Shutters! And Librarians!

What do the two have in common? Not much, except that Librarians from around the State will be in town next week, and they are all gonna come by to see our new Shutters!

First things first... About the Shutters...

It's been a long time coming! At least it seems to me that way. Way back in 2008 we asked the City of Natchez to find the funds necessary to get the Library building painted and the shutters repaired (replaced) and painted. There were no funds available for the Library at that time. Another request was made. Still no funds.

Finally, last spring, we came up with the idea of the Friends of the Library raising the necessary funds and getting the City to get the work done.  Great idea! We asked the City and they agreed to this arrangement. This is not new news! You've heard this story before.

Well, we raised nearly $37,000 and were shocked to find that wasn't enough! The shutters and exterior were in much worse shape than we realized. But, the City agreed to pay the balance! Yea!!!!! Be sure to thank Mayor Butch Brown and the Board of Alderman.

So, the painting is completed (and looks great by itself) - and this week the shutters are being hung! They are Be-U-Ti-Full!!! If you haven't driven by the Library this week, make a special trip! I posted a picture on my Facebook page and got comments and "likes"  from all over the country - from some of the many people that made donations to the project. The shutters are really beautiful, and it is amazing the difference they make to the building. Our new paint scheme and the new shutters makes this nearly fifty-years-old building look practically brand new!

Among the celebrations the City of Natchez is preparing for (along with the three-hundred years anniversary celebration) is a not-yet-mentioned one. The Judge George W Armstrong Library will celebrate its 50th anniversary in June of 2015! We should have a party - and maybe we will!

And, now to the Librarians...

Bet you thought I forgot about them! They'll be back in town next week. There will be librarians from all around the State! school librarians; public librarians; university, community and junior college librarians; even special librarians. Now, you're probably thinking, "that's rude - aren't they all special"? Well, yes, but "special libraries" are those other than school, public, or college-level. The MS Department of Archives Library would be considered a "special library" - the library at a medical school would be a "special library" - a large attorney firm might have a law library that we would refer to as a "special library."

Anyway, the 500 member Mississippi Library Association will hold its Annual Conference in Natchez next week. Remember, they were here in 2004 and again in 2008 - and they're planning to come back  again in 2015. Hey, another party! Librarians love to come to Natchez, and we are all looking forward to their visit. They'll be here Tuesday - Friday. But, don't expect to be "shushed" - they'll be here having a good time.

And, they'll come by the Armstrong Library to see our new "look" - we'll be so proud! And so should you be. Thanks, one more time, to all that made a donation to the project! Come by and see the results of your generosity!

Annual Gathering of Friends

Every September, the Friends of the Library gather together to celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and announce the goals for the upcoming year. Usually we meet at the home of a member, but this year we decided to have an Open House at the Library to show it off to the community.

So please join us on Monday, September 17, 5:30 - 7 pm for this special Open House @ your Library, 220 South Commerce Street. Refreshments will be served. It is free and open to the public, although we hope you will become a member of the Friends of the Library. Be sure to bring your children - no one benefits more from a Library than children.

Most people have NO idea of all the services the Library provides. What better way to find out than to visit and see for yourself. Staff will be available to demonstrate all services and answer any questions. Here's a sample of what you may see:

• Of course, we have books! And magazines, newspapers, audio books, DVDs. It's all listed in our online catalog which you can access from anywhere - to search, renew, request materials. And if we don't have what you're looking for, we can probably get it for you.
• You can find out almost anything at your Library. Ask our Reference Librarian and she'll either answer your question or tell you how to find it. Although we have a large assortment of printed reference materials, most resources are online now. Many of these expensive resources are available for free through your Library.
• One of the most valuable resources is Learning Express Library, which has over 770 practice tests and tutorials for ACT/SAT, GRE, certification and licensing exams, and just about anything you need. We also have a special online course to learn a new language.
• We have lots of computers - including 3 that are just for young children, 2 just for teens, and 2 that are designed for reading newspapers online. We have copying and fax machines. We even have a typewriter!
• We have a genealogy and local history section that people from all over the country come to visit, including our microfilm collection and free access to expensive genealogy databases.
• The Children's section is wonderful and includes furniture and other fixtures designed for kids. There's a special section just for the very young child with a much used rocking chair. Of course, we have unbelievable programs for kids.
• Teens have their very own room that just has to be seen. Take a teen in there, and she may never leave!
• We also want to show off all the renovations. Our HVAC renovation is complete, so for the first time in years, we can guarantee it will be comfortable in the Library. You can see the progress of the exterior renovations, which is being funded by contributions from the community.
• Of course, there is much more, but you really have to come and see it for yourself. Even long time library users find stuff they never knew we had.

