Sunday, December 30, 2007
Happy New Year!
This has been a great year for the Bedford Public Library. 2008 promises to be even better with the design and renovation of the new library. The library will close at 5 pm on New Year's Eve and re-open on Wednesday, January 2nd. Stop by the library before 5 pm , if you need reading materials or a great movie to start the New Year right! We will be showing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on Wednesday, January 2nd at 2 PM in the Bonnie Finn Room. Bring the whole family for popcorn and a cinematic adventure!
Thursday, December 27, 2007
I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship. **
We’ve got a myspace page! Right now we’ve only got a few friends – mostly other libraries, authors and publishers. But we want to be your friend too. So check out our page, post what you think, and spread the word! We’re at http://www.myspace.com/bedfordlibrary
** - - Humphrey Bogart in the movie Casablanca (1942).
** - - Humphrey Bogart in the movie Casablanca (1942).
Friday, December 21, 2007
Holiday Spirit & Library Hours
It has been an incredibly crazy week with Christmas just around the corner. 190 children and parents attended the Miss Carrie's Christmas Story Time program earlier this month. Christmas Carol the Elf delivered 87 letters to Santa. Just imagine, Santa took time to write a personal response to each child. It is a lot of fun to work at the library! For those of you looking for the Christmas tree, it is in the Bonnie Finn Room. Next year, we will put the Christmas tree back in the lobby.
The library will close today at 12:00 pm for the annual employee luncheon. The library will re-open Saturday and Sunday at the regular hours. We will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year.
The library will close today at 12:00 pm for the annual employee luncheon. The library will re-open Saturday and Sunday at the regular hours. We will be closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New year.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Library Journal Design Institute: Going Green
I recently attended the Library Journal Design Institute: Going Green in Chicago. The Design Institute is offered free of charge to librarians who are in the process of building a new library. The North Texas Regional Library System paid for my travel expenses. In return, I have to conduct two workshops for area libraries on what I learned at the Design Institute.
The Design Institute was held at the downtown Chicago Public Library located on 400 S. State Street. It is the largest library in the world! If you ever go to Chicago, you need to see it. The library houses over 7 million materials. Patrons use escalators and elevators to move from floor to floor. As a librarian, it was wonderful just to sit in it.
Our new library project was selected for a focus group based on the challenges that we face with the new Food Lion. I was pleased to learn that by purchasing an existing building, we have already implemented a major green element by recycling. The adaptive reuse of the Food Lion will have a smaller impact on the environment since we will not be using a large amount of natural resources to build a new library.
Denelle Wrightson from PSA-Dewberry looked at the Food Lion and suggested Green solutions for solving problems. She used a covered patio to shade the front of the library from the west sun. The north side of the building was lined with windows to let in natural light without creating hotspots or glare. Landscaping was introduced throughout the parking lot to eliminate the heat island effect. High windows would be placed along the south side and strategically placed sky lights would be put in the roof. Light monitors would be installed to automatically adjust light as needed.
In order to reduce utilities, PSA-Dewberry suggested installing a Geothermal System which uses the earth to heat and cool a building. This would reduce our energy use by 50%. A highly reflective roof, would also reduce energy consumption. She also suggested harvesting water through a cistern to irrigate the landscaping. It was exciting to see all the different ways that green design elements can be used to make our new library beautiful, energy efficient and minimize our impact on the surrounding environment.
The Design Institute was held at the downtown Chicago Public Library located on 400 S. State Street. It is the largest library in the world! If you ever go to Chicago, you need to see it. The library houses over 7 million materials. Patrons use escalators and elevators to move from floor to floor. As a librarian, it was wonderful just to sit in it.
Our new library project was selected for a focus group based on the challenges that we face with the new Food Lion. I was pleased to learn that by purchasing an existing building, we have already implemented a major green element by recycling. The adaptive reuse of the Food Lion will have a smaller impact on the environment since we will not be using a large amount of natural resources to build a new library.
Denelle Wrightson from PSA-Dewberry looked at the Food Lion and suggested Green solutions for solving problems. She used a covered patio to shade the front of the library from the west sun. The north side of the building was lined with windows to let in natural light without creating hotspots or glare. Landscaping was introduced throughout the parking lot to eliminate the heat island effect. High windows would be placed along the south side and strategically placed sky lights would be put in the roof. Light monitors would be installed to automatically adjust light as needed.
In order to reduce utilities, PSA-Dewberry suggested installing a Geothermal System which uses the earth to heat and cool a building. This would reduce our energy use by 50%. A highly reflective roof, would also reduce energy consumption. She also suggested harvesting water through a cistern to irrigate the landscaping. It was exciting to see all the different ways that green design elements can be used to make our new library beautiful, energy efficient and minimize our impact on the surrounding environment.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Holiday Fun
Miss Carrie's Story Time
You are invited to Miss Carrie's Christmas Story Time on Thursday, December 6 at 6:30 pm. Santa's elf, Christmas Carol, will visit us all the way from the North Pole. Bring your letters for Santa Claus and she will deliver them directly to Santa. Enjoy stories, crafts and hot chocolate! Thank you to the Friends of the Library, Starbucks of Bedford and Starbucks of Euless on Main for sponsoring this enchanted evening.
Movies @ the Bedford Public Library
Bored kids? Join us for free family movies while school is out. Movies will be shown in the Bonnie Finn Room and start at 2:00 pm.
You are invited to Miss Carrie's Christmas Story Time on Thursday, December 6 at 6:30 pm. Santa's elf, Christmas Carol, will visit us all the way from the North Pole. Bring your letters for Santa Claus and she will deliver them directly to Santa. Enjoy stories, crafts and hot chocolate! Thank you to the Friends of the Library, Starbucks of Bedford and Starbucks of Euless on Main for sponsoring this enchanted evening.
Movies @ the Bedford Public Library
Bored kids? Join us for free family movies while school is out. Movies will be shown in the Bonnie Finn Room and start at 2:00 pm.
- Wednesday, December 26: Shrek the Third
- Thursday, December 27: Evan Almighty
- Friday, December 28: Ratatouille
- Wednesday, January 2: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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