Comotara Branch Library [CLOSED], A Brief Memorial

Comotara, the first US library branch to be located within a supermarket, has closed for good. I had no idea it was closing at all, and it might've taken me awhile to notice that it no longer appears on the main Wichita libraries website...or notice that whenever I search for some series or another, Comotara no longer comes up in the results. Because Comotara is no more, and that, as they say, is that.

Hmph.

I've already stated I believe wholeheartedly that Wichita needs at least one more larger sized library--something in the Alford range would be ideal. The city manager apparently thinks otherwise and recently proposed cutting two more branches--Evergreen and Linwood--to save money. Monies saved would be redirected to roadwork and the hiring of thirty-two new officers and general staff for the Wichita Police Department. Luckily, the mayor has decided that this isn't going to fly--for now--and has nixed plans to close these branches.

Ghost of a sign now gone.

There seems to be a bit of community-shaming going on as a whole, as it is not the first time I've heard (or read) something to the effect of "Well now you have the Advanced Learning Library which should make up for xyz..." We doth protest too much, you see, and have looked the gift horse in the mouth. Of course, not everyone can zip around town to any branch they choose, and even drive nineteen miles out to Mulvane or fifteen miles to Andover just to get exactly the kind of environment needed to write for hours in peace. Like me. People need local branches, folks. It's that simple. Theoretically dumping adrift patrons on the ALL is shortsighted, tone deaf, and out of touch with the services modern libraries provide to the public. If your idea of a library is scores of people driving up in minivans and popping in to check out Fifty Shades of Gray, have I got news for you. Clearly this is what some people really do think, as embarrassing headlines have so eloquently blared, though the recent asshattery has been thankfully debunked.

Anyway, it was after my sister informed me that Evergreen and Linwood were under threat that my subsequent research unearthed the sad news that Comotara had only just closed. Its last day of service was July 13, 2018, just two weeks prior to this writing. Since I did not learn of Comotara's closing until after the fact, I was left to visit it in the aftermath, earlier today, in fact, camera phone in tow. As this blog has previously made clear, I loved the Comotara branch of the Wichita public library system. I am genuinely sad to see it go.

At first glance, you might think it's still there.

It must be stated unequivocally that the closing is due to the supermarket's desire to use the space for something else. Wichita budgeting had nothing to do with it. Comotara resided in that space rent free for over 30 years, which is an incredible gift to the community on Dillons' part. Since this Dillons location is deep in the middle of a sprawling minimall on all sides, there was no room to add space for their new ClickList service (available at other locations). And anyone who has ever parked in that lot knows what a madhouse it is. Space, quite frankly, was at a premium.

Now, the answer to this business decision has been to redirect patrons to the nearest branches, Angelou and Rockwell, adding that patrons can always go to the ALL (should they wish to trek all the way downtown, of course). This is all well and good, keeping in mind that Angelou has the shortest hours of all the remaining branches (they are closed Sunday and Monday) and Rockwell is already incredibly busy for its size. Not an insurmountable burden, but...

...there was something about having that branch in the grocery store, wasn't there? It was convenient and somehow charming on top of it all? It was a fun and funky little thing to have, something different and good-hearted. You might have just turned out your pockets to get groceries for the week, but the Comotara was there to catch a quick browse and pick up a movie or book to borrow...for free. Like a balm on an economic blister. It sucks to lose it.

Alas.

My opinion that Wichita needs more libraries is now more resolute than ever. The fact that Evergreen and Linwood were even, for a moment, considered possible victims to the budgeting ax has convinced me that even that is not enough. There are currently seven Wichita libraries serving a city of 390,000 people (source): Advanced Learning Library (2018), Alford (2003 - 15 yrs old), Evergreen (2002 - 16 yrs old, but in an ancient building), Angelou (1996 - 22 yrs old),  Linwood (1981 - 37 yrs old), Westlink (1981 - 37 yrs old), and Rockwell (1976 - 42 yrs old). There were eight with Comotara, so we've already lost an eighth of public library locations. If Evergreen and Linwood closed, we would lose another 28.6% of coverage. But say we don't, say we keep everything that we have as of this date: Only one of the seven libraries has everything a modern library should have, anyway. Space for people to spend time and do research? ALL, Alford, and Rockwell. Adequate access to electrical outlets or USB ports: ALL, if we are being brutally honest. Alford has some coverage, but not enough. And I love Rockwell, but sharing one powerstrip with the whole East Wichita community in the middle of a bustling room, not really conducive to study or writing! Even self-checkout isn't available at all of the branches...ALL is the only library where you can get full service at the self-serve kiosk (pay fines, etc.). Wichita area libraries are rigged to do the best they can--and they work damn hard to do the most. But is it enough?

