Glen Ellyn Public Library - part 1

The weather was nicer today, so I went for a joyride to some libraries I had not been to in some time. One of them was the Glen Ellyn Public Library, pictured here.

In walking distance of downtown Glen Ellyn (I assure you the downtown is in the background of that photo somewhere!).

I must confess, I had hoped to see the familiar foyer upon entering the library. I liked how the foyer opened up equally to the meeting rooms and to the rest of the library, as it reminded me of Poplar Creek Public Library's old layout. Sadly, it is now gone at both libraries. This is what the entrance looked like now -- just an extended circ department all the way to the front doors.

Nearby were signs depicting what this space was supposed to look like when done. You can already see the desk and column in the bottom picture is a reality in the photo above, though that area is not in use yet and circulation staff are working behind temporary tables in the corner.

And here is the other poster.  As you can see, the meeting rooms were absorbed to make a more spacious entry area. I got a glimpse of a new meeting room under construction, but it was impossible to tell if the library is gaining or losing meeting room space in the new arrangement.

I couldn't skip a visit to Children's to look at displays of local collections. Glen Ellyn is the first library I ever visited that had display cases reserved for their patrons.  As you can see, they did not disappoint.

When visiting libraries for the blog, I do not want a take a lot of photos of the Children's area, as that could look weird.  So you're missing out on how Glen Ellyn has a separate room for middle schoolers at the back of the Children's room, so they do not have to feel lumped together.

Children's has a 3D printer, and this display shows off what it can do.

 If you look carefully upstairs, you can find the whole history of the library laid out in pictures on the walls. This was the church that housed the very first public library in Glen Ellyn, and you can see above how the new building has some elements in common with it, for continuity.