the saga continues

Third check-in from Renee M:

Another session I attended was on “Transforming Your Space.” Not all of the information in this session was directly relevant to a small, rural, public library, but one library that was featured on the panel used several strategies that could be adapted to work at my library:

• Using wall shelving to created displays using books on the walls above bookshelves
• Bright colored paint to give the library a lively feel
• Using bookshelves as “cubicle” walls to create functional spaces in the library
• Purchasing “disposable” retail furniture that is less expensive and eye-catching, even if it needs to be replaced more often than traditional “institutional” furniture
• Putting shelving (and displays) on a diagonal to catch patrons’ attention, particularly in the entryway of the library

I also learned about a state library that hosted a “trading spaces” style library remodel project in which a library was awarded a $45,000 budget to revamp their space using retail techniques. They then served as a model for other libraries that wanted to improve their merchandising skills.

Perhaps the most important thing I took away from this session, however, was a tiny detail about a library logo. The Princeton (University) Library logo, is simply the word “princeton” with the traditional library icon (of a head holding a book in front of it) in place of the “o” in the town’s name. Since my library had been toying with the idea of creating a logo using a compass (to reflect on the “North” Valley in our name), I adapted this idea to use a compass as the “o” in North Valley, resulting in the following logo which my library board approved at their last meeting: