July, 2010: We've been working hard this month at the Library...consolidating a two-floor branch library to one floor. This is just one small example of the results of the latest round of city budget cuts... not hiring, attrition and therefore not having enough staff to sustain a two-floor agency! My staff and I have [physically] worked very hard this month, moving books and furniture from the second floor to the first floor. And... before that could even happen, we had to shift most of the first floor collection to other areas to make room for the childrens' books that needed to come downstairs!
Let me take this opportunity to extend a Big Thanks to my hard-working staff, for making this happen way before the final consolidation date (when computers and the largest furniture will move downstairs, as per pre-determined work order dates!)
I am really not unhappy about this particular move. In addition to making it easier to staff (and manage) a one-floor agency, I think that it makes for a more visually appealing and warmer library environment. This library now looks the way a library ought to look! It will be noisier, and busier on one floor, but not a bad thing, in my humble opinion!
Collage of photos showing new layout and configuration:
* * * * *
Postscript added 11/2/10: As it turned out, this branch consolidation/reorganization played a major role in my soon-to-be changed future! A little more than a month later, BPL underwent another systemwide organization, and clusters were disbanded. No longer Cluster Leaders, Principal Librarians (and later Supervising Librarians) were asked to make choices as to the one Branch Library they would like to supervise. Because I felt so invested in New Lots as a direct result of this project, it became a deciding factor in making my choice! I am now the Neighborhood Library Supervisor at New Lots since 9/13/10.
