The Library is Realized. Mostly.

(If you missed Part I of the library reconfiguration, please visit “The Library is Realized. Nearly.” You’ll be glad you did. I’m pretty sure.)

I wasn’t sure I wanted to show you this just yet. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not sure I’ve ever been more excited to wake up for work in the morning. This is my project! My baby. And I love it so much.

Just yesterday I walked over to the main office and purposely stopped to talk to a faculty member so I could accidentally slip in an invitation to see the new digs. And every time someone steps into the building, I get to say, “Welcome to the Resource Center,” and then I show them each shelf and tell them what organization I’m planning and how the office was changed and how I’m a real librarian—whether they want the official tour or not. And I caught myself beaming with pride when one of my co-workers gave a quick tour to her student and said, “Look how much space we have now!”

I’m totally in love with this library. Is that even possible?

But there is still so much to do. Sure, the office is running and functional, but the library is just taking its first big-girl steps. The materials are all on the shelves, but there is no organization whatsoever. It was mostly just to get them off the floor temporarily. I can’t wait to get in my labels and assessment cases so I can start tackling the shelves.

Which is why I hesitated to show you this. I wanted the reveal to be just perfect. Everything lined up in a perfect row. All items exactly in there rightful place. Floor vacuumed. Boxes put away. Papers filed. But I’m learning projects rarely keep the timeline I painstakingly plan.

So.

I just couldn’t wait anymore to show you. I’m too proud. Too thrilled. Too consumed not to share this with you—perfectly set up or not. Let’s just consider this the “almost there” phase, okay?

Ready?

Bum pra da dum bum, TA DUM! (A drum roll—could you tell? It’s rhythmic. Composed by Carrie Consalvi. All rights reserved.):

This is the entry way as you step into the building. The shot is taken from the front door looking right. Previously, it was my humble cubicle. Now? Open library space. Also, a perfect view of the unorganized goods—assessments, instructional aids, textbooks, toys. You get the picture. Doesn’t the room look brighter? Or is that just me?

As you turn the corner, you used to find a hallway with more cubicles and a vacuum from the 1950′s. Not very inviting is it? But now? Now you see me. At my new desk. Which has been opened up like a reception area so I can see the scope of the land, the pride and joy of the office, the nooks and crannies of my legacy.

As we finish up this brief “before and after,” I want to show you once again what the library used to be: an afterthought, cooped up in the back of the office, trapped with the supplies. See how one of the shelves is barely accessible behind the copier? See how little room, how little light, how little care these precious materials received? Well not anymore. There is room to breath! Room to spread out! To feel the brightness of the sun. To be treated like a library should be treated.

There’s one side of the wall that I didn’t bother take a “before” picture. It was literally just a panel of cubicle fabric. But I’d like to show you what we’ve done with it. We had some leftover shelves and tables from the reconfiguration, so I got this idea. Why don’t we set up a standing work station for patrons who want to come in and search the resource center catalog? Or even the Internet? It would make it more like a real library. So that’s what we did.

Doesn’t it look official? Inviting? Wouldn’t you stand there to look up something libraryish? On a side note: please notice the candy bowl, package of whoppers, and package of gum. This is the demise we spoke of yesterday. Please also notice the bowl is nearly empty. Sigh.

And then there’s my little office. Kinda clean. Kinda messy. Perfect analogy for my life.

There you have it! My library. My wonderfully, exciting library to go with my thrilling, new profession. Isn’t it perfect? Just think how great this will be when everything is organized. I can’t wait to update you in a couple months.

So what do you think?