From the Suggestion Box: Non-Fiction AV Interfiled with Books

"Why are non-fiction DVDs and audiobooks on the shelves with the non-fiction books?"

Several users commented on the non-fiction audiovisual materials, like DVDs and audiobooks, being on the regular non-fiction shelves with the books. Interfiling these collections saves shelf space. For every separate collection at the Library, there are unused shelves before and after the collection to allow for materials to be returned and to show the divide where one collection stops and another begins. In a space crunch like ours, with a Library building housing more than twice the number of materials it was designed for, every inch of shelf space counts.

Most of our customers who browse the shelves for non-fiction titles are looking for a specific topic, like home improvements or a period in history. They're satisfied to find materials on that subject regardless of format. Finding a book and a DVD on that topic side-by-side while browsing meets their needs. Fewer customers are looking at a specific format in non-fiction, but some do. Balancing the needs of these types of customers is difficult in our situation, where space is at a premium.

It was not an easy decision to interfile these and one we struggled with making. However, the hard choices like these, to maximize every bit of shelving we have, are the reality of our undersized building. Ideally, the Library would have a more bookstore-like layout, with face-out displays by subject and multiple copies of items to satisfy all of our customers' different browsing habits. For now, the Library is working to meet customers needs within the limits of our space and funds.

Crunch! New Shelving Brings Lack of Space into Public View

Since the installation of the new shelving, we've received some comments and criticisms from library users about the lack of space. The reality of the Library's situation is that, given the current funding and building size, some needs will go unmet. The balance between room for books and room for people is a difficult one in a building that is 1/3 the size needed to serve the community.

Users have noticed the lack of space for studying, particularly in quieter areas of the Library. Quiet spaces are few in the Library. Tables are close together and too few to seat all those who would like to study, read or work here. Though one small group study room will return to service in a few weeks, that room will regularly be in use to house literacy volunteer tutors and small programs.

In a recent Youth Services department meeting, it was noted that the Jump and Jive storytime program is so successful that the Storytime Room, where it is currently held, is not large enough to meet the demand. However, the Large Meeting Room is not available at that time to allow the program to expand. This is just one example of many.

Without more space, the Library will continue to struggle with the balance between the resources you need and the a place for you to use them.

Changes Coming This Week!

The next big changes to the public areas of the library will happen this week. New shelving is scheduled for installation on Thursday. Five new 90" tall ranges of shelving, behind the Reference Desk, will make space for collections like Books on CD, Large Print, Foreign Languages and Biographies. Music CDs will be moving to this area too, making room for two new ranges of 90" tall shelves in the center of the main stack area, between Fiction and Non-Fiction. The shorter shelving that will be replaced by these new tall ranges will be moving to the lower level to give more space for Youth and Teen collections.

The new wall, dividing the Original Library into two rooms is ready to be painted. This will be the new Board Room and the Local History and Magazine Room. The new Board Room should open within the next few weeks.

You may also have noticed the exterior painting project that's been underway. The Library was looking a bit shabby during the power washing and preparation for the painting. But the end results is a definite improvement.

These changes are all a part of the Design on a Dimetm style project, maximizing every inch of the Library's limited space. Room for seating will be limited by the addition of more shelving.

Installation Complete! Shifting Continues...

All of our shelving ranges have reached their new locations. The end panels are on and look good. Today’s focus will be getting the rented carts cleared so that Hallett Movers can pick them up. Shifting will be ongoing for a while, as the collections are moved into their new permanent homes. It will take some time to complete all of the projects. When complete:

• Local History, Genealogy, maps/atlases, newspapers and magazines will all be housed in the Original Library.
• Foreign Language will spread out, with separations between Spanish, Hindi, and Polish collections and face-out display for each.
• Holiday and Parenting collections will be housed on the new shelving in the aisle on the Youth Services Easy/J Fiction side.
• J Graphic Novels and J Reference will be housed on the new shelving in the aisle of the J Non-Fiction/YA/Teen side.
• Non-Fiction, Fiction, Books on CD, Large Print, YA Fiction, Y Non-Fiction, Teen, Teen Graphic Novels, Easy Non-Fiction, J Non-Fiction, Easy and J Fiction will all shift with their new shelf space to allow for easier browsing, reshelving of books and additions to the collection.

Now we beginning the final planning for the backroom changes that were included in the Next Steps Plan, the plan devised by Board, staff, and community input to get the Library through the next 3-5 years while continuing to provide the best service possible to the community with what we have. The backroom changes include repurposing the Local History Room for a Study Room, repurposing the Study Room on the lower level for an office/workroom, moving the telephone reception workstation, and creating a larger area for carts in the Circulation workroom.

Into the Home Stretch!

The project is on schedule! View the progress on Flickr!

The moving of existing shelving ranges is done. The final two 60” ranges were placed in YA/Teen and the existing ranges reconfigured and moved. The remainder of YA Fiction has moved onto its new taller shelves in its previous location.

