned to the library counter, but like Fukagawa, three of the 15 Kita ward library locations are set up so patrons can use media in house.  

Unlike Central, most Kita branches are dual purpose, sharing space with a school, museum etc.  Hours are the same as Fukagawa’s except Central is open on the second and fourth Mondays and closes for inventory on the fourth Thursday. 

There’s a breast feeding room and lavishly appointed dark wood bathrooms…

…with handrails at the sinks, baby seats in the stalls, a changing table, little alcoves for bewhiskered guitar playing mice, and (one of my favorite thing about Japan) high tech toilets (buttons for bidet, discreet flushing noise etc. – I didn’t look too closely at these, but some commodes open to greet you, sanitize automatically and have warmed seats too).

It’s a beautiful, bright space with lots of plate glass windows and dividers letting in light.  Floor vents mean efficient HVAC and high clear plexiglas book shelves attest to the size of the collection.  Creative touches abound – a reading lamp resembling a white Oscar statuette turns on when unfolded, diamond pattern newspaper storage is practical and pretty….

…while musical animals lend a whimsical touch.

Even the seat in front of the small business area is gorgeous.

And in the glassed in young adult area, the tables are on wheels and these intriguing chairs being demonstrated by Mr. Matsumoto, move every which way so awkward teens can easily get comfortable. 

They have a web site with the catalog, events etc. (in recent news, 600 items were donated by the Kita-ku honorable citizen, Dr. Donald Keene, a Japanologist who taught at Columbia and Tohoku Universities).  Newspaper, legal and business databases are very popular so there’s often a queue.  Fourteen internet workstations plus DSL ports give online access, and there are five computers with word processing in the individual research rooms.  Usually full, there’s a two hour time limit if people are waiting, but there’s also a larger research room where groups can work together.

If you get peckish, this is Japan, so of course there are vending machines for a quick snack.

The City of Kita Library system offers storytimes for school kids, toddlers and babies as well as family yoga, public history courses etc.  In a couple of years, the Central Library will start having after hours events and concerts in the lecture hall.

Like our bigger libraries, they had some nice colorful promotional materials and brochures including one with lots of library photos, several children’s book pamphlets (Blueberries for Sal!) and a guide in English (and what I think is Korean and perhaps two forms of Chinese).

Upstairs, the semicircle themed Children’s Room is draped with paper mobiles of birds… 

…and has many amenities including an area to soothe tots with a crib, two sinks, caretaker’s stool and nearby toys to distract wailing babies.  Multihued pads top the sturdy wood stools and add color as do kid sized chairs painted to look like a purple hippo, blue bear…   There’s a storytime area, lots of nice displays, oversized board books, activity packs and a very safe play area with cushioned bottom and sides and lots of stuffed animals.

I was constantly amazed by the creative and practical things I saw in Japan, and Kita-ku’s Central Library lives up to the rest of the country - the Braille Trails, sink handrails, amazing comfort stations, talking pacs, upholstered play area and towering archives were all new to me.  Oh and great marketing idea!  The libraries give out cute little folded calendars with contact info, library hours… – it looks like they are sponsored by corporations – I’m sure a local business in your area would be happy to foot the costs in return for the goodwill and advertising opportunity. 

What a great chance to get some new ideas!  And thanks so much to Mr. Matsumoto and Director Yamomoto for taking the time to show us around.

…the public library in the Koto Ward has the prettiest surroundings I’ve seen.  Though it’s in the heart of Tokyo, the Kiyosumi-Shirakawa area has a tranquil, residential feel, and is full of small stores, temples and young couples. 

Not speaking Japanese, it would have been impossible for me to get information or take pictures for this blog post, so before leaving the US, I put out a plea to English-speaking Japanese librarians, and Hitomi Takeuchi of the National Diet Library kindly answered my call.  She arranged tours of two libraries (this one a short walk from our hotel), and she and her friends and colleagues, Yoko Suzuki and Kanako Komatsu spent the day with us.  What a wonderful thing to do for a stranger, and it was the perfect introduction to Japan for my husband and I - truly the ties that bind librarians are strong!

The Fukagawa Library moved into this fine three story Carnegie style facility in 1928 (for those of you who don’t read Japanese, here’s the English translation of their website).

Despite being erected in 1909, the inside is modern with gleaming, light wood floors, furniture and fixtures, and arched windows that give it a bright, airy feel. 

Large, eye-level wood magazine racks have storage underneath while a gorgeous curved low one with kid’s and parenting titles borders Children’s.

Librarian Yuko Chiba, who gave our tour, was so friendly and informative.  She showed us the textbooks that are put out for parents, schoolchildren and residents to review.

Then took us to the youth section – a large area with an inviting upholstered circular seat…

…and a lovely storytime area with a dual-service child and adult size door and a convenient crib outside. 