You can still drop off books here, though
I'm not sure how long that will last. 

So, with the loss of Comotara (and even the whisper of a threat to two other neighborhood branches) I have to say it: Invest in your whole system, not just your brand new shiny crown jewel. Get all of your branches up to the same level of service and figure out a way to do even more with the space that you have, including updating electrical, and reorganizing or repurposing space so that everyone benefits. As things stand now, Wichita has one brand new, tricked out, shiny diamond of a library, and six branches in need of updating, some far more desperately than others. It's community investment and enrichment and it is worth it.

After you do all that, dear Wichita, you still need to add another library. A big one, with lots of desks and outlets. XOXO, A Patron.

Advanced Learning Library, Wichita, KS, 2018 & On

Let's get this out of the way now: I love the new Advanced Learning Library in Wichita, Kansas. Love it, love it, love it. It has flaws, no doubt, but it truly is fantastic and an amazing upgrade in services for the community. It is a central library for all.

This "banded rack" wraps around the wall--upon closer
inspection, I believe it is supposed to mimic an old timey,
cowtown fence. It is actually metal and purposely rusting
to give it that rustic, HGTV feel.

The fact that the city sprung for a new central library is a triumph in and of itself. Wichita has done a great deal of work to revitalize the downtown area, starting in the 90s with Oldtown, restructuring the highway as a flyover with exits instead of a clogged stop sign in the middle of the city, and installing a monstrous but effective entertainment venue, the Intrust Bank Arena.

Many of these improvements are centered around money making endeavors that also happen to enrich the lives of the citizens that pay taxes here--necessary, but not necessarily altruistic. Oldtown is all about the bars and restaurants, with swanky new apartments built in fab old buildings. Very trendy, very youth-oriented, very boozy. Wichita, once a picklemouthed Mormon about The Alcohol (no buying on Sundays! no serving by the hour of the witch!) has happily backslid into its yipee-ki-cowtown ways. I would also argue that the deeper, more authentic city building started when local business owners poured into these newly renovated, centralized areas, created spaces inclusive for all, and built a sense of community from the ground up, integrating and embracing new and nontraditional methods of creating a sense of place where people want to go and spend real cash dollar money. This led to endeavors the hand-wringing city elders of old would never have allowed. I'm thinking of the murals all over downtown, but specifically concentrated around Douglas Avenue, a main artery through Wichita well known and well loved by many generations of Wichitans.

"Back" entrance festooned with vexing Knowledge Noodles. I interpret them to be
sculptures of scrolls jammed into cork or tree stumps of some kind that display
smarty marty quotes that you must read whilst circling said sculpture, grow dizzy,
fall, get a concussion, and sue the city for all the pennies in its piggy bank.
Perhaps a job for Brad THE BULL! Pistotnik?

Wichita suffers the same issues as many American cities, small and large: a constant keening for new money, more money, we never have enough money. The teachers aren't paid well and have to buy supplies for their schoolrooms every year (if not every semester depending on wear and tear), many roads are in desperate need of repair with no end in sight, and the last new library in Wichita (Alford) opened its doors in 2003. At least it was this century, true, but the city's need for public spaces and services traditionally provided by libraries has been lacking for some time.

Would you like fresh parmesan with that?

The wishlist for modern amenities is long. Built-in desk outlets and USB chargers were nowhere to be found in any of the Wichita area libraries--if you could find a desk near an outlet, that was the best the library had to offer. Sometimes power strips were laid out for power hungry patrons to gather around. Real estate at Wichita's libraries in general was incredibly dear. The Central Library had the lion's share of work space open to the public, though very little of it had access to outlets. Alford and Rockwell have a fair amount of work areas, but they are equally challenging for those in need of charging. The spaces get snapped up pretty quickly, too, so much so that I stopped trying to work at either location altogether, opting instead to drive out to Andover or Mulvane, little towns with nice new libraries, lots of workspace, and outlets, outlets, outlets.

Returns! The conveyor belt starts moving when you place
a book or DVD on top of it. Fun to watch and the first
thing you see upon entering the library from the parking lot.

