It's been a little too long since the last blog. Don't know about anyone else, but I find that time is a premium resource which I don't have sufficient of and which I have never been trained to manage; a skill in which I also do not have a natural ability.
I've been up to Townsville with my wife recently on family business. Whilst there I visited Aitkenvale Library - a branch of Townsville's Library Services.
It's a relatively new building I think, one story with a very 'open' feel to it (I've no idea what 'relatively' is in this situation - that's just the feel I got). It has a number of dedicated areas which glided effortlessly into one-another but are quite distinct. There's a young-people's area designed for teenagers [+&-] to sit, work and converse. There is a children's area which has activity space and resources for toddler to 'tween'. Fiction and non-fiction print shelving of course. Magazines and ephemerals scattered throughout. A couple of open nooks (yes! I'm aware of the oxymoron - but that's the only way of explaining them. Only one discussion/study/tutorial-type room (I got to use that quite alone as I wrestled with an assignment) One computer area with about a dozen terminals. A balcony-like area with a table or two and chairs to sit at and chat, read, contemplate your navel or whatever you wished to do whilst drinking a cup of coffee or other - (available from machines in the library). You could drink in the library! And finally, a massive and welcoming front desk area.
Outside the front door were tables and fixed chairs. These were for people waiting for opening time or, as in my case, having some lunch between study/writing sessions.
Interestingly, I discovered that this "suburban' library branch was quite heavily patronised - well 'heavily' might be overstating a little - but that more than two thirds of the clients were in the computer area. This reinforces what we have been reading as being noticed and quantified in the literature about the future of 'virtuality' [sic.] in libraries. This 'virtuality' is essential, but must only be another ["able-to-be-used-remotely"] service which may well, and probably should, eventually eclipse its print sibling.
BUT!!! ONLY FOR NON-FICTION!!!
I'll 'soap-box' about fiction in a later post! I'll also post photos of the library for all to see - if I ever work out how to a.) do it and b.) find the time to work out how to do it and c.) find the time to do it.
I'll get out of your hair now.
noel
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