All you need to access all this is an absolutely free Library Card - and we'll happily give you one at the Open House.

See you @ your Library on Monday, September 17, 5:30 - 7 pm!

Shutters and Paint - Redux

People are asking why hasn’t the Painting / Shutter Project started, yet. Unfortunately there is not a good, concise answer - but here's the story.

As you may be aware, the City of Natchez owns the library building and is legally responsible for the maintenance of the building and property. We approached the City of Natchez and offered (what we thought was) a great DEAL – the Friends of the Library would pay for the Painting/Repairs/Shutters project if the City would follow the legal procedures necessary to select a contractor.

We began this project with that plan in mind. The City would determine what needed to be done and would secure the necessary cost estimates, following the procurement laws of the State of Mississippi - a procedure they follow regularly for any city-owned building. They select the contractor(s) and approve for the work to begin. The Friends of the Library raises the funds necessary and write the checks. Should be simple, right? Wrong!

After two months of getting prices and “negotiating” it occurred (to someone) that there may be lead-based paint on a 48 years old building! We were asked if we held “regular classes for children under the age of 6” to which I responded, “Classes?” The question was repeated. I responded that we have regular Mommy – Baby storytime every Tuesday morning and Pre-school/Daycare storytime every Wednesday morning – and we’re about to start Summer Library Program! I actually asked, “Public libraries – Children’s programming . . .  What do you think we do?!?!?!!!”

So, back to square one. <sigh>! It would seem the lead paint abatement is going to cost a chunk of money.  I asked, “How much?” and was given a general cost estimate. Then after I picked myself up off the floor, I was asked how much we had. I responded, “Not THAT much! And most of what we have is dedicated to the shutters!”

A bit of history here. We had asked the City of Natchez in early 2008 to get the exterior painting and repairs done before the planned Mississippi Library Association Annual Conference (held in October of that year). Well, it obviously didn’t happen. Now that the MLA Annual Conference will be back in Natchez in October of THIS year, we offered - and made - the DEAL , based on the cost estimate from the summer of 2008. Little did we realize how much damage four more years of neglect could cause.

So, while “Adopt a Needy Shutter” was an enormous success, our fundraising efforts are not over! We will continue to pursue the project, with phone calls to the City every few days, each asking the same question, “What’s the latest update on the cost projections?”

When (not IF) I get an answer, I’ll let you know. Rest assured, I am staying on top of this and I WILL NOT LET THE ISSUE DROP. Tenacious should be my middle name!

In the meantime, my sincere appreciation goes out to everyone that has made a donation and understands the important role the public library holds in every community! Thank you!

Making Your Library Beautiful

We want you to be proud of your Library building. Currently, the exterior is quite ugly since it has had little to no maintenance. However, the Friends of the Library embarked on an ambitious fundraising drive to raise the necessary funds for the renovations. Based on prior estimates, we set $30,000 as our goal - and we want the work finished by October 2012 when the Mississippi Library Association comes to Natchez.

We have more than achieved our goal! An anonymous donor offered us a challenge grant. If we could raise $15,000, they would match it. The Krewe of Fat Mamas partnered with the Friends and raised $4400. The Rotary Club of Natchez donated $5000. The Adopt a Shutter and Buy Your Library a Can of Paint raised $10,500. Along with some general donations (a couple as large as $500), we have raised a total of $19,760. Add that to the $15,000 from the challenge grant, and we have $34,760.

Although the Friends of the Library will be paying the bills, the City of Natchez must find and select the contractors. The City Inspector, who is in charge of this project, has told us it will cost far more than the $30,000 we originally estimated. (It seems these projects always seem to cost more than you expect!) So we are continuing to raise money. However, we have asked the City to proceed with awarding the contract and beginning the work. Hopefully, you will soon see people at work on the renovations!

As you may be able to tell from this picture (you can click on it to make it larger), we have two "parents" for each shutter. However, two donors wish to remain anonymous, so we have room for two more. But hurry, because they will be adopted soon!