View from the parking lot doors down the main foyer.
Isn't it freaking fabulous???

The remaining Wichita libraries are not work-friendly by any stretch of the imagination. Westlink is just as big as Rockwell, but the non-children's or teen areas are mostly stacks, with a huge bank of computers for patrons and a few chairs here and there. They have two single-seat desks and some lounge chairs but that's about it. Angelou and Linwood are too tiny to give up much space for anything other than books, a few chairs, a single table, and a small bank of computers. They don't even have self-check out. And Comotara is literally a hole in the wall of a Dillons. Cute and tiny and weirdly always rich with new DVDs, but not meant for more than popping in and out while grocery shopping.

Just inside the entrance to the right, Reverie Roasters! A
local favorite and finally a coffee and treat place inside a
local library! They weren't open yet at the time I took this
picture but they are up and running now.

Don't get me wrong: The library system delivers HARDCORE when it comes to materials. I love that you can check something out at one branch and return it at another. I love the selection (save one! Y'all need to order a copy of Mind Hunter, don't you know that's a Netflix series now?) and have watched a ton of new shows and movies for the cost of my tax dollars which once it filters down to our precious libraries is probably an eighth of a cent. And I've met some truly kind and wonderful people since I've started patronizing the Wichita area libraries full tilt. Bibliophiles like me, library lovers like me, awkward, quiet, well-meaning but will totally fall up a flight of stairs if you look at them wrong...like me! My point is that the library system was already under a great deal of strain serving the public with what it had. And a new library definitely makes up for it...except I wish it had been an addition instead of a replacement. Let's be real. Y'all need at least one more branch, something closer to the Alford size would be ideal, but at least one more library. Just sayin.

Further inside, the bathrooms, with water fountains at the center. 

But until then, we have this new Advanced Learning Center, and BOY HOWDY is it something else. I do love it. I really do. But I'm going to speak the truth, too. I'm going to rake it over some coals. Some white hot, welty burning coals. Well deserved, too.

Two words: Curved Wall. Yes, I took a picture of the
bathroom entrance. Do you see a door? NO YOU DO NOT.
Praise the Lord and pass the bottled water.

First thing's first: The library is located at the intersection of McLean and 2nd street. In terms of prime real estate to look upon all of Wichita's glory, you couldn't get much better. In fact, when you stand at the windows facing McLean, especially on the second floor, you can see a panorama of Wichita's finest, starting with the Keeper of the Plains to the north, the Science Center, the Arkansas River (pronounced Ar-KAN-sas locally, and don't think I haven't struggled getting used to that again), Downtown, that farty-beige Hyatt, and the sexy-sexy bridge that reminds me of nothing whatsoever. It's wonderful! All the pictures I took while the building was under construction were of this outward, eastward face of it. I am fairly certain we are supposed to think of it as the front. But unless you are just driving by or are only dropping people off, you won't spend much time looking at that side of the exterior. All the parking is on the sides and in the back, the place I've come to think of as the front, even though it's not. Probably.

Brand new bathroom. So lovely and clean. And NO
TOUCH EVERYTHING. No touch flush, no touch
faucet, no touch hand towels, NO DOOR! You do
have to touch the stall doors but hey, you're supposed
to wash your hands after that so it's perfection wrapped
in sunlight covered in bleach.

The location is a bit of a mind twist, anyway, because if you are coming from the east, the street is actually 1st street and turns into 2nd once you cross the bridge. If you try to cross from 2nd street, you just end up twisting off to the North and will somehow end up on Central Avenue...which turns into Seneca which can lead you back to McLean and back on track as long as you turn left instead of right. Wichita is a city built on a twisted little river system, so the streets can get confusing sometimes. If you come to the library from any other direction, it's a non-issue, but the 1st-2nd thing threw me.

The exterior of the building is Y2K Mod-Clean with dashes of 50s Gas Station and the obligatory black and bronze to indicate the New Age of Unencumbered Success. If you lined up all the pictures I've taken of the newest brands of library, the colors might change, but the aesthetics persist. There are nonsensical touches here and there (the cheese grater, the banded rack) but it's pretty standard fare otherwise: clean, sharp lines, lots of glass, and muted but contrasting color palettes that should offend exactly no one. The architecture actually reminds me a bit of Alford. I wonder if it is the same designer?

