Dorothy Alling Memorial Library in Williston, Vermont

Although the Town of Williston established a public library as early as 1905, the library didn't find a permanent home until 1958. In that year, the widower of Dorothy Alling  had a library building constructed to honor his late wife's long-time support of the library.
The brick colonial revival building, appropriately christened the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, offered 1500 square feet of library space and served the town until the 1980's when the growth of Williston made it clear that more space would be needed.  The first addition to the original building was completed in 1986 followed by a second addition in 1998, bringing the library to 9500 square feet.  For more information on the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library be sure to go to its excellent  website at http://www.williston.lib.vt.us/

The main desk faces you directly as you come through the doors.  There's ample work space behind the desk, flowing directly into the staff offices.

 Just across from the main desk I noted an original take on the question of whether or not people should be permitted to eat in the library.  Here, library customers are invited to enjoy their lunch or coffee at little cafe tables set up near the front door. 

Let's take a quick peek behind the desk to see their DVD system.  For security reasons the staff decided to keep the actual DVDs behind the desk, leaving only the cases on display.  The DVDs are stored in numbered envelopes which match the numbers on the cases.  As in a video store (remember those?) the patron simply brings the case to the desk and the staff quickly retrieves the item and inserts it into the case.  In fact, it's better than a video store since you're able to keep the original case when you check out the item.  This system is simple, cost effective and space-saving.

The spacious office area is well-planned, and accommodates the library's entire staff. Although the offices are located in the central interior of the building, there are many windows which face directly into almost every public area of the library.   Kitchen facilities,  seen in the photo at left, are tucked in on one wall out of public view.

To the right of the main desk is the library's adult collection, housed in a large, bright room.  This room combines functionality with comfort, and features inviting nooks for reading or study.

  In the photo below we are looking out from the adult section, back toward the main desk.  Here's an idea I haven't seen anywhere else as yet:  see-through display cases which are built into the wall, giving a sight line from one area to the other. It's pretty nifty, and we'll see it repeated as we move to the children's area.

 

In this view we are looking down the corridor connecting the main desk area and adult collections to the youth collections.   The left hand wall of the corridor is used for art exhibits. Windows in that wall provide natural light into the staff offices thanks to the large exterior windows on the right of the corridor.  They offer a lovely view of the library's garden, seen below in winter.

 Perhaps the centerpiece of the Youth Area is "The Family Room", the connecting link between the picture book room, the meeting room, and the youth collection.  Truly a multi-purpose area, it is popular with teens and with parents waiting for children during story times.  It also serves as an expansion of the meeting room which is facing us in the photo.

For popular programs the doors between the Meeting Room and the Family Room can be folded back, almost doubling the available space.

Here's a closer look at the Meeting Room itself.  The closet to the left of the podium contains a kitchenette.  There is also storage for chairs and for audio-visual equipment.  Spotlights and audio speakers are mounted on the ceiling.

Aside from the picture books themselves, perhaps the highlight of this room is a charming mural by a very talented local artist, featuring views of Lake Champlain and its" Lake Monster", Champ.

The photo on right is taken in the "Family Room", looking toward the youth collection.  Note once again the see-through display case.   In brief, the Youth Area of this library consists of the Family Room, a Picture Book Room for pre-schoolers, and a third room housing materials for older children and young adults.

I'll close this post with a view of the bay window in the Children's Area. The comfy cushions and chairs offer a perfect welcome for young readers.

 Many thanks to dynamic Library Director, Marti Fiske, for taking the time to show me around.  It's inspiring to see how far this busy library has come over the last few decades!

Brownell Library in Essex Junction, Vermont

First established in 1897, the original library building, still used today, was financed and partly designed by local businessman, Samuel Brownell.  It opened in 1926.  Since that time the library has undergone several additions, the most recent of which took place in 2001, thanks to generous grants from the Freeman Foundation and the Kolvoord family.

Under the able leadership of library director, Penny Pillsbury, the interior of this library has been arranged with the customer very much in mind.  For example, just inside the main entrance library customers are offered shopping baskets. 

Another detail worthy of note is the library's excellent use of signs:  they are clear, well-placed and informative.  The glass window at the entrance has been transformed beautifully into a space for advertising library events. 

The library also makes use of lucite frames for sign mounting.  These are readily available at office supply retailers, and while not inexpensive, they are both durable and flexible.  They can be mounted on the wall or shelf end panels using velcro, double-sided tape, or screws.  Here are more examples.  Note also the legibility of the typeface.

While we're on the subject of signs, there was also inspired use of local artistic talent.  For example, the library's teens were put to work designing pictorial signs for the children's non-fiction area.  Here's one of the many lovely signs which came out of that project.

This display of graphic novels might have been overlooked but for the eye-catching sign which invites customers to browse.