Quite Japanese (we took off our shoes before entering and the tots sit on tatami mats) it hosts storytimes at 3pm on Wednesdays, plus a monthly baby storytime mothers love as it gives them a chance to chat.  Fukagawa has about four programs a year for adults, but because everyone here has TV and access to the latest technology at home, they aren’t that popular. 

Inside, what I thought was a little puppet theatre is actually used for story “cards” – instead of a book, the large stiff pages are inserted and withdrawn as the librarian tells the tale.  The room also has some adult seating, and a handy ledge.

Outside two tree trunks serve as stools and there are lots of picture and board books, including the longest I’ve ever seen.  Tots always want to check it out, but I’m sure their mother’s backs are thankful it can’t leave the library

There are books for older children too and kids love this cuckoo clock which chimes on the hour.

Library services are funded differently in Japan.  (This was a bit confusing, but any mistakes are mine.)  Evidently, 30-40 years ago, the Tokyo government decided to put a lot of tax money into their libraries, especially on the west side of the city where there weren’t any.  The goal was that everyone should be within a ten minute walk of a library.  However, there are 23 wards (areas) of what used to be the City of Tokyo, and they have governments too.  Fukagawa isn’t part of the Tokyo Metropolitan Library (which has just two facilities, the Central Library and the Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Library offering children’s magazines and services). 

Like the other wards, local (Kota ward) government manages Fukagawa Library and gives its own card.  Here, you can checkout up to 20 items and (perhaps a testament to the honorability of the Japanese) there are no fines!  But by getting cards at other libraries, you can obviously - as Yoko demonstrates – check out more items.

As in the US, the economy here has had an effect on libraries. 

Fukagawa has seven Koto government staff (the full timers, I think) and about 30 private sector staff.   The libraries work together for ILL - they have a weekly courier, and will borrow items from other wards etc. if they aren’t available at a Koto location.

Library education differs from the US as the colleges have bachelor-level library support courses.

The adult stacks were a vivid surprise.  The books have such colorful covers I thought they were Manga, but there are no pictures inside, just graceful characters.

But they do have Manga, as well as Anime and fiction.  Nonfiction uses a classification system that’s divided into tens similar to Dewey (e.g. 494 is Industry and 500 is Engineering).  Stories from the Edo period on CD are very popular and magazines and newspapers can be checked out.  Most materials go out for two weeks and can be renewed.   There’s also an English collection and a large audiovisual area.   

Like Cambridge UK’s Mediatheque, they even have viewing booths for videos etc.

They have a small collection of databases, though it costs to print and you must do so while in the library.  A few Tokyo libraries offer e-books, and I noticed that they use QR codes - a great way to get a lot of info onto your cell phone quickly - on promotional materials. 

There are a number of PACs and two Internet computers and manual checkout.  Though closed on Mondays, they are open 9am-8pm Tuesday to Saturday and 9am-5pm Sunday.

Upstairs there’s a local history room, a low vision area and a reference area with maps, encyclopedias etc.  People making cell phone calls are the primary users of the study room.  The third floor has a meeting room and offices.   

It was so pleasant visiting this delightful and bustling place!

Just west of the Sandia Crest, Albuquerque is a sprawling city with a lovely Old Town of adobe homes and businesses radiating out from a central tree shaded plaza.   

The Cherry Hills branch lies north of town, close to the tramway and snow covered mountains.  Opened in June 1998, the 15,000 square foot varicolored brick facility has two raised roof sections with high windows for natural light and is in a residential area near shopping.  Trees, bushes and a really tall yucca encircle the building and there’s a partially shaded outdoor seating area.  Used for summer reading programs and concerts it affords great views in all directions. 

The tiled lobby has free local magazines and continuing education brochures and the entrance to the meeting room.  Once inside there’s an easel promoting events and services, local brochures, tax forms and a new fiction shelf with staff picks.

Area Manager Leigh Turner, who manages Cherry Hills and oversees three other branches, was at the Information Desk training new hire Marina Maestas.  Leigh used to work in Colorado Springs, so we actually have some friends in common.   She was quite informative and told me they are getting RFID soon, but currently patrons scan barcodes at self check stations.   

The 16 adult computers are in an area bounded by a low wall; they have wifi and self pick up of holds.  They do individualized computer training and have introductory classes for the internet, Word, email… or users can use online modules to take the same classes from home. 

It’s a big open sunny space with a huge map of Albuquerque, paintings and tapestries on the walls, several reading spots and study carrels.  Two private rooms can be used by groups, for tutoring, or even for skyping. 

Blond wood furniture, shiny black slatted chairs and teal upholstered armchairs are by the magazines and paperback spindles and there’s a showcase of handmade books from artist Loraine E. Klinger.

(And here’s a book art contest idea.)  The website has ebooks, eaudiobooks and evideos so there are classes on how to download digital media.  There’s also an online guide and neophytes can go to Gizmo Garage to get hands on experience with a variety of ereaders.  