Other collections in temporary locations are:

• Books on CD are on the tops of the Reference shelves.
• Y Non-Fiction is on the new shelves near the Big Cozy Book seating area.
• Teen Graphic Novels are sharing space with J Graphic Novels on their shelving unit.
• Teen Fiction is on newly relocated shelves in the aisle of the YA/J Non-Fiction side of Youth Services.
• J Reference is on the ledge around the Bay Window Area.
• Large Print is on 42” shelving in the Original Library.
• Fiction (the end of the collection) is on Hallett carts near the hexagonal display.

*Apologies for my mistake yesterday, reporting that it was the beginning of the Fiction collection on the carts. It is actually the end.

The final two ranges of 90” shelving will be constructed tomorrow morning. The end panels will be installed last. Then the final shifting of collections from temporary locations onto their new shelving ranges will be done, time and workload permitting.

More Moves for More Shelves!

Today, two more of the 90" shelving ranges were installed. The first of the 60" shelving ranges being replaced upstairs was relocated to the YA/Teen area. The 60" YA/Teen shelving range shifted forward and the 42" range was relocated. The YA Fiction collection is, as I type, being moved to allow for tomorrow's moves. Any drilling/construction/assembly noise was over by 9:30am.

Other collections in temporary locations are:

• Books on CD are on the tops of the Reference shelves.
• Y Non-Fiction is on the new shelves near the Big Cozy Book seating area.
• Teen Graphic Novels are sharing space with J Graphic Novels on their shelving unit.
• Teen Fiction is on newly relocated shelves in the aisle of the YA/J Non-Fiction side of Youth Services.
• J Reference is on the ledge around the Bay Window Area.
• Large Print is on the relocated 42” shelving in the Original Library.
• Fiction (the beginning of the collection) is on carts near the Circulation Desk.

Tomorrow, the 60" shelving ranges will all be relocated to the YA/Teen area. The last of the 42" shelving ranges in that area will be relocated.

The project is on schedule for installation and relocation of shelving to be complete on Thursday morning. It will take a little longer to get the collection shifted from their temporary locations to their new homes.

Pardon the Noise!

This morning, bright and early, the shelving installation crew arrived and began moving cleared shelving ranges to their new locations. Two 42" shelving ranges went into the Original Library. One 60" range now sits in front of the Foreign Language collection just outside the Original Library.

What did not occur as expected was the installation of the first two ranges of new shelving. We believed that the installation would be done by the time the library opened at 9am. That was not the case. With the help of our Head of Maintenance armed with Caution tape, we were able to cordon off the area where the crew then finished assembling the first two 90" ranges of shelving. Unfortunately, the assembly did include some noisy drilling. The good news is that the assembly for the first part of the project was done by about 10:30am.

Staff is now working on the shifting and staging for the next part of the project. This means that tomorrow's storytime parents may find things a bit more crowded than usual, as the Young Adult collection is temporarily housed on carts for the next few days. All YA and Teen collections, J Reference, Large Print, Books on CD and the beginning of the Non-Fiction collection are all moving or are in a temporary location. Ask staff for help if you can't find something.

We've already had our first compliant about the project from a patron who said that its always too noisy in the Library. While our Library may generally be noisier than the Library of decades past, drilling is unusual even for us. But I warn you now, its likely to be noisy again tomorrow. The installation crew and their drills are coming back. The drilling/assembly alert is on through Wednesday. We should quiet down to our normal "low roar" by Thursday.

Tomorrow, the Young Adult shelving begins the relocation process, as we make way for more!

Making Way for More!

It has begun! Books on CD are on top of the Reference shelves. Part of the Non-Fiction collection is housed on carts. Y Non-Fiction has moved to temporary location near the Easy books. Teen Graphic Novels are now packed in beside J Graphic Novels, covering the top of the shelving unit. Teen Fiction is on its way to its temporary location as I type this...

What's going on at the Library? We're making way for more! Maintenance crew Jayne, Ruth and Chuck jump-started the project by relocating two existing shelving ranges and some furniture in anticipation of the larger moves to come. This allowed Pages Lisa and Sheilah to begin the preparation for this project, moving all of those collections to their temporary homes. The shelving relocation and installation gets into full swing at 6am Monday, September 14. By the end of this complex, domino-effect project, the changes will include the relocation of 8 existing shelving ranges (some as long as 18 feet) and the installation of 6 new 90" tall shelving ranges.

I will be making daily entries here, starting Monday, to document our progress. Check out the Library's Flickr photostream for the latest pictures.

Please be careful in the Library during this project! The book carts being used for temporary housing of the collections are not as sturdy as permanent shelving, so please do not try to move them or allow children to play on them. If you can't find something, just ask! Different collections may be relocated several times in this project on their way to a new home, so don't be shy.

From the Suggestion Box: Why are audiobooks on the bottom shelves? I can't reach them.

I am sorry that you had difficulty reaching the items you wanted. Library staff are available to help you access items. Just ask at any service desk or any staffer who is in the stacks!

In a perfect world, everything in the Library would be shelved at a height between the knees and eye level of the average adult. But we do not live in a perfect world. Our reality is that the Library building here in Plainfield was designed to house a maximum of 65,000 items. The Library currently owns over 125,000 items. This means that we have to use the bottom shelves and the top shelves, and every shelf in between.

