The Library...Before & After!

The school year is upon us and I am finally ready! Well, the library is ready. I don't really want to be back at work but I will be tomorrow whether I want to or not. In the afternoon we have our whole staff meeting and the part-time library aid Deb will be there. She hasn't been in at all this summer and I'm pretty excited/nervous to show her what we've done. She had a pretty tough last year with the old librarian and ended up moving her desk out of the library and doing all of her projects for teachers in the lounge. I hope we have a much different experience together! Here are the pics of how things looked when she left and how they look now.....

I posted this pic a while back-it's the view straight ahead from the check-out desk.


The view I have now! Ahead is the non-fiction section. You can see the coffeehouse area along the back wall.


This is what you would see when you looked to the left of the check-out desk.


What you see now is the last non-fiction case (marked #2 right now) and the beginning of the fiction section. There is a 10 foot space between sections. Enough room to still have a small group of students meet if needed!


This view is like you're standing between the maroon and teal pillars shown in the above pictures and looking at the check-out desk. The door open on the left is the storage room.


What it looks like now-this time the fiction section is on the right of the pic and the non-fiction is on the left.


Looking at the check-out desk head on. The middle three brown cupboards on the back wall will be removed (soon, I hope!) and several computers and a printer will be set up.


Looking at the check-out desk head on now. My friend Charity's daughter is sitting at the desk. I let her help me check-in some books but not too many because that's one of my new favorite things to do!


This was wasted space before-full of old stuff that wasn't being used.


Now it's going to be used by the Technology Assistant with a few computers. Steve (the principal) says she won't be around much as her job will be with the laptop carts around the building. But if she is, I get to work on practicing patience. She tends to wear on the nerves a bit. In the past she has browsed through my pics when working on my computer and today she was sticking her nose over my shoulder while I was checking a message on my phone!


If you were to turn to the right just a bit standing in this place you would see the space between sections and the check-out desk. The antique book poster says "Be Kind to Books Club--Are You a Member??"


The pillar on the opposite side. That old poster says, "September-Back to Work, Back to School, Back to BOOKS!"


This is a "classroom" area next to the fiction section. The desk in the corner is for the poor fitness instructor-because there's no where else for her/him to go. Not sure that will be the best place, but that's how it has to be for now.


This is the "classroom" area beside the non-fiction section. That's my old teaching partner and school Mama, Jeannette. She was setting up a jewelry party that Charity hosted in the new space.


Across from that area is the coffeehouse space. It still needs some tweaking and I'd like more funky furniture, but it will work for now!


This was my sweet find in Sheridan on Friday. The table and chairs sit behind the couch and will be a perfect spot for an adult to work one-on-one with a student!


I don't have any before pics of the storage area-but it's our office now and I love the space. Before it was piled high with junk and there was no space to move. We took out two sets of shelves on each side and I rearranged all of the "stuff" into new places. Mom helped me hem some fabric and I used velcro to stick up on the open cupboards.


Another teacher was getting rid of their computer table and I grabbed it right up! The right side will be for Deb to do projects. The left side is where my laptop will sit and I will do lesson planning. And on the very left, you see the server computer for the entire school which has to stay. Bleh. Beside it is a new Dell just for Deb to use-a treat for her since she used to check her email and such on the student computers! We are putting another computer table up there but Shaun said he needed a break from Conestoga and I agreed!


I am sad to be leaving Ry again but she will be in good hands with her Mema tomorrow and throughout the year. I don't have many pics of her lately, but I will have to get after that and post them soon. If you think of it, please be praying for a smooth start to the school year for me, my co-workers and our students. We have a big job ahead of us!