Their wide selection of databases includes the Foundation Center for grants, Value Line, Test Preparation and the Naxos Music Library. They have Tutor.com’s Live Homework Help for K-12 students and their Adult Education and Career Center – plus the system offers resume writing classes.

The Young Adult section has lots of graphic novels, comics and Manga.  Cushy chairs, hassocks and a big stuffed turtle are perfect for lounging YAs and they have a Teen Advisory Board.

ABC Libraries has 16 branches including one named after well known local mystery author Tony Hillerman.  The Special Collection branch is being renovated, so the Genealogy and Southwest History and New Mexico collections are currently being housed at the main library.   They’ve got a blog or follow them on Facebook and Twitter.  You can contact them online, or via SMS, phone or email.   

Below one of the sky lit sections of ceiling, tables and chairs are arranged to make a pleasant central reading area by a helpful office supply kiosk.

There’s a large DVD and audio book area and a New Reader shelf with dictionaries, Spanish language books and easy to read English titles.  Near the flip through music CD case, a copier surrounded by bulletin boards is a great way to advertise to a captive audience mindlessly making copies.

Cherry Hill’s programs for adults include book discussions, grown up storytime, craft classes, poetry circles, lectures and music recitals.

For the young ones, the Friends for the Public Library have Traveling Trunks they lend to schools.  Each box contains replicas of clothes and items from specific people and/or periods in history - e.g. the Depression, or a soldier from the Vietnam War.   They have resource books, maps, and a Teacher Resource Manual with lesson plans and supplementary materials too.

Youngsters have a choice of activities at the branch - mad science, book and chess clubs, preschool art, reading to dogs, and storytimes, of course.

A Reading Realm “roof” covers the entrance to Children’s where the top of the book cases hold paper castles, Clifford the Big Red Dog and red and gray foil origami swans. 

A blue elephant holds board books by bean bag chairs and a maroon three sided cushioned bench under a row of windows.   There are new book and paperback displays, nice overhead signs, and a number of toddlers were enjoying storytime in an enclosed area with a kitchen.

Which was why these wonderful reading spaces beneath the well lit stuffed animal corral were unoccupied.  Two recesses between the cubbies have children’s computers in them.

What an enjoyable place to spend the afternoon!

Known for the Lowell Observatory where they discovered Pluto…

…it’s bisected by Route 66 and has an historic downtown where Amtrak drops off passengers at the old Tudor style train station and there’s a park with a curved wooden bridge and the Flagstaff City-Coconino County Public Library. 

A lovely wood, stone and glass structure with drive up book drops, it’s fronted by trees, juniper bushes, crushed red rock and bike racks (despite the snow I noticed lots of bikers in town).   

The sky lit lobby has lots of informative available from a wall mounted rack and a case with locked cabinets for storage.  Conveniently, the entrance to the community room (also used for storytimes) is here too.

Inside, above the A/V return, two big screen TVs promote programs etc. and plexiglas holders everywhere advertise library services, book clubs, lectures and movies.

Opened in 1987, the 34,500 square foot building is constructed of domestic and malapai (aka malpais) stone - a rounded volcanic rock used in many local houses.  The sun streams in from a center arch skylight and enormous windows with views of the nearby San Francisco Peaks.

An extensive Friends of the Library (FOL) book sale is right by the entry and includes magazines, paperback spindles and even LP’s (for collectors?).  The bustling central area houses 43 adult internet stations and bar like seating for wifi users.

With four fireplaces, including this two sided adobe beauty with a tapestry and cat sculptures, it’s designed to suggest a ski lodge.  It really does, albeit one with a Native American feel, as there are many Navajo rugs and baskets on the walls.  In fact their logo is a Hopi design that has been used since prehistoric times and this year on Cinco de Mayo,  they will a Diné drum troop (as well as food, lectures and events to represent the Latino community) to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Wood tables and slatted chairs sit beside tall Norwegian potted pines and there are framed aerial photographs and topographical maps of significant areas everywhere.  There are several study rooms, including one reserved for people using the Kurzweil Reading Machine.  Lots of other adaptive equipment is available including a walker, wheelchair, CCTV print enlarger, voice amplifier, TDD, Braille typewriter and a study carrel with wheelchair access.

A huge music store style CD area by self checkout is sorted by classical, holiday etc.  There’s a sizeable new books shelf and they lend video games.  As befits a library serving an active population, they have Delorme gazetteers for each US state in Reference.  Residents can also research topics from home via their online databases and the exhaustive collection from the AZ State Library and they have downloadable ebooks. 

One showcase has items from Flagstaff’s sister cities in Australia, Taiwan and Mexico while another promotes the FOL sponsored book club kits which contain eight copies of the book, author info and discussion questions.  A patron exhibition changes monthly - sign up to show your favorite photos and tell the community a bit about yourself.  There’s a display of things the library sells - book bags, cups, flash drives, fanny packs, security locks, a cookbook etc.

