The Civic Centre Library in Scottdale, Arizona was telling everyone who came to the library that they were the readers choice for "best library" in 2010. This was a great promotion as it was impossible to enter the library without seeing this banner.
The young adult area was being well used (despite this photograph), there was electronic music being created and you could hear this when you walked into this space. It had a glass wall really really clearly letting people know this was the young adult area with signs on it.
There were two fancy saddles in the local studies area, and they were part of the collection. The local studies area had a very good looking collection, and space for doing research.
Arabian Library was the first of the Scottsdale, Arizona libraries I visited. The library has a dramatic entrance and it reminded me of a canyon, but also a giant snail, and you walk into the shell or the canyon. It is an unusual building to walk into with a strong sense of drama in the design. It was also very welcoming so the design was not intimidating, and it was also very practical for the climate.
It was really cute that children could measure their height in horses in the Arabian Library (this feature was repeated in the other horse named branch libraries)
The children's collection had lovely descriptions for the titles which were shelved in the area, they were subject descriptions, and they were whimsical and meaningful (there are quite a few more photographs of these in the photostream)
This month started with rereading two Brent Weeks titles, Shadow's end and Beyond the shadows. They were an amazing reread. I also read his new novella Perfect shadow which was really impressive.
Other reads included:
Frances Hodgeson Burnett The secret garden - a stories of garden providing connections
staying up to date with The Mongoliad - this is great reading
Minette Walters' A chameleon's shadow - a good challenge to assumptions
Paul de Gelder No time for fear - reminded me of why I don't read biographies, but I finished it
Peter Lovesey The house sitter - provides a different slant on the Rime of the ancient mariner
I listened on e-audio to Scarecrow by Matthew Reilly - it translates well to this format - I did not want to stop listening, Jason Chaser Hovercar race, and Hell Island (I really was having lots of fun with the e-audio)
Dorothy L Sayers A busman's holiday mixes romance and crime
Douglas Hulick Among thieves - not so much shades of grey as shades of charcoal
Jesamyn Ward Salvage the bones - a setting and character dominated novel set around Hurricane Katrina
Quintin Jardine Thursday legend - some gruesome moments
Summer of unrest Tom Chatfield - an account of recent world events and a discussion of the role of social media
J K Rowling Harry Potter and the deathly hallows - a speed re-read after watching the final film
Palo Verde Library is a new library in an older area of Phoenix. It is in the same complex as a leisure centre. The library was packed with people the afternoon I visited it. I did not take photographs in part of the library as there was no way I could do this without being totally intrusive. It was great to see the library so well used. It is another really lovely library in Phoenix.
This photograph shows the drive by returns area and window which you can use to talk to library staff, without leaving your car. It is a lovely colour.
A three step reading program was being promoted. This was a Phoenix wide program to teach children to read and was targeting parents of small children.
This shows the sky lights in the library - it was lit this way, and the light levels were impressive. I had not realised they were skylights as they look like lights. This is an interesting design feature. The flying book sculpture is at the entrance to the children's collection and service area.
Desert Broom Library is another impressive library in the Phoenix Public Library system. The Desert Broom Library was designed with a great big verandah on one side so that there could be large windows with a view. Large windows need shading in the Arizona climate. The dense landscaping also helped provide some shading for the building as well.
This next photograph shows the entrance to the library, the very beautiful bars which are used to define space, and the wall of glass which is well protected by a deep verandah.
This photograph shows the enclosed outdoor space, looking out. I visited on a warm day, and the temperature in the shaded outdoor area was very pleasant and people were using the space for reading and computer use.
The mesh shown on the right of this next photograph was soft and mobile (I accidentally bumped into it). It was not a rigid surface, but provided a visual divide not a hard barrier. The library featured colourful, comfortable seating and was being visited by whole families as well as individuals, to enjoy the space, services and collections. The library spaces were being very well used. The self check units were in constant use from people borrowing from the collection, and there was interesting library programming.
This rippled shelving may have been designed to reflect heat hazes in the desert, or simply because it looked great. This was the side of the library with low windows. You can also see some of the very interesting roof detail. The ripples on the roof seemed to reflect the movement of some desert animals.
