Refurbishing a Very Small Library, Part 3

Sometimes the biggest boost your library can get is not from books ... the new furniture pictured here has created a lounge area where students can relax, read, and study. The library is actually to the left of this picture, across a small walkway, although there are a couple of computers to the right of this picture also. My phone camera doesn't do the area justice, because the furniture is really beautiful and inviting, and the tall windows let in lots of light and have a great view of the surrounding area. It's so exciting to see the library coming together, and to have administrators who anticipate needs. (The furniture was completely the plan of our director, and I couldn't have chosen anything better.)

In the meantime, I finished processing the books to make a reference section. They all have new spine labels and corrected catalog records. The library was set up with lots of chairs for new student orientation when I was there last week, so I've postponed moving all the books around and still have the "reference section" on the book cart. Once classes start and things settle down, we'll move the books around on the shelves.

I bought some nails at Walmart and fixed the back of the small bookcase that houses the fiction collection. When I did that, I saw why the back is coming off: apparently it got wet at some point and now has mold creeping up the outside. That has to be thrown out soon, before mold gets onto the books. So I'm looking into the possibility of a low bookcase for the lounge area, so that we can keep the fiction there, and maybe some informal storage for the "fun" magazines I bring from home.

All in all, things are looking up, and I'm working on a purchase requisition for new books!