A circular checkout desk is near a large paperback area categorized by romance, mystery, sci-fi, westerns etc.  The DVD, audiobook (inc. Playaways) and magazine/periodical collections are also generous and there are cabinets full of back issues of newspapers.  Spanish speakers have audio and video options as well as books. 

Since astronomy is a local passion, a space devoted to the Lowell Observatory has photos of Percival under a giant telescope, and a quote from him.  In the computer lab big pictures of galaxies loom above patrons taking Introduction to Twitter (or Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Publisher, computers, email, internet, databases and catalog) classes.

A quiet reading area with woven crafts and art uses a glass covered map of Canyonlands NP in Utah (the CO River winds its way through Canyonlands before reaching the Grand Canyon, just 90 minutes away) as a table top. 

And speaking of art, the Children’s Room has some eye catching pieces.  It’s like an enchanted wood where fantastical creatures spy on you from above.  Local artist, David Grandon, painted a rainforest mural on one wall.

Staffer Holland was a font of information about the life size boy riding a bright blue bicycle, dragon, dinosaurs, soaring eagle, Trojan Horse, musical skeletons, castle and tree house.  Many were created by local author S.D. (Steve) Nelson’s middle school art classes.

Perhaps this Day of the Dead effort was an homage to the library’s ghost.

A white Siberian tiger reads a book above four AWE workstations (they have nine regular kids computers too).  Stuffed animals abound – one shelf has teddy bears sliding down a snow slope on a toboggan and a giant Merry Chris…Moose stands above the PACs.   There are English and Spanish book/audio combos and a children’s book sale. 

The play area has a mini puppet theatre, toys, a play kitchen with microwave, a children of the world rug and scattered cushions to sit or kneel on.  Cubbyhole board book shelving can be restacked to make new configurations and there are puzzles, games and blocks and both child and adult rocking chairs by the hearth. 

Kids and teens have a host of programs to choose from - tea parties, sleepovers 
sign language classes, family movies, an Anime club, teen and tween book clubs and Wii/Xbox as well as board gaming days.

Both the Children’s and YA areas have an eclectic combination of sturdy painted furniture -a checkers table and old benches make a nice reading space by the kid’s magazines. 

But I think the Teen Zone (don’t enter unless you’re old enough!  A crimson floor mat gives notice – “Teen Zone  Ages 12-18 only Past this Point.”) is my favorite place of all.

It’s just perfect – their Teen Advisory Group planned the entire area.  They raised the funds, selected the furniture, made the rules for their space and painted it in shades of dark purple and blue.

My favorite piece is the loft bed - what a fabulous and totally original reading spot.  It was built for a school but their ceilings were too low so the fire marshal wouldn’t allow it, and they donated it to the teen area. 

Besides their comfy old couch, rocking and easy chairs, hassocks, cushions and pillows, there’s a table to rest your weary dogs on and one for chess.  They also have four computers, lockers and manga.

And yet one more really cool thing – they made the dividing curtain of library cards that couldn’t be used because of a missing “b” -  library was misspelled as lirary.

What a creative and welcoming library!

A lovely red sandstone facility with windows reflecting the surrounding buttes and mesas, the Sedona Public Library echoes that magical feel. 

A statue of Sedona Miller Schnebly (the city’s namesake) by Susan Kliewer welcomes patrons to this striking building.  Out front, benches, yucca and desert plants are surrounded by a layered rock ledge perfect for appreciating the sculpture of two girls reading on what looks like a branch coming out of a real tree and “Of Fears and Dreams”, a mixed media piece by Red Rock High students.

Enjoy the expansive view through plate glass windows in the lobby which has Shaker furniture and a cart for the physically challenged to borrow.

Just inside, the Friends of the Sedona Public Library handle the huge booksale area which has signs by category (World History, Westerns…), multimedia items and face out display racks for the most popular authors.

Volunteers shelve and run the checkout desk and internet area.   Accounting for nearly half of staff hours, more than 125 volunteers, from teens on up, help keep the place going.  In fact, volunteers started the library in 1958.   

Paid employees include Reference, ILL, Collection Development, and some Children’s, Circulation and Tech Services staff as well as the Latino Services Librarian and the Director, Virginia Volkman.

It’s a beautiful, busy place with lots of plants - a cactus garden with Christmas overtones lies under jewel like stained glass windows and behind several cases with information about the quilt show.

They have wifi and 28 adult computers including two sandwiched between towering pillars.  Additionally, eight laptops are used for programs only.  You can pick up your own holds and the big community room with a drop down movie screen can be rented even when the library is closed. 

In lieu of a bulletin board there’s a big poster style book to leaf through for information on the many events - free movies, chamber music, tea parties, meditation class, ESL, Spanish conversation, ebook workshops and programs on subjects running the gamut from healthier living to near death experiences.

