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.
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
This is my library, woo! Love the pictures :) Just wanted to the location still says Kingsville, Ontario when this is Mount, Pleasant, MI! :) Hope you had a great visit.
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