We have raised $1,675 toward the $2,000 goal of paint donors, and we would love to add your name to the board.

Both of these boards are on display in the lobby of the Library, and we urge you to come see the names of all the members in our community who have contributed to make our Library beautiful again. We are overwhelmed by the awesome response!

WOW!!

Natchez is such a great community! We asked for help and are overwhelmed by the response. Let me tell you about it.

As everybody is well aware, the exterior of our Library is in deplorable shape and has been for quite some time. The shutters need to be repaired or replaced, and painted. The brick is in good shape, but all the wood needs to be repaired and painted. The windows and doors are also in poor condition. The Mississippi Library Association is coming to town in October, as they did in 2004 and 2008. How embarrassing it will be for them to see our poor Library still not painted!

The building belongs to the City of Natchez, who is responsible for its maintenance. Unfortunately, the City has no plans to perform the needed repairs. However, the Friends of the Library are riding to the rescue! They have developed a fundraising drive to pay for the restoration of the exterior of your Library. Since it will be a costly project, there are three parts to the drive.

1. The Friends are asking the people of the community to Adopt a Needy SHUTTER. We guessed that it will cost an average of $100 to restore a shutter, and we have 44. There is a mockup in the lobby of the Library showing who has adopted shutters. The donors' names will be inscribed on the shutters they adopted. So if you adopt a shutter, then years from now you can show your grandchildren which shutter was yours.

2. If adopting a shutter is too much for your budget, then you may want to Buy Your Library a Can of PAINT by donating $25. We're hoping to raise $1000 to buy 40 gallons of paint. Also in the Library's lobby is a poster showing our progress toward our goal.

3. Finally, there will be a special fundraising event later in the year. More details to come.

Because of restrictions in the Mississippi code, the Library itself cannot pay for capital improvements, so the City of Natchez must arrange for the work to be done - and the Friends of the Library will just pay the bill. The City has still not given us an estimate on the cost of the work. Based on an estimate we received about four years ago, we're guessing between $25,000 and $30,000 - or more! It sounds like a lot, but the building is in really bad shape.

Obviously, the amount raised through adopting shutters and buying paint ($5400) is only the beginning, and we were hoping to get the rest through our special event. However, someone is really looking out for us!!!

First,  an anonymous local donor has issued a challenge to us. If we can raise $15,000, he will match it with another $15,000. How awesome! Then the Krewe of Fat Mama's, which raises funds for a specific project each year, decided that fixing the exterior of the Library is their project for this year. They are partnering with the Friends to raise at least the $15,000.

We announced our fundraising drive about a week ago, and we have already sold all the shutters! The response from the community has been overwhelming. But we can't turn away the people who keep coming in with money to adopt shutters! So we're adopting a "co-parenting" scheme. Providing the original adoptive parents don't object, we're going to allow each shutter to have two adopters. And of course, we can take donations for paint indefinitely. Together, we can do this!

The staff of the Library, the Board of Trustees, and the Friends of the Library all want to say thank you to this community - you are truly wonderful.

How's the Weather in the Library?

Working thermostats!

What a mild Winter we have had! Even inside the Library! The repairs to the library's HVAC systems continue. Thank goodness we have had mild (more or less) days, as we had no air flow during December while the work was ongoing in the attic.

Ductwork was repaired and cabling was installed - as well as actual working thermostats! For years, the 27 - yes twenty-seven! - thermostats in the building were useless. Our only control for cool air was turning the chiller on and off. The heat could be somewhat controlled by adjusting the boiler water temperature. This was assuming the chiller or boiler were working - not a safe assumption much of the time.

We are awaing the installation of the new energy efficient boiler and the repairs to the chiller (the compressor and fans). All repairs should be completed by the end of March!

So, to celebrate, we are planning a big party! National Library Week is April 8-14, so look for updates for when our big "Come see our new Thermostats!" Open House is scheduled (probably during that week)!

Grant Sign in front of Library

Many of you wondered why we went so many years without repairing the system. It was because this was a very costly project, and the funds were simply not available. The total cost of the project was $206,634. Fortunately for us, the President and Congress passed the Stimulus Bill (officially the American Recovery & Reinvestment Act or ARRA) with monies allocated for energy efficiency projects. Thanks to Southwest Mississippi Planning and Adams County, we applied for and received a stimulus grant for $162,700. We still needed more to complete the project, so we asked, and Adams County and the City of Natchez each contributed an additional $18,000. The Library made up the difference of about $8000.