Bibliotheca! Check out materials, look up info,
pay your fines! I've used it a few times and
can confirm it is both Dope and Rad.

I hope that kids find the "Knowledge Noodles" more charming than I did. It's a fair enough concept, but the execution is awkward and more annoying than charming. There are four similar sculptures standing at attention outside the west library entrance. They appear to be scrolls of paper twisted into cork? Or maybe wood? I am not sure what the stands are meant to be. Each has a different quote etched into it, but you must circle the sculpture to read it, a rather tight circle, in fact, and it is easy to lose your focus and place in the sentiment as you are twirling around a statue in the 100 degree heat. Every new library seems to need some kind of adornment like this (every old library, too, really) but I'm not sure that it works. The nicest sentiment I can offer is that they tried.

I'm not sure where the concept was borne, surely something from history? Ye Olde Scrolls of Tyme jammed in cork and set afloat to the sea to spread The Knowledge or some such? I tried a Google search but nothing came up. Perhaps at some point the website will feature more information about the art around the library. Until then, Knowledge Noodles.

The Children's Section: Isn't this the coolest? I love the ceiling. 

Hello Old Friend! Behold "The Structure of Knowledge"
which stood at the center of the Central Library entryway
for longer than I've been alive. It made the journey! It
didn't get warehoused! I'm so emotional!

Oh but walk through the doors and woosh--AIR CONDITIONING--a wonderful, cool space full of bright light and sparkling color. The main foyer has a sleek but funky light installation that will likely never have my heart the way the Central Library's did, but is truly fun and inspired in it's own right. The groovy lights are no doubt meant to rev patrons up and get them excited to see the place. Over the course of time I've spent in the new library, I've been lucky enough to see many people come into this new public space for the first time and there's always some kind of exclamation, gapes of awe, hushed whispers of delight. It's a great entrance. And a wonderful library!

To the left is the returns room, glassed in so that patrons can watch their returns trundle down the conveyor belt to the library staff checking everything in. Right next to that is the Friends of the Library who sell materials the library no longer needs. But Glory Be, just to the right is a wicked cool wavy gravy black ceiling under which the now iconic Reverie Roasters has set up shop. During my travels around the country, I've been to plenty of libraries with coffee and treat shops, but none of the area libraries have had something like this until now. It is WONDERFUL, and even more so that it is Reverie. If you ever have the chance, you must try them. The coffee has a rich, roasted flavor, fully and singularly COFFEE, not burnt like Starbucks, not nutty nuthouse like Dunkin. At the time I took the photo, they were still waiting for some equipment to come in, but they are up and running now. There is a seating area all around the cafe and you can take covered drinks out into the library proper.

I have yet to take a picture of an atrium that I have been
pleased with--either that or you just can't enjoy these
architectural flairs except in real life with your peripherals
engaged and your sense of light and space in full focus.

Stairwell up to the second floor.

Further along there is an atrium up to the second floor (nice), a huge children's section to the right/north (behind glass, all for them, yay good and nice), and circulation and the rest of the first floor to the left/south. The general interior aesthetics are NICE. VERY NICE, terribly nice. I mean it! There are parts of it that I truly loved, there are parts that I felt neutral about...and there are parts where I wondered what on earth they were thinking. My primary issues with the design aspect have more to do with planning and little to do with particular aesthetics. Sometimes these design flaws clutch ugly hands and walk down a beach in Hell together, as is the case with my first point of contention.

Oooo, aahhhh...what?

Upon looking toward the full scope of the first floor of the library, you are immediately smacked fully in the face with a mega, ultra, XXX-large jumbotron-type Thing. If it was set into a wall it might have made a better impression, but I'm going to declare it a jumbo disaster for several very valid reasons.

View up to the second floor from Jumbo.

It's ginormous.
It's not interactive.
It offers information anyone can look up in their smartphone.
It's branded. Ugh.
It destroys the flow of the space and mars the aesthetic goals and themes.
It's fugly.
It literally blocks the flow of traffic (to be discussed further in a moment).

On the bright side I did learn that it can broadcast events from other parts of the library, so that should come in handy at some point (x). Not to me or the majority of the patrons who will use this library...but someone. Maybe a big Cox event, for example. There's nothing wrong with having a Jumbotron in general, I just wish it was somewhere less...central. Maybe it will turn out to have some sort of major function, maybe it will end up in the basement with the card catalog and the haunted piano.

BLLLAARRGLEBARGLEBLARG!!!

