517 Veterans Memorial Library, Mt. Pleasant, Michigan

Veterans Memorial Library is part of the Chippewa River District Library System.

The whole length of the building along the sidewalk is made up of windows.

I like seeing bikes outside a library. I'm not sure why, but I think it has to do with independent kids and kids using the library.

An exhibit on photography caught my eye as I entered. My second camera (after the one I got for two Wheaties boxtops and 50 cents) was a Brownie Hawkeye like the one on the right in the second picture.

    

I commented recently on how many libraries use their old card catalog drawers in their seed exchange programs...and at the very next library, I see this again.

The computer lab was so busy that I couldn't get a picture, so we'll move along to the display of new books. Movies, periodicals, and graphic novels are nearby, along with seating.

In keeping with the library's name, Veteran's Memorial, flags of the various branches of the armed forces hang in the windows.

Romnace novels have their own place on these spinners.

The paperback exchange is just that: take a book, return a book, no need to check it out.

There's a good-sized collection of western novels. I don't think I've seen this many since my visit to Bella Vista, Arkansas!

The music CDs all have stickers that say "Do not return in outdoor book drop." 

    

Given this joyful announcement, someone must have been eagerly waiting for this change!

When I saw the display of computer games for adults, I realized that I had not seen computer games displayed in the libraries I've visited for quite a while now.

The end of a summer reading program. When I left the library, this display of superstar readers was already gone and a new background was being added to the wall. Sic transit gloria mundi!

The sign on the left seems reasonable. And remember the art made with buttons in the last library I visited? What are the odds that I'd find button art here, too? But I did, although we're not even in the same country now!

    

This is different: Lots of puzzles, no puzzle underway. Perhaps this is because of the invitation to take a puzzle home and complete it there, then bring it back.

A half-flight up we find the reference section, which is well supplied with books, including a 2019 World Book Encyclopedia. Encyclopedia Britannica has stopped publishing print editions, but World Book is still in the game.

The books to the left are complete sets of Caldecott and Newbery winners. These are treated as reference material and do not circulate.

I'm a fan of maps and atlases, and definitely a fan of special cases for these large books, with a slanted surface for reading ease.

The hanging signs provide a quick guide to the location of various topics, and also make it easy to refer to "aisle 6" and such.

This display of books about space is a reflection of the 50th anniversay of the first walk on the moon. It may also be a tie-in with the summer readng program for youth, "A Unverse of Stories."

Just for fun, I took this picture looking down from the second level to the space below. The room visible at the lower right is the family computing lab, which we will see later.

This quiet study table is tucked in a corner near the stairs. I missed a picture of the microfilm reader and case of microfilm newspapers, some back to 1875.

On the end of one non-fiction stack I saw this sign providing help in finding books on tough topics.  This seems to me a great idea. Notice the last line, which is a reminder that "Your librarian is here to help. Just ask."

Downstairs now, to the children's realm. The backpacks hanging on the picket fence hold sets of material on various topics, like Camping, Babies, Singing...  Each backpack holds books, a DVD, and "extras." For Camping, the extras include many pieces of camping gear for imaginative play.

There were several of these sets of tiles, obviously done by kids. In most cases the kid's name is on the tile. Nice project!

Junior non-fiction is on the right, and parenting books are down at the end of this row.

I've seen a lot of colorful rugs in story areas, but I've never seen this one. I'll hazard a guess that the wing-back chair is for the storyteller/reader. And perhaps a sidekick in the wooden rocker.

The low shelves hold picture books, with board books in the bins below.

The picture on the left is sort of embroidered. It's hard to explain, but at any rate, it is "fiber art." To judge the scale of the letters on the right, notice the electrical outlet. A similar large sign near some stairs says d o w n.

    

Remember the bikes parked by the entrance? I think I found the bike riders in the Teen Scene room.

A corner for imaginative play is tucked beside the stairs. I see a tent, a spaceship, and a collection of toys, plus chairs for adults, generously sized for reading snuggles.