Then, on to the next project..... Anyone who has driven, walked, jogged, or passed by the library can attest that the building is in need of major painting! The shutters need to be repaired, and there is some exterior work needing to be accomplished.

And, even though the City of Natchez owns the library building, I made a deal. If the City would put up the funds (to match what the County agreed to pay) to get the repairs to the HVAC system complete, we would raise the funds to get the building painted and repaired. The City came out on the better end of that deal!

A friend of mine (a library director in another county) held a VERY successful fundraiser, which I plan to copy. It involves a party and wine - and should fit right in here in Natchez! Look for news to come on these plans.

In the meantime, rest assured that you don't have to call ahead to find out whether you need to dress in your snowsuit or your bikini in order to visit the library!

Natchez Teens Have a New Hangout!

Calling all Natchez Teens ages 13 to 18.

Do we have a place for you!

The new Teen Zone is awesome. We want to provide a really fun, safe place for teens to hang out, meet new friends, and learn new things - while being around positive role models who want them to succeed.

The new room will be painted in bright, eye catching colors. We have soft, comfortable chairs, a new colorful carpet, stackable chairs for events, and stools for quiet conversation or for reading your favorite books. A 46 inch tv, a Wii console with games, a popcorn machine, and a Kareoke machine will be used for special programming throughout the year. A large storage locker is filled with board games and craft supplies that can be accessed anytime by asking a librarian for assistance. Check out the new teen magazines: Teen Vogue, GamePro, Spin, Mad Magazine, something for everyone! There will also be two new computers with internet access that will be exclusively for the teens. NO ADULTS ALLOWED!!

Come check it out! Join us Thursday, October 28 at 3:30 pm for our Open House. Bring your parents, invite your teachers and school librarians -  this may be their one and only chance to step into the Teen Zone and see what the Armstrong Library has to offer. And be sure to bring all your friends.

The Teen Zone was made possible by funding under the Federal Library Services & Technology Act administered by the Mississippi Library Commission. Matching funds were provided by the Friends of the Library. At a time when libraries are struggling with cuts in funding, it would seem we always find a way to provide services to the public.

Click to see photo gallery of Teen Room Renovations.

We Feel Like We Won the Lottery

WOW! What a week! We found out that we have been awarded FIVE grants totaling $156,000. We are always applying for grants since we operate on a very tight budget, especially during these hard economic times. This week, we really lucked out.

HVAC Repairs - $136,000. If you use the Library, you know all the problems we have had with our antiquated heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system (HVAC). We knew there was federal stimulus money available for energy conservation, administered through the Mississippi Development Authority. The City of Natchez owns our building, but it could not apply for this particular grant because they had already applied (and received) one. Fortunately, Adams County agreed to apply for the grant on our behalf. We haven't even been officially notified yet, so we don’t know when the work will begin or how long it will take, but we will keep you updated. We are just thrilled to know we will soon be able to offer a comfortable environment to our patrons - not to mention our staff, computers, and books. (See the article in the Natchez Democrat.)

New Teen Room - $11,000. We are soon going to have the best Teen Room imaginable that may become the most popular place in town for local teenagers. Since more and more reference materials are becoming available online, we decided that we no longer need a room dedicated to reference materials. So that room will be transformed into the Teen Room, with new paint and cool furnishings. Books and other materials appropriate to teenagers will be shelved there, of course. There will also a TV that can be used to play WII games or watch movies, a computer, a craft area, and other enticements. For teens in our community, the Library will soon be equal to Fun! We hope for a grand opening in October.

Breaking News - $3,000  Right now the library subscribes to several print newspapers. Some popular out of town newspapers are either unavailable or arrive late. Most newspapers are also available online in a format that looks just like a regular newspaper. We are purchasing two special touch screen computers for the Dr Clifford Tillman Memorial Reading Room that will be for newspapers only. It may take some getting used to, but staff will be available to help and there are added benefits, such as accessing older issues and searching for certain topics. We will continue to subscribe to all print newspapers except the New York Times, which arrives a week late by mail and is costly. We will also be able to provide the Baton Rouge Advocate online, which was not available for delivery in our area.