My next vexation: FLOW. Past the Jumbotron and circulation lies the rest of the first floor, with the children's section directly opposed. Not only are there scores of books back there, there are meeting rooms, the teen section, and the most popular place of all: DVDs and Blue Rays. It took exactly four pass-throughs to figure out a major flaw in the layout of the first floor of the new Advanced Learning Library. Behold:

When you follow the natural flow of traffic, considering
how the stacks and seating areas are set up, this is the main
artery of the first floor of the library proper to circulation
and both exits. Note the pillar that is most likely load bearing.
Note the patrons. And note that these are the very popular
new materials and DVD sections.

Every time I pass through the "main artery" it is blocked by
people coming from the opposite direction or people browsing
the stacks. Try to juke move to the east and there's a bank of
shelving in the way.

Try to juke move to the west and you've got Jumbotron's
big badonk blocking the universe.

I realize the point of the Jumbotron requires that it be placed in a central, well traveled location, but the shelving? Really? And the probably load-bearing column? With the stacks right there? The NEW arrivals stacks? Lord help you. It is possible to go around the main artery, the shelving-blocked area by circulation, and the Jumbotron, but you have to swing all the way around the west edge to do it, threading through more DVD seekers and past seating areas and desks. And it's not the natural route to go. Which means people will follow the main artery then find themselves navigating around a pole with strangers or waiting to pass, all of which inspires a very mild sense of annoyance, nothing to bleed from the eyes over, but you have to ask, why? It's a pretty big library, after all. Were there no alternatives to this set up? Did no one raise a red flag at the idea of bookending new releases and DVDs around the widest, most central walkway which is probably so wide because of the column?

Close up of the multipurpose dome outlets and a quad desk.

Once you get past the Jumbotronic mess, the library itself is quite wonderful. It's big and airy and bright. And of course the most outstanding aspect of this new library for me personally: Countless places to Set Up SHOP, baby. YAAASSSSSSS. Throughout the first and second floors there are many, many places for people to read and write, set up computers, plug in devices, spread out with books and cue cards or whatever you please and really, truly work. Without reservation, I can attest that the Advanced Learning Library is one of the best examples I've encountered for patrons who require functional workspaces. I mean it. ONE OF THE VERY BEST. Almost every desk has either pop up outlets or special little dome outlets. And the ones that don't barely matter since there are so many that do! It's amazing! Even the tables in the seating areas have outlet strips running along the bottom edges. For its size, the Advanced Learning Library puts many others to shame.

 "Collaboration" rooms. I won't lie, at first glance these gave me the heebs because they reminded me so much of my last job's office space. Then I realized that most new libraries share the exact same aesthetics as open plan office spaces. No one gets privacy so everyone suffers equally. At the library, people come and go as they please and don't have to sit at a desk for eight hours, plus it is literally a public space...but you 9-5ers should be grateful to employed I GUESS so enjoy the cheap prefab and bright colors and shut your trap, workforce. Note how the "collaboration" rooms are always super bright and colorful to evoke a sense of Fun and Happiness and the state of having a pulse.

There are single desks, doubles, quads, and quite a few "collaboration" rooms, which are just little meeting rooms with 6-top desks and chairs, videoscreens, etc. They're supposed to be reservable, but the system hasn't been worked out yet, so people just come and go as they please.

When I started thirsting for the possibilities discussed on the Wichita Library website, I felt instantly predatory and possessive about those collaboration rooms. Pre-annoyed, if you will. We'll be fighting over them like cousins at the carnival, people will hoard them for business meetings or sleeping and staff will do nothing about it, the library will be draconian meanies and no one will ever get to use them. So far, none of that has been true. Patrons come and go, singles, doubles, a quad sometimes. The check out system isn't working yet, but people seem to be using the rooms in a civilized manner, no hogging, no abuse, the traffic just flows in and out all day long.

From what I have heard, the preliminary plan is to restrict check out time to each individual or group for a mere two hours...once a day. Like, what? No. Not nearly enough time, foolios! But! But...

It doesn't matter.

That is how glorious and plentiful the work space is in this freaking library. It is incredible. A dream come true. Heart eyes heart eyes emoticon feels!

So many chairs!