Exquisite hanging quilts from the annual show draw the eye to the lofty wood plank ceiling and decorative trusses.  Natural light from a row of high windows makes these marvelous creations translucent and to celebrate AZ’s 2012 centennial there’s a special display of vintage quilts this year. 

A shady outdoor patio in back amidst the Piñon pine provides a chance to see passing wildlife. 

Or sit by the soaring fireplace under a dazzling chandelier with a cozy front row seat of an approaching storm. 

Besides this location, SPL has a service center in the nearby village of Oak Creek.  It’s got public computers, wifi and a small browsing collection and you can pick up holds and return things there. 

The library is actually a private nonprofit and the website has a donation page which lets benefactors know that contributions are tax deductible and spells out what items can be accepted.

Though Sedona and both Coconino and Yavapai Counties pay for regular library operations, all assets (the materials collection, technology, furniture, building etc.) are funded by private donations. 

SPL is part of the Yavapai Library Network.  More than 50 libraries share most materials.  New books with pink tape are the reward for people who come in for a visit.  Essentially, YLN works like one system and customers can place holds to be picked up at any location. 

They’ve got numerous databases including Auto Repair Center, Heritage Quest, Mango Languages and Reference USA plus downloadable ebooks and audio books with specific instructions for using with Kindles, iPads, Nooks etc.  There’s also a Spanish version of the website and you can access a librarian by phone or an email form, or follow SPL via Twitter, Facebook or RSS feed.  

The YA materials shelves are below this fascinating art installation and include manga and anime, but Daryl, the Assistant Children’s Librarian acknowledged they would love a separate YA space and are working to add one. 

Another indoor garden is next to a small meeting room where four sets of people were playing chess.  There’s a topographical map case and they have Playaways plus video games that the Teen Advisory Group uses for events. 

Not surprisingly for such an artistic community, there are paintings all over with many works paying homage to AZ’s amazing skies and nearby geological landmarks. A large reading area has a tall CD carousel and a substantial collection of magazines and newspapers, while a display case houses a doll collection and crèche. 

With the same ruddy stone walls as the exterior and wood accents in teal shades, the interior colors have a southwestern feel.  Mountains and red rock formations are visible everywhere.  

But perhaps the most delightful section is the Children’s Area with its portable puppet theatre and army of stuffed bears.  A charming bench backs up to an enchanting storytime area with semicircular upholstered seating and huge pillows on the floor where little ones can sit.

Above this seat, muted lights are interspersed with little windows; transparent cutouts in different colors turn the lamps into captivating works of art.

The kids have four big screen computers plus two AWE workstations with multicolored keys.   There’s a parenting section, a case full of toys and storage cupboards decorated with children’s artwork near a sink.

The website has TumbleBooks with over 300 fiction and nonfiction ebooks for kids, plus language learning, read alouds, puzzles and games. 

I chatted with Daryl at the large rounded desk with built in shelves beneath the counter and she mentioned that their storytimes are sometimes so big they need to use the community room. 

Young ones have a plethora of programs to choose from.  Database training classes are great for sixth graders learning how to do research, infants and toddlers have Tiny Tales with stories, music, activities and signing.  For older preschoolers, there’s bilingual English/Spanish storytelling with music, puppets and crafts.  They even hold dance parties.

The library is essential to the community - a recent Sedona Citizen Survey showed that 88% of the inhabitants used its services within the past year with 63% using it three or more times – a testament to the creativity, generosity and hard work of the residents, volunteers and staff.

San Juan County Libraries’ Monticello branch is right downtown, near the elementary school, in a big park with benches and shade trees.   

Outside, a brick patio with half barrel planters is surrounded by a red rock wall.  Fittingly, the same material is used for the building – the surrounding area is known for its unusual red sandstone formations.  There’s a wheelchair access ramp, bike rack and a wrap around bench that extends beyond its center tree for extra seating.    

A shiny lobby with plants and chairs is a pleasant place to browse the permanent book sale (which includes videos).  The polished sandstone floor is just gorgeous and there are free magazines and a lost and found.

A lobby door leads to a large program room with a kitchen area and great views of the snow covered CO mountains to the east through floor to ceiling windows.  Little chairs, a storytime books display, blackboard, easel table and shark’s mouth beanbag toss reveal its most frequent users. 

Inside, the new book (including YA titles) display’s geometric shape is echoed by the slanted slatted wood ceiling.  Black metal trusses extend down to the band of high windows making for interesting triangular patterns whenever you look up.  A little skylight imitates the overhead lights, but since it’s such a sunny area, the roof drops down low to dampen the brilliant rays and keep the library cool in summer.  

Near the Playaways, a pleasant reading area with tapestry upholstered chairs has a table with magazines and newspapers selections to choose from.  There’s a tax form table and a bulletin board and brochures rack provide helpful local information.  

Materials are housed in gleaming solid wood book shelves and there’s a standing globe by the encyclopedias and LDS collection. 

