bookshelves and building on

Speaking of building: before I started at Sticks Library an expansion project had begun, before eventually meeting it's demise after a Cleveland-based architectural firm went way overboard and way over budget. The Board at the time put the kabash on things. Fast forward 2+ years later to present day Sticks Library; we've outgrown the space--we had over 1,200 people at our Summer Reading programs and had to do all of our bigger programs elsewhere!--and the Board feels that because of the positive feedback they've gotten since I started (can you say, THAT WAS AWESOME TO HEAR!?) and because I've made such a huge programming push and we don't have the space, now is the time for trying the expansion project again.

So, working with Sticks College engineering students who used us as a capstone project, we were able to get a new layout of how best to utilize our current space, while adding on roughly half of our current size. We loved their drawings, and the Board voted unanimously to proceed. So, I threw an email out to all the directors I know, asking for recommendations of a firm to use. Two libraries responded with the same recommendation; Board President and I met with him (I hope we go with them--I love this guy already!), talked shop, and will move forward with interviewing other possible firms, probably closer to back-to-school time. Next week 2 Board members, Prairie Dawn, and I are going to go look at an expansion project that this fellow did. PUMPED!

So, we've begun our slllllooooow march toward building on. I know that once building starts happening one day, I'll miss the stillness of this part of the project, but I am just so damn anxious to get things underway!!