Teal is the Feel

I would describe most of the furniture as retro-future 50s mod. We'll see how it ages. The desks are definitely prefab (some still adorned with warning signs to indicate they are not quite put together yet and may fall if too much weight is applied) but seem a bit more durable than some of the new-library-IKEA-chic garbage I've seen. I think anything with scrawny little plastic legs is going to get kicked to shit, but maybe they're counting on that. The larger furniture should do well, though who knows how it will hold up against the staining power of humanity.

I love the curved couches, especially--it's a fun idea and adds not only a touch of whimsy but a sense of personal space even on a shared platform. It also keeps patrons from trying to lie down and fall asleep on them. Same with the chairs--comfortable but fairly low-backed. Good for reading, not for sleeping. You can tell they really thought about every aspect of the furniture, how they wanted it to be used, and what would work best for most of the public. There are so many primo places to sit and read or work that it is hard to focus on just one, but I have managed to find my happy space...more on that later.

I remind exactly no one of a Solo paper cup. Zing zing.

The one thing you will notice about the interior design--because it scissor kicks you dead in the face at every turn--is the color scheme. It is teal. Aquamarine-bluey-blue teal to the nth power. On the first day, I found it overbearing, but the more I see it the less it annoys me. It's a lovely color, a great color. Who could hate teal? It irritated me upon first inspection simply because they kind of went batshit crazy with it. Someone really, really loves teal, maybe Too Much. I would have kept the highlight carpet spaces with some teal, like in the reading areas, etc., but almost everything has teal in it, save maybe just the collaboration rooms and bathrooms, but otherwise TEAL.

I've included a picture of the primary carpet to illustrate just how EXTRA this tealnado gets. Like, why? I immediately thought of those Solo cups with the teal paint splash and purple squiggle. Which made my brain trip down a steep hill to 1997 where that color scheme ruled supreme and everyone had butterfly clips in their hair. This carpet is the frosted tips of the library, and it makes me clench because it was so avoidable. It's also problematic for a more obvious reason: Too light. Remember Vegas? Oh, that was painful, wasn't it? So many good intentions, but that library was beat straight to Hades. Poor thing. So cool and sleek, but with a light gray carpet and stains, stains, stains.

The ceilings unnerved me at first, especially the chaotic mix of exposed ceiling and drop ceiling, hanging lights and inset lights. The more I see of it, however, the less it strikes me as strange. Though I doubt I'll ever get used to the skinny, fluorescent fixtures: long rectangular jobs painted--what else--teal. They remind me of earrings I harassed my mother into buying me when I was eleven because I thought they looked like Rio's earrings, you know, the cover girl from the same named Duran Duran album? The famous Nagel painting? First of all, they did not: they were teal, rectangular sticks. Second, those earrings chipped like a few months after I got them. Real Rio's earrings would never chip. Third, hello 1983, welcome to the Advanced Learning Library.

"Her name is Rio and she dances on the sand..."

[saxophone solo]

Eventually no one will notice the scary devotion to teal. I just hope that the furniture stands the test of time. It might. I do know one thing: There is an unspoken contract between library and patron. They should buy good furniture, we should treat it nicely. One of the truly infuriating things to witness are patrons who do not give a single shit about that social contract. Kids and teens, eh. They get a pass. Not a complete, "do whatever you want" pass, but they're still learning, developing, acquiring a conscience, if you will. They get stern talks and community service if they break the library. But we expect them to eventually grow into conscientious adults. And we all know plenty of kids who are already there, thank God (and their parents).

It's the adults who take public spaces for granted that really piss me off. It took a few days but I finally saw a prime example last evening, when a mother of many left her kids to run wild, shrieking and banging chairs and computer equipment around during their wild spree while she charged her phone and effectively ignored them. Not even a shush...and certainly no admonishments to treat the public space nicely. It was painful to witness.

The view from one of the second floor collaboration rooms. My favorite high
rise, the Garvey Center, stands proud and turquoise fabulous in the sun. 

The second floor of the Advanced Learning Library is where I have spent the majority of my time since that first day. Not only are there tons of spaces to set up--and one special place in particular--but it is relatively quiet in comparison to the busier first floor with circulation, new releases, and the movie section. Unfortunately, my first experience on the second floor unearthed another nonsensical design flaw in the building, one that seems a bit innocuous until you remember that we are creatures of habit who respond to patterns and logic. Plus it is just so weird. Like, why did they do this? Note:

Entrance to the first floor bathrooms.

Entrance to the second floor bathrooms.