The facility has wifi, ten patron PCs, a magnification computer, and two in Children’s.  Via Pioneer - Utah’s online library – customers can download Kindle compatible ebooks.  Many locals got ereaders for Christmas so there was an upcoming training for staff on how to help patrons upload books from home.  Residents can also get audiobooks for their iPods, access numerous databases and read archived newspapers going back to the 1800’s through Pioneer.  What a great service for a state library to provide - especially for smaller libraries that just don’t have the funds for an electronic collection! 

Though the furnishings are modern, there is a taste of the past.  Select visual materials covers from this old catalog so staff can fetch them for you.  

I got a chance to chat with the Librarian, Pat Smith, who was very nice.  She’s working on the branch’s Facebook page so the town will have online information about library programs and events.  She also mentioned she’s starting a weekly art history video series – the first one will be on Ancient Egypt.

The library has a big young adult materials area and they even lend games and puzzles (here are some other unusual things libraries lend).  It must be a nightmare checking pieces when they’re returned

The effect of the muted lighting combined with the red sandstone walls is most evident in the Children’s Room which is imbued with a pinkish glow.  Kid sized red, white and blue furniture is encircled by low easy book shelves which in turn are surrounded by materials for older children.  There’s a tall case of audio visual items near the book/CD combination bags.   

Quite a library for a town of just 2400 people!

…and the Central Library of Mesa County Libraries. 

It’s a large building with interesting geometrical shapes in its exoskeleton.  Outside, there’s plenty of parking, a drive through book return, cement tables and seats, a few shade trees and a desert garden. 

The lobby has a recycling container and a bench to sit on while you check out a title from the paperback spindle.

Inside, it’s a bustling place with an open floor plan.  Display cases frame the entry and a double bench sits on a multicolored tile floor before an attractive new books area that includes Spanish titles and CDs. 

A big screen TV promotes events (e.g. Tech Petting Zoo or Jazz in the 1930′s, The Glamorous 30′s and various movies relating to Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – the title for the One Book, One Mesa County series).  Portable laptop users at little tables take advantage of the wifi, there’s an extensive magazine/newspaper section and a reference librarian stands beneath the quote “Dream It, Discover it, Do It.”  

The circulating collection has Playaways, a checkout desk with friendly staff and plain language signs in nonfiction –  True Crime, Cook Books etc.   Sculptures and paintings abound and local artists can sell their work via an exhibit that changes monthly.  

These cool creations, so reminiscent of the local geology and sunsets adorn one of the two stairways that access the basement level. 

Downstairs has a spacious adult internet area with 26 computers plus 12 in the computer lab that can be used when there isn’t an EReader, Social Media, Beginning Word/Excel etc. class being offered.  In addition, there are four computers in YA, eight in Children’s and eight in the literacy lab.  

Obituaries (also in the online catalog), a magazine exchange close by a lounge area, and government documents are on this level as well.

The “learn a language” area and the literacy center are on this floor.  Their literacy program is really big with 2.25 FTE’s, 364 students and 133 tutors.  ESL accounts for 82% of the program and they offer help preparing for the citizenship test and TOEFL, but they also do basic computer skills training.  Participants’ abilities range from the most basic English to high intermediate levels and there are even some college students.  They work with local schools and school districts teaching classes for parents too.  A large literacy study area lets tutors and students work together plus there are several more private rooms available.

Literacy staffers Eusebia Garza, Karen Kllanxhja and Wendy Kirby graciously posed for a picture and Karen, the Head of Literacy Services, told me all about the program.  As the only full time staffer, she writes the grants – they’ve gotten ones from the Anschutz Family Foundation, the Colorado Department of Education and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.  The last two organizations helped with the computer lab in the literacy study room.  The program started 26 years ago, and many of the tutors are retired teachers.  They use Rosetta Stone and have a class in jail – as Karen said, “when literacy goes up recidivism goes down.” 

The photos and stories behind them in the picture are part of their Amazing Success Stories traveling exhibit which has made the rounds among western CO towns.  It’s all about their students’ accomplishments - successful businesses, great careers, higher education… - in fact, one of the students is now a tutor at the center.

Across the way the Friends of the Mesa County Libraries run a big book sale room - a very pleasant place for browsing, with soft music playing in the background and Volunteer Ruth happily answering questions. 

The eight location system has so much.  There’s “Words on Wheels” for the homebound and books by mail for rural patrons.  You can book a meeting room or reserve a librarian for personalized help.  The Rashleigh Regional History Room has local histories, city directories and gravestone inscriptions.  

The low vision area has bright lights, magnifiers, large print books and an adaptive computer with oversize blue and yellow keys (the best contrasting colors for seeing).

A cushy chair with attached arm table is just outside a spacious program room, and if you have to make a phone call, this handy booth keeps it private.

