Pictures of the Inside
November 19, 2009 at 8:30 pm 2 comments
For those who haven’t yet visited the new Tommy Douglas Library, here are a few pictures of what it looks like inside. Comments are that it is light and airy, bright and welcoming.
Deb Thomas, Deputy Chief
Our green wall
Computer commons and adult books
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1.
HMBC | November 26, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Nice design. But was disappointed to see the total covered area was only 17,500 sq ft. and a single storey. More space for books and reading rooms would have been helpful. Why not a two storey building? The old library served well for 40 yr or so. How long this one will serve …. with little more space
2.
edmondslib | November 26, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Thanks for the comment. This has been a common question since the plans were first publicly released so I’m grateful to you for raising it. When I took on the responsibility of being the library liaision for this project, the size and shape of the building was already determined and I had some of the same questions. I’ve done alot of research since then on trends in library building and collections use and I now feel satisfied that the size of the library is sufficient for years to come. First, a significant trend in the use of public library buildings is the “long-stay” user – a change from when people came into the library, found the items they wanted to borrow, checked them out and left. Many people – students, retired people, families – come to stay for longer periods now. Students may spend hours a day studying in the library because it is quieter than their home and has wireless and reference materials – as well as knowledgeable librarians to help them find information they need. Senior residents of the area come in to read newspapers or magazines in comfortable chairs and to chat with our friendly circulation staff. Grandparents caring for young children come to sit and chat with each other while the children play and read – or to read to their grandchildren. People of all ages come to use the library’s public computers for email, information searching or word processing. We have for that reason focused on creating welcoming, well-lit spaces with a variety of seating for different purposes.
Secondly, libraries no longer need as much room for future collection expansion as we once did. People do still come to us for books despite the many predictions by futurists that print materials would be dead by now – and they appreciate knowledgable staff who help navigate the information resources or provide reader’s or viewer’s advisory on fiction books or DVDS. Our three smaller branches are focusing on tight, carefully selected physical collections of high interest while the main branch can have depth for us to draw on if needed. Increasingly our information resources are in smaller formats (DVD as opposed to VHS) or are electronic and available online from the homes of our library members. For example, we subscribe to a very well-used resource called Safari that provides e-book versions of computer and technical books, enabling us to keep this part of our collection very current and accessible to library members in every part of Burnaby through library or home computers. More recreational collections such as fiction and music are also available electronically – downloadable audiobooks from Library to Go and music from Naxos. We also continue to explore electronic versions of our reference materials which enable one resource to be shared by all four branches as well as used by our library members from home as opposed to housing a physical version – such as a full encyclopedia set – in one branch.
The only feature we would have liked in the new branch that we did not get into the final design is a group/quiet study room. In the end, other functions such as the computer lab and program room space took priority. We hope, however, to designate times in the Children’s program rooms at critical times in the school year – around exams and final projects – when it can be set up for group or quiet study.
Deb Thomas, Deputy Chief Librarian