287a. Arnprior Public Library, Arnprior, Ontario

This was a re-visit...I was here about two years ago, August 15, 2014. I had driven up from New Hampshire and arrived in a very heavy rainstorm. My motel was only a couple of blocks away, and I had hoped to walk to the library, but I had to drive--or drown. This year, in contrast, the weather was beautiful, if a little warm. So I checked in and set out to walk to the library...and the city is in the midst of some major road work. I defied some signs and walked up the closed sidewalk, enjoying an impressive waterfall on the way.

There is a donor's wall in the lobby, a brick wall with mirrored plaques engraved with donor's names. Very classy and attractive. A good-sized meeting room opens to the lobby. When I arrived a meeting was getting underway. I have no idea what it was, but it involved women and a gavel.

The children's area was as I remembered it, with the bright floor and the summer reading program posters. I didn't remember the globe with Wild Things decoupaged on it, but the Brain Quest card sets are still on the non-fiction shelves, and again I forgot to ask whether the circulation staff has to count all the cards. We would have to do so at the library where I used to work, but fortunately we did not have the cards!

Teens also have bright colors but in a much more grown-up form. It's a very nice corner with windows looking out to a park-like area. There are carrels along the window wall, just to the left of the picture. A sign on one of the carrels says, "I will not use the workstation to obtain, create, or distribute any images, sounds, messages, or other material that is obscene, harassing, racist, malicious, fraudulent, libelous, nor use it for any activity that may be considered unethical." Then it points out that a firewall protects the library computers and the WiFi.

Adults have a more subdued palette, but they get comfortable chairs.

Signs on the stacks are very clear and attractive.

There were a number of book art projects on the top of one shelf. I've seen the kind where a conical shape is made by folding pages back, but this "plants in a book" was a first for me.

But the very best part of my visit was watching staff (in jammies) setting up kids' stuffed animals (stuffies) which had been left at the library by children for a "sleepover." I've been aware of other libraries that do this, but I've never seen it being staged. I strongly recommend that you go to the Arnprior Library page on Facebook to see what the stuffies got up to during their overnight stay.

The biggest surprise, however, was when the Director said she remembered me from two years ago. Yikes! That really made my day.

7/27/2016