In most of the libraries I have visited, the children's department is housed at basement level.  This is fairly typical as librarians attempt to find  space in which children can express themselves more freely without having to worry about the quiet that some adult patrons might expect.    At Brownell, it was decided to move the children's department to the main floor where it shares some space with adult services.  Nevertheless, the design takes the divergent needs of adults and children into account.  

One advantage of this system is that the two circulation desks are separate, but contiguous, allowing easy movement and communication among staff serving each population.  In the photo at right we are facing the children's desk but looking at the corridor between the two service areas.

The adult non-fiction area was moved to the basement level, allowing for quieter study space.  Because it is away from the main service area, a reference desk is staffed there to assist customers.  Here's the attractive entrance to the stacks. The stairway would be on the left.

 










I'd like to take a moment to highlight some of the shelving.  Like the Warren Public Library, the Brownell has made excellent use of local woodworkers to build fixtures perfectly suited to the library's needs.  Here are some lovely display shelves.

South Burlington woodworker, Bob Bouvier built these  CD shelves.  In the unit on the left the lower drawers pull out smoothly for easy access to the materials.

  Books on CD are are on these slanted shelves, making them easy to see.   All of the shelving is on casters so that the central floor space can be cleared for events.

On the other hand, librarians can also be talented scavengers when it comes to finding fixtures which would be very expensive to purchase.  These fine DVD shelves were obtained when a local video store closed its doors.


Seating is another area of strength in the Brownell's interior.  This beautiful room in the original library section houses CDs, fiction, and new materials. 

The original fireplace was fitted with a modern fireplace insert, making it once again the inviting reading area that the architect had once intended.
Below is yet another comfortale spot which in which readers may sit and browse.

A nice corner with good light in which to be read a story in the Children's Area.

While we're in the Children's Area, I wanted to point out that the picture books for the youngest children are in their own room on the main floor, while the area for older children adjoins the rest of the services on that floor.  Here's another view of the room:













One of the newest additions to the library, added in 2001, is the Kolvoord Community Room.  A bathroom, kitchenette, and coat closet are part of this facility which is accessible from the outside when the library is closed.  Activities for children also take place in this bright space.

 The young adult area is in a small, welcoming room on the main floor, close to the circulation desks.  YA Librarian, Kat Redniss, has a number of plans for this room and I look forward to returning at some point in the future to see what changes she has in store.  I enjoyed the teen art on the walls, including this poster:

From here, I just want to point out a number of other good ideas I noted during my tour of the Brownell.  For example, the simple use of cork strips turned a brick wall into an exhibition space.

On the right you'll see a designated cell phone area, well-placed beside the elevator to keep phone conversations from being intrusive to others.  Some libraries don't allow cell phones at all, but on this wintry afternoon it seems a more customer-friendly compromise rather than letting the cell phone users shiver outside!

At Brownell, new acquisitions are displayed on this lazy susan, custom-built for the library.

I liked the Large Print Area, with its good lighting and comfortable seating.   And the Periodical Area featured hot beverages!

In addition to the library's regular books sales, the Friends of the Library host an "Eternal Book Sale" throughout the year, which offers more desirable titles at slightly higher prices.

Every part of this library was thoughtfully planned for the convenience of its customers.  The rambling structure could have been confusing, but the clear signs made it easy to navigate.  There was a willingness to "think outside the box" when it came to allocating space and the result is excellent.  I want to thank all of the staff at the Brownell Library for their great work, and particularly Library Director, Penny Pillsbury, Youth Services Librarian, Mary Graf, and Young Adult Librarian, Kat Redniss, for taking the time to show me around a library that they have every reason to be proud of.

Aldrich Public Library in Barre, Vermont

One of the many features of this historic library's recent addition is the well-designed ground level meeting room.  Because the room also serves as gallery space,  you see a combination of gallery track lights and recessed ceiling fixtures.

The LCD projector is mounted on the ceiling, eliminating the need for a media cart and additional storage space.  Nonetheless, there is good storage for chairs and tables so that the room is quite flexible - easily set up and broken down. 

A small kitchen constructed against one wall of the room maximizes the public meeting space while still providing  facilities for events.  When desired, it can be hidden from view by pocket doors (shown on the left of the photo).  This is a very effective solution if space is limited.
On an upper floor there is a second kitchen which doubles as a staff area. It is adjacent to the library's board room.

Providing attractive shelving for media is something that libraries often struggle with.  I think that Aldrich has a very effective system which is both attractive and practical.  I was told by Library Director, Karen Lane, that the original unit came from a gift shop that was going out of business.  It worked so well in the library that they asked a local carpenter to duplicate the design.  The result is here. 

 When the library expanded in the middle of this decade, the architect incorporated the exterior of the old building into the interior design, giving a lovely transition between the old and new sections.

 

Special thanks to my good friend, colleague, and Library Director, Karen Lane, who took time to chat with me about her wonderful library!