Feature in Gazette

Back for a new school year, and on my return it was pleasing to find that we've had a short article about the library published in the CILIP Gazette which was a very welcome find.

In the Press

A couple of pictures and articles appeared in the press today, like the one below from the Suffolk Free Press. Also there is a good article that the Evening Star published.

Anglia TV

There was a short feature about the re-opening broadcast on local TV this evening.

Thank you's....

This is the time when everyone who has been connected with the project has their moment of praise. Apologies for anyone I have neglected to mention, but this has not been intentional...

Credit is given to the following companies who's professionalism and expertise made this project a joy to undertake:

• Demco Interiors - Library design, furniture, counter and shelving
• Alan C Keeble - All building works
• Pitt & Abbott - All electrical works, lighting, networking and cabling issues
• Wood & Race - All decorating
• Lionel Hatch Flooring - All carpeting
• Van Cols Photography - Graphic End Panels
  
• Sign Dynamics - Other Signage
• Threshers
  
• IKEA
  

To the following individuals and groups I'd like to mention a special thank you:

• Jackie - For keeping me on track and allowing me not to spend too much over the budget!
• Cathy - For your faith in me and allowing me to get the project started and seeing it through to completion
  
• Pauline - For your patience, ideas, advice and support
• Lionel - For all your extra work that you've put into the project - I REALLY appreciate it
• Liz & Paul @ SLS - For your guidance with the planning and continued support during the project
  
• Janet - For your help with packing the library up (and unpacking it) and to Tony for the excellent lunches and for the transport!
• Moya & Jane - The colours really work - the long meetings were worth it!
  
• The English Department - For your support and patience especially at times while in the temporary library which I know hasn't been always easy!
• Stella & Judy - For all your work on the Courtyard - It looks wonderful
  
• Student Library Monitors - For all your help looking at the plans and suggesting improvements and for moving the stock
• John - The champagne was a wonderful gesture - it went down a storm!
  
• Mike & Deborah, Colin & Julie, Craig & Sarah, Eileen, Neil M, James, Rita & Anthony and my other friends and family - For putting up with me continually rambling on to you about "Library Refurbishment" for many months. You were always too kind and polite to say, "Craig, we've heard enough - start talking about something else!" when may be you really should have.

Success!

This afternoon was filled with success. Our re-opening went outstandingly well, mainly due to the students - the library monitors and school council who helped everything to run so smoothly, from ushering guests to and from the library, to pouring and serving refreshments and demonstrating the listening post.

It was wonderful to celebrate the opening of the new library and to see the hard work being seen by all. This is really only the start of the journey of this new library... But that is for another blog that can't really be completed in the 35 or so posts added here.

Our guest speaker, Francis Wheen, really made the afternoon and was entertaining but made serious points about the value of having a school library.

These events really marks the end of this blog, and we have now made our path to a new school library, it is now the way in which this path is guided and which way it turns in the future will be the real measure of success for our students and staff. After I have had some time to reflect, I'll do an evaluation of the project has a whole and add it here.

Here are several photos taken this afternoon... I think they speak for themselves

Grand Re-opening Tomorrow

It didn't come as a surprise but today has been very hectic in preparing for the re-opening tomorrow afternoon. I've spent today putting up some displays (with the help of my volunteer) clearing out the library office and having a general tidy up to make the library look at least reasonably attractive! My PC has nearly been restored - I've written nearly. as I can access the library automation software, but there is a problem with the network link so I'm without e-mail and internet access, but I'm told this will be rectified tomorrow morning. The afternoon was spent taking the blue boxes that had housed the fiction so well in when we were over in the temporary library, back down to the public library ready for collection later in the week. Demco came in and finished off the jobs that needed doing and finally we now have some wooden furniture for the courtyard. Another couple of things cleared off the list.

Phew. Early night tonight. Hopefully masses of photographs to add tomorrow.

Fiction Stock in - Careers Material much improved!