Look closely. Do you see it? If you visited the library and used one of the bathrooms then had occasion to use the other, your body and mind might steer you wrong without you even realizing it. I had to do a double take when I went to use the second floor facilities because my reptilian brain remembered going LEFT when I was downstairs. But the second floor ladies room is on the RIGHT. You might see a urinal when you go into the men's room on accident, but by then it is too late. Remember, curved wall, no door, no half opening a door before realizing a mistake. You're just standing in the men's room. YIKES!

I caught myself before I made the mistake, but I can see others just dittybopping along and not realizing their error until accidentally spying a stranger's danger. Just like the weirdly cordoned main artery of the first floor, the bathroom planning missed a major step in logic.

Historical Research Pavilion

Once you arrive to the second floor, there is a huge room dedicated to the Historical Research Pavilion on the north wing. I believe this is what replaces that basement space back at the old Central Library. While it doesn't have the groovy red carpet against blue carpet, it is enormous, overwhelmed with desk space, and wonderfully quiet. I haven't asked, but would imagine that if drinks are verboten anywhere, it is probably here. Perhaps that's just my redundant Central Library knowledge kicking in, but I have yet had to ask. It is definitely my back up if things get too wily in my usual spot.

View down to the first floor.

Outside the Historical Research Pavilion is the atrium and the doors to the as yet semi-operational Outdoor Reading Terrace. There is a sign indicating that an art installation (AVIAN MIGRATION) is coming soon, a mobile of sorts, and if it bears out per the description and rendering, I think it may be the single coolest piece of art in this whole daggum town. We'll see, coming soon!

The Outdoor Reading Terrace is open for people to walk around and see the views. Eventually there will be seating and umbrellas to make it more reader-friendly. Technically you could take a book out there and attempt to enjoy it whilst sitting on the white hot pavement, but I wouldn't recommend it. It's going to be a fantastic space to enjoy the outdoors once they finish it (and the temperatures drop--it's been a sadistically hot summer in Kansas, with temperatures regularly in the 90s, sometimes 100s. Sweaty sweatsock summer of sweat!).

Spoke-y.

The rest of the floor is dedicated to more reading areas, desks, collaboration spaces, and stacks. Just inside the south wing, there is an open space where you can see the DVD section (and Jumbotron) just below, yet another reason to move ol' Jumbotron to somewhere a little safer? I couldn't get a great shot of it, but you can kind of make out the "spokes" of beams fanned out below, one of the aspects of the Advanced Learning Library's design that reminded me so much of Alford over on the the south side. Alford was designed to look like a plane engine, and since Wichita's keystone industry is airplane manufacturing (and has been forever), it's possible that it is simply a happy but somewhat predictable coincidence. 

It is hard not to notice from the photographs that the whole "front" of the library is basically a curved wall. It's like they knew I'd show up here, no?

The View.

Study carrel, I love it so much. Yep, that's me, easy to identify.
If you are a mouthy staff member and have a problem with
anything written here, I would invite you to come at me, bro.
Quietly. But before you do that, for your patrons' sake,
SHUSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

In true-to-form fashion, my favorite place, by far, are the study carrels just outside the collaboration rooms on the second floor. I haven't even bothered to try to get into one of the collaboration rooms.* Why? I have my own study cove with a view right here! It has a perfectly sized desk with a pop up outlet built in, a soft, comfortable seat, a little cubby space for briefcases or bags, and a high-walled, felt-upholstered C-shaped shell that dilutes distracting sights and sounds and creates a perfect little work space for one.

(* I finally broke down and commandeered a collaboration room today, this final day of editing this blog post. I wanted absolute quiet and, as I'd expected, the collaboration room has more than delivered. What a treat!)

It is here is where we run into what I would consider the biggest problem with the new Advanced Learning Library: Noise. It is a public library. It is well known that patrons can be loud and disruptive. And I can attest that this holds true at the new library, with little blips here and little yips there. I wouldn't dream of including the groups of people touring the library for the first time. They are bound to make above-average noise. It is to be expected.

Unfortunately, the noise problem that I have encountered during every visit to this library so far lies not with the patrons, but the STAFF. Not the whole staff, of course. Just a raucous, yelling, now-easy-to-recognize few. They really, really love the sound of their own voices. And do not care one iota about the patrons trying to concentrate around them. Get ready for a lecture. As a former employee and former boss, I get to wear all the hats. This one is called the "Make the Library Quiet Again" Hat. It's PINK.

