Unveiling

It is time to unveil our plans to the public! This will be done at a wine and cheese event on Wednesday, January 26th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Invitations will be sent to city officials, library board members (both past and present), revitalization donors to date, the Press, the Friends Executive etc. After giving everyone a bit of time to mingle, munch and sip in the Carnegie Room, a brief program will kick off the unveiling which will include a welcome, an introduction of the architects and their firm, presentation of the plans as well as the official launch of the new logo. The remaining time will be spent answering questions that the attendees may have about our plans. The next day, January 27th, we will make the plans available to the general public in the library from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. and from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Again, we will be introducing our new logo as well as talking to the public about the architectural plans. Cake will be served to celebrate.

Where are we Going?

Happy new year to one and all. 2011 is destined to be a very exciting year for St. Thomas Public Library! I know that you are wondering what is happening re the library's relocation for the duration of the construction. You've no doubt heard rumours of possible locations. We are just finalizing leasing details with the owner of Elgin Mall so it looks at this point as though this will be our temporary home. Included in the lease agreement are a variety of spaces. The Administration functions will be located in the former real estate offices across from Zeller's. The Children's and Teens' Services department will be housed in the space beside Hallmark Cards. Adult Services will take the Trad's space. There is the possibility that we will be able to use the Community Room for some of our programming but details have yet to be worked out with Mall staff. Hopefully all of these plans will be finalized soon and an official announcement will be made to you and to the public. As far as timing goes, we are hoping to phase the moves with Administration leaving for the Mall first, then Children's and Teens' Services and finally Adult Services. A Relocation Task Force has been set up to assist with the planning and they will have their first meeting soon. Stay tuned and keep asking me questions as they occur to you.

Interior Designers from In2Space

I just wanted to give you a "heads up" that we will have a couple of visitors on Monday. They are Cathy and Jennifer from In2Space, an Interior Design business in London. Rudi and I have had several meetings with them to discuss how they might be of assistance in our revitalization. We are in the process of hiring them to assist with designing the functional areas with special requirements. This will include the relocated spaces as well as the new spaces which means that they will be working closely with our architects. Appointments have been made with those who inhabit the spaces every 15 minutes beginning at 10:00 a.m. Cathy and Jennifer will be meeting everyone in their space and asking them questions about their requirements and desires. They will also be assessing the furniture as they go. Some pieces will stay and others will not be returning once we have been revitalized. Ergonomics will figure prominently in their decisions. The furniture will all be seen as a collective and will be reassembled according to what is learned on Monday. As always, if you have any questions, you know where to find me. I'm always happy to chat with you.

Re:News

We've been learning from the reading that we've been doing as well as discussions with others who have been through a renovation project that communication is essential. Peter, Ruth, Rudi and I are members of the Communications Committee whose job it is to ensure that the public and staff are constantly updated on our progress. This will be accomplished through blog posts, press releases and newspaper advertising. We will also be publishing a newsletter called "Re:News". The first edition is scheduled to be circulated with the "Elgin County Market" most likely this Saturday, November 27th. We will be publishing two more editions, one in early spring 2011 to talk about construction and a final "We're finished!" edition.

The goal of "Re:News" is to let the community know that we are revitalizing, why we are doing so and what the community can expect. The first edition will introduce me as "Revitalization Coordinator" so people have a name to contact with questions and concerns and a face to put to that name. There will be a project timeline, blurbs about the project itself, news about the Palmer donation, some of Katelyn's research findings and statistics and a message from the Board chairman.

To Move or Not to Move

Welcome to Friday and your weekly update on the revitalization process (yes, I just don't have enough to tell you to write daily!!). I know that many of you are being asked by customers whether or not the library will be relocating during the construction. Rudi and I are busy investigating possible locations and are also working with John Knox to see whether or not a phased move is possible or desirable. If asked at the library or in the grocery store or at a party etc., just tell folks that we’re still investigating options, but should have a more definite idea in mid-November.


Enjoy the weekend....

Where are we in the process?

It is past time for you to be updated on the progress of the revitalization process. The functional area reports were completed and handed over to Chamberlain and the initial drawings are "in the works".

We are not sure whether or not the Library will need to relocate for the duration of the construction or whether we will move in phases. Rudi and I are busy investigating possible locations throughout the city and meeting with representatives to discuss our needs. Stay tuned.

That's all for today....enjoy the weekend.

A Tour of Chamberlain Designed Libraries

I spent a very interesting day last Wednesday touring libraries that had been designed or renovated by the architect that we have chosen for our project....Chamberlain Architect Services. I visited the Westdale Branch of Hamilton Public Library, the Moses F. Rittenhouse Branch of Lincoln Public Library and Niagara-on-the-Lake Library. I was fortunate to have a tour guide at each who took me behind the scenes, answered my questions and talked to me about the parts of their library that functioned well and those that didn't. I took my camera along to capture aspects of the building that were interesting. Above are some of those photographs. The top photo shows the inside dome of Niagara-on-the-Lake Library. It is obvious that this architect favours curves as they appear in all three libraries. Note the art around the pillar, the sliding wall between a meeting room and the children's area creating a multipurpose space. The grape leaves leading into the Rittenhouse Branch highlight its roots in wine country. This is just a sampling. All of the photos are in the T drive, Children's Folder, Revitalization Data and Chamberlain Libraries. I had a bit of trouble with light exposure so I apologize for their quality.