More Task Force News

I'm sure that it's no surprise to you that most of the task forces have now met for the first time. This has meant quite a few hours out of your time and we thank you for giving that to us. I will be scheduling second meetings hopefully before I leave for vacation next week. I will stagger days of the week and mornings/afternoons to give members of each group an opportunity to attend meetings.

I'm going to attempt to give you an overview of what was discussed in each:

Readers' Advisory - We are investigating how to implement "Express Reads". This initiative was passed by the Library Board for a launch in September.

Technology Task Force - This group is looking at the various functions in the library that require technology and beginning to formulate a plan for efficiently moving it from the Mall to the Library.

Study Rooms Task Force - We are investigating how to fairly regulate the time spent in the rooms on the second floor and the furnishing required in them. The group is also looking at the Ingram Activity Room in the Youth Library. We would like it to be available to the public for study, tutoring etc. when not in use for programming and other activities.

Adult Furnishings Task Force - Jennifer McBride from In2Space provided us with samples of furnishings and created a layout of where she thought they might go. We listed the various functions that need to be considered for our customers (i.e. studying in groups, studying alone, socializing, comfortably reading etc. We mapped out where these functions might take place on the plans then sent recommendations to Jennifer.

Customer Service Task Force - We began to think about what we would like the customer experience to be like in the Revitalized Library.

Collections and Move Task Force - This group looked at the collection codes for materials that we already provide, analyzed whether or not some collections could be combined and began to think about placement of collections in the Revitalized Library keeping in mind that we want to achieve a flow from one to another.

Local History and Marketplace Task Forces will be meeting today and tomorrow so I will have an update on them when I next post.

We are adding one more group and I would very much appreciate volunteers to sit on it. It is the "Signage Task Force". Please let me know if you are interested.

I'll be on vacation next week so posts will return when I return.

Until then....

Kids' Spot and Teen Zone Task Forces

Yes, the Task Forces are officially launched so I thought I'd report on the progress of the first two meetings. The Kids' Spot Task force was the first to convene. Discussion revolved around how to create a literacy rich environment for children and their accompanying adults in the Palmer Youth Library. We plan to accomplish this by items that we will purchase (like the matching game above) and those that we will make ourselves (such as the baking tray about different sizes). In a webinar that I attended, some libraries numbered their stairs so that children and adults could sing the alphabet song as they entered the library and added mirrors to their service desks with signs asking the children what mood they were in today. Members will be scouring the Internet for ideas in the next few weeks.

This afternoon the Teen Zone Task Force met. It is comprised of library staff members as well as teens from our Teen Advisory Board. About ten of the latter attended today! Our Interior Designer had sent a layout and suggestions for furnishings so we had a basis for our discussions. I'll be sending a report back to Jennifer so that she can revise her furnishings accordingly. In a nutshell, they want to be able to lounge on chairs and on the floor and "get comfortable". They'd also like chairs with places to put laptops and other devices.

It is so beneficial and exciting to have staff from different departments meeting to discuss such a wide variety of topics. Thank you for sharing your time, your knowledge and your creativity.

Making Progress

Yes indeed, another week has passed and progress has been made both at the Library and in the planning details surrounding the project. I apologize for not getting back to you to set up meetings for the various Task Forces. A few details had to be decided before doing so such as the deadline for the ordering of the furnishings. We have a little longer than expected, namely the end of August, but I would like to plug away on our discussions so that we aren't rushed as the deadline approaches. I met with a representative from Brodart today just to get a feeling for our options re shelving and other furnishings. The upshot is that the Task Forces that will be advising on furnishings and layouts etc. for particular spaces will be the first to have meetings and the others will follow.

We are very appreciative of the coverage that we have received on the new MyFM recently regarding our progress. Rudi recorded a segment before she left on our fundraising campaign and I was interviewed via telephone yesterday. I'll also be a guest on Roger's "Inside Elgin" tomorrow.

Ruth and I will be working on a "booth" that will provide information for our customers. More details will follow. In the meantime, we'd love to know the questions that are being asked from customers as you are serving them. Feel free to come and talk to Ruth or I about them anytime.