I can't believe it has been over a week since I last updated this blog. Time flies. I won't say "when you're having fun" as yesterday must have been one of the most stressful days of this project (so far!) but enough said about that.

Over the last couple of days I have been slowly moving back from the temporary library and with it has brought all of the fiction stock. Again, my excellent volunteer Janet, came into school to give me a hand - We decided to shelve all of the fiction first (after I 'encouraged' some Year 8 students to bring over the crates! Never heard such a fuss - several of them had to sit down after carrying over a box!), then add the new stock and taking out the duplicate copies if they were tatty (99% were!). I then did a thorough edit of the fiction stock and quite honestly, I am now proud of this section - there's obviously some development needed put it looks good. I am keeping the stained and torn Horowitzs, Wilsons and Shans as these are the most popular authors, but in the library office - so should a very eager reader want to borrow one, and it is on loan they can at least have that.
Joy from Connexions has been busy sorting out the Careers section and done some sterling work today. I can feel that this section of the library is now "on the up" and look forward to developing this area in the future.

The plan for Monday is to be spent tidying up, the Courtyard furniture is also due to be delivered and installed. Demco are due back to sort out a few minor problems, so hopefully on the Tuesday re-launch everything will be perfect. Rewrite - everything WILL be perfect!

Finishing Off and preparing for the grand launch

I've been spending the last few days really tying up lots of small jobs, which have been not particularly interesting. The non-fiction has been re-stocked, Demco are coming back on July 16th (nail biting as this is the day before the official re-launch) to put a few things right, such as replacing the kidney shaped table that arrived scratched and correcting the shelving which was imperfect. The Courtyard is seriously taking shape now with many plants appearing thanks to the hard work from the science department. I've got to sort out the tables and benches and the signage for the shelving over the next few days. I had a very fruitful meeting this afternoon that will hopefully land us with some more funding for stock, from an external source and have hopefully made an arrangement to acquire some more fiction stock too.

The re-stocking of the fiction stock will happen now towards the end of next week. One of the science staff has kindly promised to "loan" me her Year 10 class to move all the books over from the temporary library to the new one, which will really help me.

Re-stocking!

Great news... The PCs were installed yesterday and today my (excellent) volunteer and I started restocking the non-fiction stock. I was glad that the calculations had been successful and we had ample space. The sequencing does seem logical, well to me anyway - trust me I'm a Librarian!

The next task will be putting the fiction into order and shelving this, but for various reasons (too trivial to go into detail here) won't happen until the week after next.

It's starting to look good though, isn't it?

Installation complete. No commentary really necessary!

Installation Almost Complete

A lot of progress has been made today - all of the shelving has been built and bolted together and the computer desking has also been added. There have been problems with the listening post - this refuses to open to allow us to put CDs in! The pin boards arrived which were the wrong size - but quickly rectified by sending a courier with the replacements. I was amazed at the speed these arrived. The finishing touches will be added tomorrow, such as building the book returns trolley and some wall mounted shelving... and hopefully we'll find a solution to the non-opening listening post.

The whole library is looking really good. I'm so pleased that it is progressing so well.... and the colours do work after all that uncertainty (and sleepless nights) earlier in the year.

Shelving & Furniture Beginning to be Installed... The Library is starting to look like one!

This day has been been waiting to happen for a long time. After 9 or so months I am finally seeing the plans being put into practice. The furniture and shelving was delivered this morning, and throughout the day it has been assembled and put into place. It should all be finished tomorrow afternoon.

Our trusted Electricians are back adding an extra network port, cabling and sockets for the library counter.

Shelving is beginning to take shape

Trust these characters to barge in right in the middle of the installation just to test out the "pebbles"!!!. I'll forgive them this time, but if I find any coffee stains anywhere I'll know who to blame!

Flooring

Over the weekend the floor was screeded (much to my surprise) and the second coat was added this morning. The carpet has also been laid today. After that its just the case of waiting until next Monday when all of the shelving and furniture arrives... I'm starting to get very excited!

