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Remember the 80's? Two important things happened - the opening of Runcorn's brand new three-floor library; followed by the tv series 'Cheers'. The library was big, new exciting, had lots and lots and lots of gorgeous books, and a coffee bar! 'Cheers' was just funny and, of course, a place 'where everybody knows your name… and they're always glad you came'.Fast forward a few decades and, visiting four or five days a week, the coffee bar had become a sort of Cheers for me. I work at home so the coffee bar gave me a break, and a little social activity. I got to know other regulars, librarians, and users of the community rooms. Some days I'd be the only one there; other days would be incredibly busy. But the thing I liked best was that I never even had to order. On occasion my coffee was even waiting for me on the counter in the time it took to walk from the door to the counter. I loved the place.
And then the bombshell landed.
The coffee bar was closing.
The library had received a lottery grant for refurbishment. Admittedly the building was 27 years old, the décor a bit strained, and the books a little tired. I reluctantly admitted that a facelift would probably be a good thing. Naively I imagined a few coats of paint and a bit of new carpet would do the trick.
I was living in a different world. Refurbishment meant gutting and re-building everything that wasn't holding anything else up. But there was worse to come. The coffee bar would never be the same again. It was moving upstairs to the entrance floor.
It took a year! A year spent coffeeing in the local Asda – the nearest alternative hostelry. Still, Asda do sell good coffee.
On the Monday of the re-opening I set off for my first library coffee in over 12 months. A little worried, I might add, wondering if the changes would actually have spoiled the place. I must admit I'm not one who sees change for change's sake as a good thing. I'm pretty much of the if it ain't broke don't fix it school of thought.
The first thing that struck me was the new entrance. New doors; the noticeably orange word Library written in a strangely distorted vertical way that I guess is supposed to be 'modern'; but nevertheless, a very clean, inviting façade. Neat little bookcases are visible from outside, while the much wider, more open, doorway, creates a welcoming atmosphere. The entrance area is very open and light, with some lovingly selected quick picks filling those neat bookcases. Over on the right, under a lovely long window, lies a row of self-checkout stations!
One of the innovations introduced here is that librarians are now available to interact totally with customers. Their tedious chore of hanging around waiting for someone to want a book checking out is now a thing of the past. Librarians are permanently available for customer service. Little 'pods', outfitted with a computer, dotted around the library area mean that librarians can do all of their librarianing from pretty much anywhere.
This new system is designed so that customers have the freedom to not only Return but also Check Out their own book selections, and even pay their own fines. A touch screen is provided with clear instructions. A pad, upon which the book is placed, reads an electronic gizmo stuck inside the book; identifies it, and either puts it on your ticket, or returns it. The high-tech version of the rubber date stamp – a 'till' receipt, printed with the due date and the book details. If nothing else, it makes for a handy bookmark. However, if this all seems like a little too much technology for you, there is always a member of staff nearby to assist you if you need any help. In fact the staff are happy to help you with anything from ordering a book to showing you where to find your favourite author.
The one thing that really strikes me about this lobby area is that it is spacious and light with a ceiling that's about two floors up. To the left are books, to the right the new coffee bar. The coffee bar must be at least four or five times the size of the old one. It boasts a huge counter; lots of interesting looking cakes (I didn't notice anything else, I'm a cake fan); and a much greater choice of drinks – even a choice of around a dozen exotic teas.
Spacious is the word for this new coffee bar. A couple of computers for public use, newspapers to read with your drink, low upholstered chairs with coffee tables for a cosy chat, along with more traditional tables and chairs. There is even a bar along the wall with stools and power outlets for use with a laptop. And one of the things I'm now finding really useful – is Wi-fi. I can take my own laptop, connect to the internet for free, and do a little work while I'm enjoying my green tea (Just so you don't think I'm being paid to write this – the filter coffee really is not to my taste).
The thing I most notice about the renovation is the amount of trouble taken over the lighting. The lighting is at a level that I find very comfortable, and I'm someone who needs a lot of light. It is well balanced and it adds tremendously to the ambience.
To be honest, although I've had a bit of a wander around I haven't spent much time anywhere other than the coffee bar. I've had some drinks there, done some writing, done some research, enjoyed a book group meeting, had a meeting this morning with a colleague, and another meeting to discuss the paranormal week events that I'll be helping with and which the library is hosting. But what I did notice is that there are now books on three floors instead of two. There are computers available on all three floors. Downstairs there are public meeting rooms available for hire. The books are housed in nice new bookcases (but I can't get excited about that – probably why I'm not a librarian), and there is more space everywhere. The building space has been skilfully managed with places to meet, chat and work. One of the things I have noticed in these few weeks is that I've seen many more teenagers using the library while I've been in it.
The original library building is basically a stack of rectangular boxes, with stair wells and lift shafts using the space in the centre. It was not an easy task to do something positive with this space and I can be quite critical about change – particularly when something that is important to me is what is changing. I really like our new library, and the coffee bar has as much to offer as any town centre coffee house.
Michael J. Hadfield
http://www.hypnosisiseasy.com/