New DVDs - $3,000  Video cassettes are outmoded now, so we have started ordering movies on DVD/Blue Ray. But it is expensive to build up a collection, and this grant will help us to get a jump start.

Time and Print Management Software - $3,000 We installed this software in the Armstrong Library, and it allows us to efficiently manage use and printing on our public computers. This grant will allow us to also provide this software to our branch libraries in Wilkinson County.

The last four grants are funded through the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) and administered by the Mississippi Library Commission.

More to Come  We are currently seeking proposals to complete the exterior repairs and painting our building so desperately needs. So soon your Library will look pretty again!

New Teen Room

It’s that time of year again – registration for the Summer Library Program is underway. The theme for this year’s program for children is Make a Splash – Read!

The Teen theme is Make Waves @ Your Library.




We are looking for a few good surfers to ride a really BIG wave – our new Teen Room! We have written a grant, which if funded, will furnish our room with all kinds of stuff: a Wii, games, a big-screen TV, comfy furniture, craft supplies, storage …. (the list goes on!). We hope to know by the end of this month if our grant (a Library Services and Technology Act grant administered through the Mississippi Library Commission) request is approved.

If our grant is funded, we'll need your help to design the new Teen room and to develop a new Teen program to go with it. We want this room to be a hangout for the teens of our community – for them to have a safe place to come, have fun, interact with other teens, study, and read – to find out that the Library is much more than a place to come when they have a school project to research or complete. We want this room to reflect the needs and wishes of our teens. What better way than to just ask? We have some ideas, but we want to know what the teens and the community think. Please email our Teen Librarian or call her at 601.445.8862 and let her know your ideas.

Check out the Teen section of our website for more information on the Teen Room and the Teen Summer Library Program.

Up and running!

Since the Library reopened March 29th, we have been thrilled with the response from patrons. Everyone who has walked in has just marveled at the openness and lightness of the space. Many have asked, "What did you do? This is amazing!" Really, the only new thing in the library is the carpeting - the open effect is simply a result of better use of the space. There are little seating areas that were created by spacing the bookshelves so that the windows are visible as one looks down the rows.

Removing the curtains has also opened up the space wonderfully. There will be some type of clear UV protection on the windows, but no curtains. Our surrounding views are stunning - and having them visually available has been a huge improvement.

Of course, we are far from finished. The Nonfiction Section is finally open, and our Geneaology Section is up and running again, although not totally complete yet. It also has a much improved layout which makes it easier to use. When the former reference room is finally cleared out, the new Teen Zone will take shape. We are planning new furnishings for the space with the help of a grant applied for through the Mississippi Library Commission. New furnishings are on order for the former periodicals room, the new Dr Clifford Tillman Memorial Reading Room, thanks to the many donations given in his name. The dedication is scheduled for 2 pm on Tuesday, May 11 during our Open House. We hope you'll stop by and see how nice your library is looking.
Here are the most recent pictures. Click on the arrow to replay the slide show, or click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)

Spring Cleaning at the Library

Lots of people have stopped me to ask if we are finished, yet. The short answer is “No!” – but what they generally mean is, “Are you open, yet?” That answer is “Yes!” – but, again, with a clarification. Not all of our collections are ready and available. We still have some spring cleaning to do.

Nonfiction is one area we are giving special attention to. Our circulation statistics (check outs!) show we check out nearly four times the number of adult fiction titles than nonfiction. This, obviously, is an indication that the majority of our patrons prefer fiction. So, we are evaluating many of the items in the nonfiction area to see if we still need them. In library-lingo that means we are weeding our collection. Merriam-Webster defines weed(ing) as

“to clear of weeds, to free from something hurtful or offensive, to remove the less desirable portions of, to get rid of (something harmful or superfluous).”

When we weed, we are removing the less desirable portions of a collection. The criteria we use are standards. We check our database and find (1) the subject, (2) the publication date, (3) the last time the item was checked out, (4) the number of times an item was checked out, and (5) the condition of the item. Different subjects have differnt standards. For example, a title related to history would be considered very differently from a book with medical or scientific information.

Other collections that still need spring cleaning are Reference, Teen, and Genealogy. The Reference collection is currently being evaluated in the same manner as Nonfiction. The Teen area will be the last to be addressed as it will move into the former Reference Room, which is still full of books. An interesting aside to that room is that a friend of mine, who is a retired librarian, was in town last week. She came by to see how the library looked and was delighted to find that the Reference Room is going to be our new Teen Room. She had started her library career here under Miss Gralow and was here when the Armstrong Library was built. Apparently, that room was originally intended to be a Teen Room, but was, instead, designated for use as a Reference Room. How’s that for some trivia?