A Blank Canvas

I have returned from my trip to France with Yr 8, which can be described - as enjoyable, exhausting but fullfilling. Luckily we all came back with all 43 students but I had the addition of several bottles of wine and a stinking cold.... But enough of my problems! The good news is that I came back to a completely blank canvas in the library. The decorators have worked hard this week and the walls, woodwork, ceiling and metal pillars have now been painted. This is excellent news as the floor will be screeded next week and the carpet arrived too... We're all on track for when the furniture arrives on 25 June.

Didn't think much was going to happen today!

Not a lot went on in the library this morning, and actually I wasn't expecting anything to happen for the rest of this week as the electricians are due back in a couple of weeks to finish off and install network ports for the library counter and the carpet fitter is due in next week. I just happened to pop into the library this afternoon and to my surprise both an electrician (Adam) and carpetfitter (Lionel) were in. The carpet is being pulled up leaving behind what I'm told is a non-toxic dust and the network and electricity sockets will also be finished.

Building work complete!

Forget all those stereotypical views of builders that you may have. This builder has delivered not just on time, but ahead of schedule We're now able to get on with removing the carpet, the decorators are due in next week, then the new carpet is being laid and after that the library furniture is being installed.

I'm afraid this Librarian is jetting off abroad again. This time it is officially abroad - I'm going to France with 43 Year 8 students (and 4 other members of staff I may add) on Monday and hopefully when I get back on Friday the walls will have transformed to a cream colour and the doors changed from black to blue.

Le French Connection!

On returning from the Isle of Wight (or as one of my friends commented "going abroad") we seem to have developed a French theme here in the library. I have a sneaky suspicion, our builder Mr Keeble does actually enjoy having his photo taken. Here he is again by the recently re-sited heating pipes that were moved yesterday evening. Otherwise the majority of the building work is now complete - the plastering has been finished, pipes boxed in and the door has been given an undercoat.

Someone is proud of his cement work...

Measuring up for the cabling ready for the network ports...

Finishing off with adding new electricity sockets for the new PCs ...

Building Work (Day 5) - Lights are also being fitted now!

Lionel (who does an exceptional amount of work for us in school in his own time) has started digging out an area for where a ramp will be situated shortly for access to the Courtyard.

Most of the lights have now been replaced and the network ports have begun to be added...

There's even time for a coffee break today! Thanks to Pauline, who has highly developed catering skills!

There's good news that the two heating pipes found on Saturday can be removed, so the area will be completely open.

Watch out for an update on Tuesday, as this Librarian deserves a holiday and will be back next week...

Electricians are in (Building - Day 4)

Today the lights have been removed and that's why there are wires just randomly hanging from the ceiling...






And as a special treat
for the person who has been leaving comments
about the builder's braces...
Here you go, here they are again in their full glory, right by the newly fitted door that leads to the Courtyard.

Steady Progress Being Made (Building - Day 3)

The next "big" thing on the building list is on it's way to being completed. The library has two central pillars (one that is structural and the other is a mains pipe; both of which cannot be removed or easily re-sited). The problem is that they are not parallel with each other, which is not just impractical but also unsightly. The builder is currently adding a stud-wall structure around both of them and this will then be used to attach a newspaper stand.

Some other good news; the electricians are in and are going to start work earlier than scheduled and will shortly start replacing lights and adding network ports, as the building work is well ahead of schedule.

The picture below isn't library related in the least, but a lovely sight to see on my walk home. Makes me feel lucky to be living in rural Suffolk.

Yesterday we lost walls - today we've gained one (Building - Day 2)

The pace of the building works continues to impress, as a wall has been added to replace an interconnecting door that went to a classroom - which had no soundproofing whatsoever!

Mr & Mrs Hatch, Master Hatch & Mr Keeble need to take some time out to relax on Bank Holiday Monday after their heroic efforts over the last couple of days... I'll bring you in some more biscuits on Tuesday!