The family computer room provides a lot of computers for parents and play opportunities for kids. But I do hope the adults turn away from the screens and interact with their kids, at least some of the time. And of course, parents and kids can work on a computer together without disturbing those who are using computers for study. And that neat rug is another that I've never seen before..

There are another dozen computers outside the family lab. Adults at the library without children are expected to use these. If they are all in use, "see a librarian."

    

A small meeting room shows signs of the recent Universe of Stories summer reading Space theme.

These signs in the chidlren's area are eye-catching and very clear.

For some reason, many libraires have trees, real or fake, in children's areas. I almost missed this one, which seems impossible, it's so large.

When I was about to leave, I noticed that, at this moment, nobody was at the Help Desk, so I got this picture. Why is it, I wonder, that curved desks like this feel friendlier than desks made of straight lines?

Finally, across from the photography exhibit we started with, this unique In Recognition board thanks donors to the library

My summer trip is over. It's time to get back home to my cats, raspberries, workouts at the Y, and very soon Fall semester at the university.

7/27/2019

516 Essex County Highline Public Library, Kingsville Branch, Kingsville, Ontario

This library is in a space that was originally a grocery store, then a bingo hall. The transformation is wonderful.

The layout is a big, open rectangle. I started my "tour" to the left, with this corner for browsing periodicals and newspapers.

This sort of "passive programming" station is often found in a children's library. Here, it is accessible to all. The invitation is to let your creativity shine as you decorate a "star" (actually a circle) to be added above the town's skyline.

    

The teen corner has YA fiction and a collection of games.

    

I never know what I'll find in a Reference collection these days. Some libraries seem to have done away with printed reference works entirely, relying on the Internet. This collection seems to strike a good balance. But a quick look in a dictionary of slang that is only a few years old showed how fast language changes these days!

My purpose in taking this picture was to show the signs hanging above the stacks. They remind me of the signs that probably identified each row when the space was a grocery store. Another observation: All non-fiction, including books designated with a J for juvenile or junior, are inter-shelved. I like this practice, because it makes it so convenient for a person to choose a book with the level of detail and style of writing that meets a given purpose. An adult might want the kind of quick survey or general background found in a good children's book. A kid with a special interest might be ready for a so-called adult book with greater detail. Some kids will work hard to read "above their level" if the topic is important to them.

DVDs are available for browsing in spinners.

These are some of the pictures hanging on the wall behind the service desk. They are made with heavy black lines, blocks of color...and buttons! The results of an adult art program, perhaps?

We've now come to the far-right corner of the library, the fiction collection. There are hanging signs here, too, as in the non-fiction section. The books facing out are a selection of "books with people running for some reason on the cover." Someone must have had fun finding all of these in the collection. The Minneapolis Central Library always has topical collections like this near the check-out stations, and I find them very eye-catching, to the point that I end up with more books than I have time to read. I think I'll suggest this category to them!

[Note to one of my readers, you know who you are. Yes, I know your library does this too!]

And now we arrive at the children's library. I had to take this picture of the program room at an odd angle because a patron was hard at work just out of sight on the left.

The children's area is divided into two main sections, defined by bookshelves. This section holds picture books. You can see part of the junior fiction section along the wall. What appeared to be a tutoring session in French was in this second area, preventing a picture. That sort of thing is the very best reason to not take a picture: the library is being used!

Two special computers are available for kids.

Here is more children's fiction, and French fiction. I found several titles that were unfamiliar to me that looked interesting. I was able to put all three on reserve at my home library. This is one of the benefits of my library-visiting project. Since everyone chooses different books to feature, I often see something I haven't noticed before. I jot these titles in my notebook and can usually find them at home.

Eight computers for adult use are located in generously-sized carrels.

As I was leaving I spotted a sign about the summer reading program with the theme "A World of Discoveries." I didn't see other signs of a summer reading program. Perhaps it has already ended; I've been surprised a couple of times on this trip and another trip earlier in the month to learn that some summer reading programs are very short, sometimes beginning and ending in June!

This Community Donor Wall in the lobby is a handsome way to acknowledge the community's support of the library.

7/26/2019