Wide view of the second floor, north.

Collaboration rooms, whimsically colorful,
blissfully soundproofed. Hint. Hint. Nudge. Nudge. 

Now, it's one thing to have a gab up at circulation, or answer when a patron asks a question, or conduct a short conversation while in transit from one part of the library to another...it is quite another thing to have long, non-work-related conversations out in the middle of a place where people are clearly trying to work. Worse yet, yappity yapping along at a normal speaking volume if not louder. I realize this is all new--the library is new, the set up is new, the responsibilities to some extent are new--so some initial lenience is granted, but I do hope that the offending staff members eventually settle down and get the memo that this is, in fact, A LIBRARY, and every minute of every hour is shut the fuck up o'clock.

The funniest part about this is that I've been on the other end of this conversation in work disagreements during the long-long ago (at the aforementioned Flatiron, in fact). I totally get it. You have things to say. Work can be boring. You're an interesting person who needs to shine out loud. But y'all have vast areas of the library that the public can't access in which you may have long, loud conversations about whatever the hell you please. All the live long day, for all I care. Go. To. Town. Or go to the children's section! Pretty sure you can blow kazoos and scream zippity-do-dah at the top of your lungs and no one will care.

Reading and study nook overlooking the terrace.

Stairway to the first floor.

Back in the long ago, I managed to irritate one person when I talked too long or too loud. Y'all are disrupting the entire goddamn floor.

To be clear, I wouldn't even care if these particular staff members had eight-hour-long conversations out on the floor and did exactly zero work--productivity is management's problem, not mine. Just turn down the volume. Turn it way, way down. Is there no training for "library" voice? You can't whisper? You are physically incapable? If so, duck into a collaboration room and holler all you like! I've had enough direct observation to know that they are very well sound-proofed--incredibly well, better than my aforementioned office of yore--and would be a perfect place to yap your mouths until it's time to clock out.

This has been the worst part of my experience in the new Advanced Learning Library by far. More than that, it is embarrassing. The library staff should not be a bigger noise problem than the patrons. It is insane that I should even have to write that. Unfortunately, this is not the only library I've visited where staff noise was problematic. Librarian friends, c'mon. Is this not a thing? Part of your bedside manner training, as it were? After all, it's what you are known for, the Bespectacled Shushers? What happened to you? Where have all the heroes gone?

Fingers crossed that it is just a passing issue; a by-product of the excitement surrounding a new workspace. But God-help-you, don't be one of those libraries. Be a Do Bee. Do be cool. Do be calm. Do be QUIET.

Second floor view of the science center.

In the days I've spent tickytacking away, I've seen scores of people touring the Outdoor Reading Terrace and the library itself. The overall consensus has been extremely positive and overwhelmingly excited. People want to spend time in this library. It's one of the most bracing and heartbreaking differences between the new Advanced Learning Library and the old Central Library. The old library was dying. Many people stayed away. Maybe it was because there were so many homeless patrons, minimally disruptive the times I was there, but for some that is not the point. Or perhaps it was because the building could not accommodate current technological needs (at least without grouping around the very few power strips available throughout the whole library). Perhaps it was because the place felt dreary, old, dirty, dated. What kills is that the perception is not wrong, but you also have to remember that in 1967 and for years beyond that, it felt new and invigorating, daring, exciting. It was a place people wanted to be.

Best seat in the House.

Some libraries are timeless--I will always and forever be drawn back to that beautiful Pasadena Public Library, its mean little stacks, harsh wood walls, an aesthetic that growled LIBRARY with a wolf's mouth. This newer batch of libraries is skating on a thin edge over a precipice of sad, worn, old, dated...I see places like the Seattle Public Library as the blueprint, something bold and wild, functional and brave, and all the rest of them little beauty queen facsimiles, with fake hair and cheap makeup that rubs off after a few tears. I want them to do well. But there's no telling how long before the beauty fades...opaque, blurred, stunted.

So the contract must hold. The city of Wichita has given us a beautiful, vibrant, well-outfitted new library. Our first duty, above all, is to USE IT. Our second is to respect it. It takes a lot of effort to run a good library, and just a little carelessness to ruin it for everyone. Good citizenship starts with taking care of our shared belongings, Wichitans. Be good to your new library...and come see it soon if you haven't already! It has books and books and books, DVDs, chairs for days, big bright windows...and a Jumbotron!