Well, the first day of my practicum was Monday, and I spent the day at the Minneapolis Central Library in downtown Minneapolis. They are closed on Mondays, so I was able to meet with my practicum supervisor and walk through the whole library uninterrupted - a really cool opportunity! The building is beautiful, with lots of natural light, and they are doing some really innovative things with the layout.
Each floor is basically the same layout, which creates a sense of comfort for the customers - the bathrooms are always along the right side on each floor, the computers are right in the middle, and the info desk is immediately to the left of the computer area.
Most of the library collection is on the right side of the library when you walk in the front door, and everyone has to enter and exit on the right side of the building. The left side houses a coffee shop, FOL store, computer lab, and restrooms on the first floor, along with their sorting room. The upper levels have their "closed stacks" (85% of their collection does not circulate but is available for in-house use) and staff work areas. The administrative offices have been largely relocated to the Ridgedale since the merger between Hennepin County and Minneapolis public, but there are still some Admin offices on the third floor of the building's right side.
There are so many cool things to talk about - they have a New Americans center with classroom space and a language lab, an Adaptive Technology lab for individuals with disabilities or learning challenges, and a fantastic roster of classes, programs, and events. I am really looking forward to seeing what ideas they are implementing that I might be able to bring back to CML.
One of the special projects I will be working on while I am here is redesigning their "Welcome Immigrants" web page since they are merging the two library systems' web sites. Should be an interesting project...
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