465 James Prendergast Free Library, Jamestown, New York

My goal: find a library to visit that is on my route from Middleburg Heights, OH to Cazenovia, NY. The only other criterion: it must be open on Saturday. Thanks to MapQuest, I found Jamestown, New York, the home of a very handsome library and art gallery.

The historic building has a commanding position on a hilltop. The newer building is visible to the right.

I fed a couple of quarters into a parking meter. Did I need to on a Saturday? I couldn't tell, and I didn't want to take a chance. Then I walked down the sidewalk to the entrance in the newer building.

It's always tricky to blend a new building with an older one, but in my opinion the effort worked here. There is no mistaking the two buildings, but I feel no jarring effect.

The library has two levels of stacks down each side, with access from a number of stairs, an elevator, and a bridge between the two sides. I went to the upper level in search of an angle from which I could show the overall sense of this large space, without including recognizable people. From here you can see the "bridge," a browsing area with easy chairs around the newspapers, and the beginning of the on-going book sale, marked by the cart full of the distinctively yellow National Geographic magazines.

The teen area is at the far end of the upper level. Graphic novels and Y fiction are shelved nearby. To the right, just out of the picture, is a small area, up one step, with more seating for a few kids. Perhaps a study group, at least sometimes? 

Back on the main level, the book sale uses the lower stacks from this point back to the wall. Note to a fellow back home who thinks he can make money from his old VHS tapes: Here they are 25 cents each...or you can fill a shopping bag for $5.00, two bags for $7.00. The sale books are shelved "in order," and the shelves are helpfully labeled with fiction and Dewey Decimal indicators.

Reference books are becoming rare as people turn more to the Internet. I've seen this practice in a number of places, intershelving reference books with non-fiction books. This is the first place, however, that I've seen such clear signage explaining the practice to borrowers.

Here is a closer view of the browsing area I saw from the upper level. Notice the newspaper rack in the center...

The newspapers are still mounted on split sticks. This certainly keeps the papers neat, but I know from first-hand experience in my high school years that the daily mounting of the papers can be quite a chore.

One area (not pictured) of the lower stacks includes periodicals, newspapers (off the sticks), microfilm and -fiche readers, material relevant to local history and genealogy, and city directories from from 1922 to the 'nineties. Nearby are about 20 computers for public use.

The entrance to the children's area is marked by a hexagonal aquarium. I like that pictures of the various fish are provided, with the question to kids, "Can you find these fish?" A sign indicates that "no food, snacks, or drinks allowed in children's room. Please use designated tables in the main library." I didn't spot those tables, but I like the idea of providing an alternative, rather than imposing an outright ban.

The summer reading program theme was "Build a Better World.' Here the challenge was to "fill the toolbox" with a star for each book read.

A display of new books includes "Chapter Books," "Picture Books," and "Information Books." Ten computers are available for kids, and at 11 am on this Saturday morning, eight of them were in use.

Packets for Parents provide a book, guide, and directions for an activity. These are available for ages birth to 1, 1 to 2, 3, 4, K, and first grade. Some topics I spotted were "Speech," "Alphabet Books," and "Behavior and Emotional."

The selection of this library for a visit was serendipitous; the visit was grand.

8/19/2017