Because thousands of books needed to be boxed up for the construction, summer 2018 was also a perfect time to make other helpful changes to the library. Two rows of short shelving were removed, making it easier to walk through the fiction and nonfiction areas. The removal of the shelves also freed up space to spread out the lounge furniture into new spaces in the library.
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| The view as you enter the library. |
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| High tables are spread out in new areas of the library. |
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| A view of the main lounge area in the library. |
The library's fiction section also underwent some changes. The books used to be located on both tall and short shelving units; this arrangement made it a little tricky to navigate. The reference section that was formerly housed on tall shelves was moved and this made space for the fiction books to be relocated to the tall shelving.
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| Textbooks and encyclopedias were relocated to make room for fiction titles. |
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| The condensed reference section is now located under the library windows. |
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| Fiction books are located all along the right hand side of the library. |
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| Another view of the fiction section. |
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| Tables were grouped together to accommodate larger groups. |
The signage in all areas of the library was enlarged and updated. The signage now alerts readers to which types of books they will find on each of the shelves. Already, it appears that the signage is helping students to select books of interest. Biographies and nonfiction seem to be especially popular sections for checkout.
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| The biography section is genrefied, with each section clearly labeled. |
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| Signage in the nonfiction section shows which topics are on each shelf. |
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| The sports nonfiction area is very popular! |
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| The graphic novel section was moved over the summer. |
Student and staff visitors to the library have commented that the library looks bigger since the layout changes have been made! I'm hopeful that this will translate to more book checkouts and classroom visits.