The system’s website offers downloadable eBooks, eAudiobooks, eVideo and eMusic and a good selection of research databases.  “Ask Us” lets you call, email, text or chat with a librarian or follow the library on Twitter, Facebook or via RSS feed.  The Spanish version of the site lists books, music and films in Spanish and young adults have career and college resources, a blog and book reviews.

The teen area is vibrant and funky with bean bags and people chairs, bar stools at a high table, hassocks and trendy fixtures.   There’s a YA video and audio collection as well as magazines, video games, Manga and a graphic novel display.  

The YA’s have an advisory group and can attend programs like Teen Tech Tuesdays and Teen Gaming.

The Kid’s web page also has a blog plus age group specific sections and games to teach youngsters how to be green.   Events include Bilingual Storytimes, a Junior Scientists series featuring Colorado Mesa University science professors, Family Story Night (with yoyo tricks!) and a program where fourth graders recite their own poetry.  Not that they need an incentive to visit this colorful Children’s Area…

…where Cheryl is so welcoming.  It’s got a wonderful sunken play area enclosed by frosted glass (perhaps making it less noisy?) with a two tiered cushioned bench and pillows all around.

There are numerous tapestries, and the chairs, shelving and walls are multihued – even the metal roof beams are painted a festive purple.  It’s a huge area with tons of picture books, a New Books exhibit, a Spanish section and a foreign video and language collection.   

Colorful beanbags near adult friendly seating attract all ages.  There are loads of great wall and stand alone displays with props -Fun and Sports has a soccer ball and cones.  Between the bookshelves, upholstered benches that hold books underneath are an efficient use of space.  They’ve got a big screen TV for instructional purposes – when I visited they were teaching a class on the importance of reading to babies. 

Stuffed bears are scattered around the shelves and the puppet theatre.

What a magical place to be a child. 

And what a great library – they are truly making a difference to their community!

Denver Public Library’s Schlessman branch seems designed for customer convenience.  Patrons can pick up their own holds and check out the items without staff assistance.  Nine express computers mean there’s no wait if you want to spend up to 30 minutes quickly checking email or surfing the web.  A five bin sorter frees staff time so there’s always someone available to answer questions. 

And they’re not sit and point employees.  On a recent visit, Julia and Dawn (who tells people she “likes to be bothered, so if you have any questions, please ask!” – my kind of librarian!) did their best to answer my many questions, taking me around the library to show me what I’d asked about. 

Senior Librarian (at Denver Public (DPL) this title seems to be the equivalent of a branch manager) Jenny LaPerriere was also quite welcoming and helpful - after I was done with my first spate of questions she came back to make sure I was aware of a wonderful twelve panel installation by Denver native, Stephen Batura, that I definitely would have overlooked.  High up and facing the slanted wall of windows in a sun lit reading area, The Lowry Trios are paintings based on old photos of the area.

Jenny is a bit of a legend among Colorado librarians as her facility was the first (that I’d heard of) to use the commercial concept of merchandising.  Book store style displays and popular materials libraries are becoming more commonplace, but back in early 2002 when the Schlessman Family Branch opened as a “contemporary” library, advertising was a bit of a dirty word in the field, as it was so closely associated with for-profit concerns.  At the time, I was at Douglas County Libraries, where the idea of marketing and carrying mainly hot items was so exciting it became the basis for our Lone Tree and Roxborough branches.

And Schlessman is awash with what patrons want.  With a huge A/V section chock full of hit movies, chartbusting audios,

the latest CDs in music store shelving with genre groupings (and Rockin’ Staff Picks!), there’s something for everyone.  Browsers are rewarded with bestselling books available despite gigantic holds lists. 

All this attracts users in droves.  This busy branch is in a neighborhood within walking distance for many, and the Lowry News conveniently lists all their upcoming programs.  But it’s also used by loads of non residents attracted to the choices Schlessman’s format provides.  Cars jockey for space in the parking lot and the 34 reservable adult computers were almost all occupied with many people taking advantage of the free wi-fi as well.  They also have three study rooms available on a first come first served basis, and an expansive community room that can be reserved for $10/hour when it’s not being used for storytimes or programs.

Despite all this activity and that the building’s skewed steel walls are reminiscent of a cruise ship, Schlessman is not a huge location.  They pack a lot in because they prioritize what the majority of patrons want.  There are lots of programs, storytimes and classes – in January you can hear about herbal medicine, childhood obesity, dinosaurs, party appetizers and tax planning.  Learn how to use e-materials at the Tech Petting Zoo or win a cherry pie in a Lincoln Log building contest.

So you don’t miss out on anything, a big screen TV by the entrance promotes Phone-a-story, volunteer opportunities and news as well as programs and services.

The Children’s Area has seven computers, all the books, movies and audios kids want most, and lots of booklists by age and grade and on topics like multicultural books, medal winners and 100 best loved picture books. 

