155. Iron Mountain, Michigan

There is a rare pay phone in the lobby, along with some Friends of the Library books for sale and a wheelchair. Just inside is a display of rocks, minerals, and fossils. Later in my visit a librarian asked whether I had seen the "geology area." I'm sorry to say, I missed it, but I expect that it was thorough, in this mining community.

There is a computer lab with 10 public computers, one reserved for teens; that's a nice respectful gesture for youth. There is also a Teen Zone. A central browsing area provides seating near the periodicals and an extensive collection of large-print books.

Rare these days, there are nice long shelves that actually look and feel like library "stacks." I like this! Books on the bottom shelf are shelved "spine up," a great aid for searching and shelving. A basket at the end of one row bears the sign, "Please put materials you don't need here." A separate room houses the local history and genealogy collections.

In the children's area, the upper walls are painted in bright colors and decorated with sillouettes of active children. A large window wall faces a courtyard, bringing a taste of the outdoors inside. Toys are available, and kids can "check out a train" to play with at the library. The centerpiece is a handsome lake boat, which I was told the custodian built--see pictures below. The boat was so impressive, I almost missed the padded bathtub--and a padded bathtub is very, very cool.

For more information, go to http://www.dcl-lib.org/.

5/28/2013, car