The Genealogy area is currently being used for storage of unused shelving. However, we hope to have that area cleaned up and that collection available for use by the end of next week. The Jersey Settlers are scheduled to meet here on April 24, so we have to have that area ready by then!

This project has been HUGE, but worth it. Our sore muscles have sore muscles, but we are very satisfied with the results. The building has a definite airiness and is welcoming now. All the comments we have received have been positive. We certainly appreciate all the patience our patrons have allowed with this project. It is never a good thing to be closed – not even for one week, much less two – but all aspects of the project conspired against us being able to reopen in a more timely manner. Thank you.

BTW – next week is the “official” National Library Week. We will have some activities, but we are waiting to hold OUR National Library Week and Open House when we have all the interior work completed. That includes all the collections in place and the furniture ordered for the Dr. Clifford Tillman Memorial Reading Room delivered. We expect our Open House will be held during the first or second week in May. Come by and see the changes – we hope you like what we’ve done!

A library in Indiana was undergoing renovations, which of course took longer than expected. To keep everyone in good spirits during the wait, they made this video. Check it out - it's hilarious.

Opening Day at the Library

As promised, your Library is finally open again - after two hellacious weeks. Unfortunately, not all the sections are ready to be used.

Upstairs, the Meeting Room, hallway, and foyer are ready, so AARP can do taxes here this week. The US Census Bureau is also using the room to give tests to potential employees. The Children's Section is also ready for the little ones, and we'll have our regular storytimes this week. However, our very popular Genealogy Section is not ready yet and neither is the microfilm.

Downstairs, the Check In/Out  and Information desk are set up. Most of the books in Fiction and Large Print are reshelved and ready for you to browse. Audios and Videos are also ready. The New Books are reshelved. And most importantly, all our downstairs Computers are set up and ready for patrons. The Dr T Memorial Reading Room is usable but the renovations are not complete. Reference and Biographies have not been reshelved, and the Teens Room is still full of books and unavailable.

It may seem like a lot is not ready yet, but we worked seven days a week for the two weeks we were closed and did the best we could. We will try to make the other sections available as soon as possible, but remember that we are working on it while we're open, so it may take a while. Please be patient - we want our Library back to normal as much as you do.

Everybody who has come in today says the Library looks beautiful - and we agree.

Here are the most recent pictures. Click on the arrow to replay the slide show, or click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)

We WILL Reopen on Monday

We will reopen on Monday, March 29. However, not all the sections of the Library will be ready. We will be working over the weekend and will try to get as much done as possible. Look at the pictures at the end of this post. They were taken at 3:30 pm Friday. When you come in Monday, you can see how far we've come.

We're going to have new signage all over the Library. You can see some examples in the pictures. We ordered the frames, and I am making the inserts. Unfortunately, not all the frames have arrived yet, but we did put up the ones we had. That was my job today - sure beats reshelving books! The design comes from the catalog where we ordered the frames. The pictures are mostly of Library Staff. I had a really good time chasing down reluctant Staff and taking their pictures. They all felt they looked sweaty and grubby. However, I thought I made them all look pretty good. You can check them out yourself and see what you think.

This is the last post on Renovations before reopening, but I will be updating you on how the unfinished sections look as they are completed.

Here are the most recent pictures. Click on the arrow to replay the slide show, or click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)

Making Progress

We are happy to announce that the workers are finished and gone! The only people here now are Library Staff and a few volunteers. We are busy cleaning, reshelving, putting bookcases together, and rearranging furniture, equipment, and collections.

We're feeling more confident that we'll really open on Monday, March 29 at 9 am. We really appreciate the patience of our patrons and apologize for the convenience. We're also grateful for the support of the Natchez Democrat for helping us to get the news out. If you missed them, here are the articles: March 5, March 16, March 21, March 22, and March 24. We also appreciate the help of the City Department of Public Works, which provided us with a trailor for storage and sent over every day a member of their staff accompanied by trustees to help us with the heavy lifting.