When any new library is built, the top and bottom shelves are generally unused, providing space for the growth of that library's collection. As the collection grows, those shelves are filled until there are no unused shelves. This is the situation that the Plainfield Library is in today. Some of you may remember when the Fiction collection was divided by genres, with things like Romance and Mystery in separate sections. Because that requires space between collections, the decision was made to interfile the Fiction collections, reclaiming the shelves that used to separate the genre collections to maximize the amount of items shelved.

The shelving project slated to begin in September will continue to add shelves for our collections at the expense of accessibility. The new shelving will be the tallest available. Keeping up with the recreational and informational needs of the community is our goal. To do that, the collection must continue to grow. As it does, space is at a premium. Every inch of shelf space will continue to be used at the Plainfield Library for the foreseeable future.

Caution: Changes Ahead!

Don't say we didn't warn you! The Library will be undergoing some significant changes this fall.

Overall, shelving will be taller - and there will be more of it. Some aisles will be narrower (Americans with Disabilities Act minimum 36" rather than the preferred 42"). Tables and seating will be closer together. Local History and genealogy collections will be housed in the Original Library, along with newspapers and magazines. One Study Room will still be available for public use, but it will be the former Local History Room on the upper level. The changes will be phased in throughout the fall, with a target of November for completion of all phases.

Today, the Youth Services Desk reconfiguration began. The last piece will be remade and delivered Monday. Already, the space has a new feel. The Desk has moved forward and is narrower. The openings are on the sides, allowing staff to come and go more freely.

For the next step, the new shelving is ordered and scheduled for delivery. The plan is being finalized for the relocation of the existing shelving and furniture. It's tentatively scheduled to begin September 14. The Library will be open during the process, though the actual installation and physical moving of existing shelves is slated to occur in the early AM before the library opens to the public. The process is anticipated to take a week for the actual installation and relocation.

Shifting of collections to new locations and onto new shelving will require a little more time, since all of that work will be done by Library staff while still conducting business as usual. Our fabulous Pages, led by Lisa and Sheilah, are the ones performing the bulk of that work.

The final piece of the project will be the relocation of the Study Room and changes to staff spaces that will take place once the shelving installation and relocation. Stay tuned for more on that!

Change is coming!

Over 4,200 signed up for Summer Reading so far. Over 20% more use of the library this year than last year. How is the Plainfield Library going to keep up with the demand?

Well, the Library Board of Trustees approved a plan in June that will move things around, streamline some operations and generally allow the Library to continue meeting the community's needs as best we can with what we have. This spring, the Trustees and I challenged the staff: give us ideas that will improve our services to the community but will not cost a lot of money to implement. We asked for your suggestions too - here, on the Library's web site, and in the local press. From those ideas, the management team crafted the plan that was presented in June. Housing additional materials was the #1 priority in the development of this plan. With more demand than ever, the Library cannot meet the needs of the community without shelves to hold more stuff!

With a $50,000 project budget approved for the upcoming fiscal year from the Special Reserve Fund (the Library's sole fund for capital and emergency monies), the Library will add six additional ranges of shelving that is 90" tall. Those are the tall ones upstairs. Currently there are six shorter ranges of shelving in the center of the Adult collections - 4 on the Fiction side and 2 on the Non-Fiction side. The replacement of those shorter shelving ranges with the taller ones will not only provide additional shelf space in the Adult Fiction and Non-Fiction areas, they begin a domino effect of moves for the collections that will result in:

1. Relocation of the Local History and Genealogy collections to the Original Library (formerly called the Adult Quiet Room), as well as the newspapers, dictionaries and atlas stands.
2. An additional shelving range for the Foreign Language collections, allowing for the growth of the Spanish, Polish, and Hindi collections.
3. Replacement and relocation of the Young Adult & Teen collection shelving, increasing the height of the ranges to 66" for all, for a net increase in shelf space.
4. The former Local History Room will become a group study room.
5. The former Study Room will become an office for the Youth Services Department.
6. Telephone reception and some other Circulation duties will move from the Registration Desk to the Circulation Workroom.
7. Holiday books for kids will get a new home using one of the shorter shelving ranges being replaced elsewhere.
8. YS Reference books will move to the center aisle of the YS Non-Fiction side.
9. Two shelving ranges being replaced on the YA/Teen side will be relocated to the center aisle of the YS Fiction side for additional shelf space.
10. All tables for the YS department will be relocated to the Bay Window Area behind the YS Desk.
11. The YS Desk will be reconfigured to better serve the department.

Overall, the shelving will be taller and closer together, but still meets ADA requirements. Tables will be closer together, clustered, and fewer of them. The one remaining "quiet" area will be the Study Room.

So when will all of this happen? We are targeting a fall date, possibly September, for the shelving shift. The Library will remain open during he project, so staff will need your understanding as the collections, furnishings, etc. shift. The shelving/relocation proposals will go before the Board on July 15. Exact dates of the internal shifting will be determined by the delivery of the shelving - something notorious for taking longer than the vendor initially promises.