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