Here are the most recent pictures. Click on the arrow to replay the slide show, or click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)

Oh No! We Won't Be Open Til Monday

I know this sounds like a broken record, but we have to postpone opening again! This time our scheduled opening is Monday, March 29. But you can depend on this one - I think.

Except for a few touch ups, the carpeting is finished - yeah! The baseboards are now installed, which means we can put all the bookcases in place. On the side of the Library that houses Fiction and Nonfiction, the bookcases are now all situated correctly - as they are in the back part of the Children's Section. Progress!

I work in the Business Office of the Library and am usually not allowed out of my glass cage to deal with books. (See pictures) But today I was helping to shelve the books in the Children's Section and developed a real appreciation for how time consuming that is. However, because of (or maybe in spite of) my help, Children's Fiction is completely reshelved. We also finished audio visual, but there aren't that many. It is very rewarding to finally finish one collection.

I have to feel sorry for those working downstairs. They started with Adult Fiction, which is far and away the largest collection - so they haven't had the experience of completing a collection. But once Fiction is complete, it will be downhill from there.

Wait, I take that back. Large Print is complete. It has been moved. It is now in between Fiction and Non Fiction. While waiting for the rest of the shelves in that area to be put in place, the Staff was able to reshelve Large Print.

If you had a book due at some point while we were closed, don't worry about it. There will be NO fines charged all next week - no matter when the book was due.

You may have noticed that our book drop has not been open. That is because we have no way to process any books, since none of the computers are available. Plus, we were afraid books in the book drop would get mixed up with other books or get lost altogether. So just hang onto your books and bring them in any time next week.

Here are the most recent pictures. Click on the arrow to replay the slide show, or click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)

It's Monday and We're Still Closed

Today was the day we originally planned on opening. Ha! If you look at the pictures, you'll see why that wasn't possible. But we are bound and determined to be open Wednesday, although we definitely won't be anywhere near to being finished. What a project this has been!

I was the lucky one and got to stay home for the weekend, but everybody else was here on Saturday and Sunday. It is going to take a long time to get all the books back where they belong, because after tomorrow, the work will have to go on while we're open to the public.

We are taking this opportunity to do some serious "weeding". That is Libraryspeak for removing outdated and unused books. Usually, weeding is a very methodical process. But there is no time for the methodology in this chaos. So once this is over, you might find some very good deals in the Friends of the Library twice monthly Book Sales.

The day we are opening is a Wednesday - and that's the day AARP is here doing taxes. We are hoping their room will be available. If you were planning on coming, check back here tomorrow for our final decision. It will definitely be held - but it might be moved.

Wednesday is also Children's Storytime, but that is definitely being canceled. In fact, all our Children's Librarians will be in Jackson that day in a workshop preparing for the Summer Library Program. When it rains, it pours!

We invite you all to come by on Wednesday, so you can see how pretty your Library is going to look - even if it is not quite finished yet.

Here are the most recent pictures. Click on the arrow to replay the slide show, or click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)

Thank Goodness It's Friday

Of course, work will continue over the weekend in our frantic effort to get open again. Still, it's nice to have the week over.

Library Staff is back at work again. This morning they cleaned and arranged the shelves in the Fiction and Nonfiction Sections. The carpeting is laid, but the baseboards still need to be put up. For reasons that totally escape us, the work crew will not put up the baseboards until they finish all the carpeting. That means we can't put bookcases against the wall. Our Staff will start replacing books, but it's very difficult when you don't have all the shelves in place. Just typical of this whole experience.

The whole idea was to carpet one section at a time. We would pack up and clean out a section, and the work crew would move in and complete it. Then we could go to the completed section and put it back together. Of course, we completed packing up the entire Library before the crew even finished carpeting the first section. Now that we've found out the baseboards won't be in until the end, it sort of messes up the whole system even further.

There is one part of this project that has been great. The Mississippi Library Commission has sent three consultants on Library design and layout to work with us during this process, and they have been great. Not only did they do our layout, but they have helped us with all the dirty work as well. Plus, they're just a lot of fun to be around.

And the Library Staff have been real troopers. Although they enjoyed the unexpected two days off, it also means they'll be working over the weekend. When we finally open again, you may find the Staff is a little bleary eyed and suffering from multiple muscle aches and pains.

Here is a slideshow of the pictures from today. Click on any picture to go to the online album with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see the pictures.)