Task Forces are Underway

I just wanted to extend a sincere thank you to all of you for signing up for task forces that excite and interest you. If you haven't yet indicated that you are interested in being on one of them, please don't feel that you have run out of time. Just send me an email or see me in person...you know where I hang! Here is the list of Task Forces and people who are on them to date:

Customer Service Model

Effie Lattanzio

Ruth Crocker

Peter Atkinson

Jody Kenney

Terri Scott

Dana Vanzanten

Carol Kim

Paul Blower

Readers’ Advisory

Donna Hanson

Effie Lattanzio

Terri Brzuskniewicz

Cindy Cookson

Holly McNea

Susan Andrews

Dana Vanzanten

Carol Kim

Collections and Move

Effie Lattanzio

Terri Brzuskniewicz

Dana Vanzanten

Paul Blower

Technology

Paul Giza

Tyler Hanley

Effie Lattanzio

Ruth Crocker

Peter Atkinson

Cindy Cookson

Meagan Wilkinson

Dana Vanzanten

Janet DeAngelis

Paul Blower

Carol Kim

Local History

Donna Hansen

Dana Vanzanten

Barb Hoskins

Paul Blower

Adult Furnishings

Donna Hanson

Ruth Crocker

Paul Blower

Study Rooms

Chris Triska

Ruth Crocker

Holly McNea

Susan Andrews

Paula Kielstra

Paul Blower

Marketplace

Effie Lattanzio

Ruth Crocker

Susan Andrews

Paul Blower

Accessibility

Jody Kenney

Peter Atkinson

Paula Kielstra

Carol Kim

Kids’ Spot

Ruth Crocker

Holly McNea

Terri Scott

Meagan Wilkinson

Teen Zone

Cindy Cookson

Holly McNea

Meagan Wilkinson

Paula Kielstra

If I've missed you in a group, please let me know!

Rudi and I are busy working on Terms of Reference for each group. Once these are finished, I'll be setting up meetings as required.

In other news, I visited the In2Space offices today. Jennifer McBride and Cathy Jurjevich showed me a wealth of catalogues and samples of chairs and other furnishings. Jennifer will be sending floor plans indicating seating areas etc. shortly. Task Force members who will be looking at particular spaces will be consulted.

Rudi, Paul Giza and I will be off to our first Site Meeting on Thursday with architects and contractors present. I'll keep you posted.

Plugging Along

I'm going to be regular with the blog posts so you can expect them on Wednesdays. I'll still send a reminder email and a direct link to the post. If you are having trouble opening the blog, please be sure to let Paul Giza know.

As you can see by the photographs above, demolition is well underway at the library. In fact, you may have to spend some time looking at some of these photographs to determine where they are taken. I know I did! Paul Giza and I have scheduled mini site meetings once per week on Thursday mornings so that we can keep informed about how things are progressing and deal with any issues that have arisen.

Yesterday, a hastily assembled group of staff spent a great deal of time looking at all of the service and information desks to determine how to make them most functional and comfortable for customers and staff alike. We sent quite a few changes to Kyle at Chamberlain.

Rudi picked up samples of the finishes that have been chosen for the revitalized library this morning from In2Space so that they can be presented at the Board meeting this afternoon. We will then show them at the staff meeting on Friday morning and will have them available in the Administration area for a while. Please do take a moment to come and see them. We're quite excited by them all and I'd be happy to answer questions.

In an effort to try to be as on top of things as possible, we will be assembling a variety of staff task forces. Decisions are having to be made very quickly and we want to ensure that we are making them with as much information and research as possible. There will be sign up sheets to allow you to choose the task force(s) that most interest you. Please don't be shy....jump in and get involved in the planning process. We need you!!

Finishes

The air was abuzz with excitement in Administration late afternoon yesterday. The Colour Committee members as well as Board Chair, Greg Grondin, gathered. Jennifer and Christine from In2Space arrived with a wheeled cart full of samples of paint colours, carpeting, tiles etc. They carefully laid these out in groupings for us to ponder. We spent two hours swapping and changing our minds and rearranging and we finally came up with two sets of finishes, one for the two top floors and one for the bottom, that we adore. In fact, we'll have to keep Ruth away from some of the tiles as she is quite attached to them. We want to share our decisions with you and will do so at our next staff meeting on Friday, June 17th. Please don't worry if you aren't able to attend the meeting. They will be on display in Administration afterwards for a while and I would be happy to walk you through how we will be using them.

Demolition has begun at the Library. Paul Giza was able to take some photographs of the progress made and he was excited to report that the corkboard is being scraped off the walls with a shovel. The cedar slats on the ceilings have been removed and taken apart and some have even been used to make a sawhorse. The rest will be finished in some way and will become Internet workstations and sign boards outside of meeting rooms.

Let the Construction Begin

I had to pick up some files from the City Hall office this morning and noticed welcome activity at the Library. K and L Construction Limited staff are moving in as of today. The Site Manager is setting up his office and is ready to welcome the crews that will be arriving from another company to remove the asbestos tiles. We hope that this will be accomplished before the end of the week which means that construction itself will begin early next week. Whoo, hoo!!

On another note, the Colour Committee met with Jennifer McBride and Christine from In2Space on Friday to go over options for finishes. This includes carpeting, tiles, paint colours and flooring. An exciting time was had by all. We have another meeting scheduled for Monday to hopefully finalize finishes so that the Contractor can get busy ordering them for the project.