There’s a display of crockery hand painted by their favorite illustrators (Eric Carle’s caterpillar is on the bottom right) and comfy armchairs for weary parents. 

The adjoining Youth Area has items for tweens and older with a large collection of manga and graphic novels as well as books on CD etc.   

And since Schlessman is just one of twenty-four locations in the Denver Public Library system, K-12 students (and others) have access to a great array of databases to help them with their homework, as well as email reference and AskColorado 24/7 virtual reference. 

In fact, DPL does a yeoman’s job satisfying the entire state’s needs.  With no physical state library collection in CO, DPL is the go-to place for all obscure materials and ILL’s an enormous amount of items to other systems.  It would be difficult if not impossible to maintain statewide 24/7 virtual reference without their contribution.  Their Western History and Genealogy department is a godsend for anyone researching their family tree and its excellent Blair-Caldwell African American Research Library is unique in the mountain west.  But the best part is that with the CO Library Card program, any CO resident can get a DPL card.    

In fact, the seven level Central Library downtown can be a bit overwhelming, which may be why this friendly and easy to use branch is so successful.

There’s a two sided fireplace - a long stone ledge next to it can accommodate numerous chilled patrons.

At the back, the Bee Hive is another program area with a large screen where presenters can show PowerPoints and featured speakers from the Colorado Author Series hold court.

In keeping with the principle of satisfying patron needs, there are food and drink vending machines by the magazines and newspapers area. 

And everywhere, materials are attractively displayed to encourage serendipitous finds.

Truly enticing, Schlessman reminds us that a lot of the best shopping is free.

What a treat!  Jeff Davis County Library is one of those nook and cranny libraries – its unusual spaces are reminiscent of Southwest Harbor’s in Maine.  The one story building is over a hundred years old and was variously, the general store, a lumber/hardware business and a grocery.  The library moved into the downtown location in 1999, but there are tons of reminders of the structure’s previous history scattered about this delightful place.

Rife with basalt cliffs and resplendent changing cottonwoods and close to scenic Davis Mountain State Park…

… Fort Davis is the highest town in Texas – at an elevation of 5050′ we felt right at home.  Known for its Old West feel and recreation opportunities, there are a number of businesses in town despite the fact there are just a few thousand residents in the county.  

Due to its pioneer style, the library appears to be small with low ceilings, but once inside it’s spacious and uncluttered, despite holding about 34,000 items including some 1,900 CDs/books on CD and 4,500 DVDs/videos.

With original wood floors, antiques along the shelf tops and a neat little balcony overlooking the ground floor, there are whimsical touches everywhere.  A mini ceramic pitcher does duty as a pencil holder by a PAC.  Children’s crafts adorn shelves, an antique refrigerator stands by the video collection and what appears to be an old phone operator’s booth sits near an adult reading area.  This display of old books is really the icebox from when there was a meat counter here.  Ice blocks weighing 300 pounds were placed at either end. 

It’s by the library office, which is adorned with a huge stained glass sun, and the circ desk where library staffer Pat Prado gave me lots of helpful information.  

Supported by the Texas Trans-Pecos Library System, it’s a Plinkit library (I used to be the project coordinator for Plinkit and I do remember adding their name to the map of libraries using this software, never realizing I’d visit one day), and the website offers databases through TexShare. 

It was close to Thanksgiving when I was there, so a turkey in the youth area celebrated the upcoming holiday while a snowman in the YA area hinted of winter.  

In the Children’s Area a clever traffic light tells kids when they are getting too rowdy and a window seat beckons.  What a great place to read and imagine.

Plants are all over the shelves, even sitting on an old pot bellied stove.  There’s so much color and creativity here.  The bathrooms have antique doorhandles and are so appealing – the High Frontier Girls painted the Reader’s Nook and this bathroom with a sparkling sun on the ceiling… 

…which must have inspired an artistic community service volunteer as he subsequently decoupaged maps from everywhere onto the second bathroom’s ceiling.

There are a number of reading areas with oriental carpets, wood tables, cushy easy chairs, love seats, hassocks and tall ficus.  This one by Youth even has two seats for varying size children. 

And one by the entrance adjoins the magazine section – handy for those who just want a comfy place to kill some time (and if you don’t finish reading, you can check the periodicals out).

Old desks, chests, chairs and globes top a ledge accessible from the balcony that runs down one side of the building.  A donated quilt hangs from the decorative ceiling which sports fans with antique sconces.   

A surprising amount of storage is allowed by the ledge, balcony (you can go up on it) and other ingeniously positioned spots which must have once held inventory when this was a commercial facility – there’s even another stock area above this charming book alcove.

There are five public internet terminals and the library also offers large print books, ESL materials and the Book Shoppe, a permanent book sale area.   

By honoring the structure’s history and being extremely inventive JDCL has fashioned a beguiling and hospitable library that’s vital to the Fort Davis community.

Hope you all have a happy and healthy 2012!