Trials and Tribulations

As many of you know. AARP is at the Library all day every Wednesday doing taxes. Originally we planned on letting them come even though we were closed, since they cannot afford to miss a day. Then we decided it was just too crazy here - and we needed the Meeting Room to store books. Fortunately, we have some very nice neighbors. The Presbyterian Church Child Care Center is right next door, and it had a spare room and a wireless internet connection. So we were able to send everyone over there.

That was the good news - and it was downhill from there. The Fiction and Nonfiction Sections were supposed to be complete by the end of the day Tuesday, so Library staff could start first thing Wednesday replacing books on the shelves. However, it was not close to being finished. So most of the Library staff got the day off on Wednesday, since there was nothing they could do. They deserved it - since they'd been doing constant phyical labor for days.

Most of the Library staff were told to stay home again today, since that section still wasn't finished. That was good news for the staff, but bad news for the Library. It will be Friday before books can even begin to be replaced - and it will take several days to complete the reshelving. What that means is that there is no way we'll be able to open on Monday, as planned.

Our new target date for opening in Wednesday, March 24. However, we will not have full services. We will be open for AARP tax services, and we hope to have internet service. After that, we'll provide whatever we can - but expect limited service at least through the end of the week.

A word of warning: the Library is filthy - the dust that was under the old carpeting is all over the place. It will probably take a while to finally clean it all up.

Once this is all over, I know we're all going to enjoy our renovated Library - so hang in there.

The latest set of pictures are below. Click on any picture to go to the online photos with captions. (If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog post to see the pictures.)

Our Library is a Mess

What were we thinking? This is such an undertaking - and nothing goes smoothly, not even lunch. We sent out for pizza. When it hadn't arrived in an hour, we called back. They lost our order, so we tried again. After another hour, it finally arrived. When Susan finally arrived in the lunch area, there was only one piece left. The workers were really starving! However, the pizza guy forgot his phone, and when he came to get it, he brought Susan another pizza - for free.

The most interesting thing to me was watching the bookshelves get moved. Those things are gigantic - check the pictures below. The workers attached wheels to a bunch of short 2X4s. Next they tilted and lifted the bookcase back and slid the wheels underneath. Then the 2X4s had to be centered under the bookcase. Finally, they screwed long 2x4s along each side of the bookcase to hold it steady and keep the bookcase from falling off. Then they rolled the bookcases to the other side of the Library. This all took at least 30 minutes. Then they moved on to the next book case. They'll have to go through the same process when they move them back.

Meanwhile, Library staff was working a few shelves ahead of the movers - packing and organizing all the books. The books had to be stored in rooms that weren't being carpeted - or in the trailer behind the library.

At some point, it was discovered that the area we thought was being carpeted was not what the city ordered. Panic! The area where all the fiction and nonfiction books were shelved - the area where the workers were busily moving shelves - had tiles, not carpeting. We thought the carpeting would extend into that area. But the City only bid out to replace existing carpeting. We had to carpet that area now that it was all torn up. Who knows how it will be paid for. We'll worry about that tomorrow.

We took this opportunity to put a fresh coat of paint on most walls, clean all the windows, and launder the curtains. It's going to look really nice - if we survive.

As I'm writing this, Library staff have packed everything downstairs. All the furniture has been moved to one side, and the carpeting has begun. There is an army of people up here on the second floor, starting the whole process again. The good news is that the bookcases are not as tall up here.

Did you see the nice article in the Democrat? Check it out - there were some good pictures.

Here's our new set of pictures. Click on any picture to go to the online album with captions, If you're reading this on Facebook, you'll have to go to the original blog to see them.

The Renovations Begin

If you came to the Library Saturday, you might have wondered what was going on. Staff was already hard at work packing up. In order to remove the old Gustav damaged carpeting and replace it with new carpeting, everything has to be packed up and moved out of the way. This is a major undertaking, to say the least.

We have 50,000 books to pack and move - and they must be kept in order and labeled, so we can put them back in the right place. Then those very heavy bookcases must be moved. Plus we have tons of electronic equipment to be disconnected and put away - and bunches of desks, tables, and chairs. It's quite overwhelming!

The work began in earnest the minute the Library closed at 1 pm on Saturday and continued all day Sunday. The pictures below show the progress made so far. I'll try to update the blog each day so you can keep up. (I get to stay in my office and do office work, while the others slave away. Aren't I lucky?)

Click on any picture to go to the online album with captions.