We’re on holiday right now in southern California. Thanks to Richard Hulser and Doris Helfer, we experienced the Cerritos Library today. Sometimes I’ve think I’ve been living under a rock, because I should have known about this library. Good thing I have friends who can keep me up to date.
This incredible “Experience Library” opened in 2002, winning all kinds of awards in 2003, and was profiled November 2006 in Library Journal. There’s a detailed description in Wikipedia as well, so I’m not going to describe the physical (like the columns of books framing the entrance to the kids’ section…..or the aquarium….or the >70 computers in a computer work area on the top floor…..or the multimedia section just beyond the young adult room…it goes on & on). What I think all of us working in or with public libraries have to pay attention to is the atmosphere. Not many communities can afford or this type of structure, but we can all create this atmosphere. There is an incredible welcomeness about the place. The lighting creates a warmth, that begins with the staff at the front door information (each staff, no matter where they work, is on the front ‘info’ booth for 30 min/day) & continues right up to the non-fiction “Information & Reference” desk up the escalator. Cerritos Library isn’t just about the “stuff” - it’s definitely the staff and the programming….people want to be there, and the place, oppulent as it may be, is designed to welcome them & encourage them to explore & have fun. Wow.