Project 1: Library Visit

For Project 1, I decided to visit the Long Beach Main Public Library at:
101 Pacific Ave.
Long Beach, CA 90822
(562) 570- 7500
Website: http://www.lbpl.org/location/main_library/default.asp

I chose the Main Library because while I have visited and patronized this library many, many times in the 10 years I have lived in Long Beach, I have not taken the time to walk around the library and really study its layout nor investigated all of its services. The Main Library is a public library and utilizes the Dewey Decimal classification system.

Upon entering the libray, there are free community publications available on the right side of the lobby, a U.S. Government Information kiosk, and the Friends of the Library bookstore located on the left. There was a collection of painted works entitled "Under the Sea" by Mona Zillah on the wall before entering the top floor of the library. The library consists of two floors divided accordingly:

The top floor of the Main Library consists of the References, Information, Children's Department, Teen/Young Adult, Electronic Information Center, Career Center, Business Resources, International Languages, Periodicals, Geneaology and Non-fiction stacks. The top floor also housed collections of photofiles, maps, Long Beach history files, private rooms for people with disabilities, an ESL section with books on tape and videos that can be checked out for free. Around the teen section there were graphic novels, bound peridodicals, microfilm catalogs, and the newspaper indexes. Throughout the library, there are tables and work stations for patrons including equipment used to view the library's contents in different formats.

Downstairs at the Main Library, there was the Miller Special Collections room, Media, works of Fiction, Government Documents, Technology Learning Center, Auditorium and meeting rooms, Information Center for people with Disabilities, and a Large Print section for fiction and nonfiction.

I first examined the Reference section of the library to see what materials were available to patrons to use in the library. I was particularly amazed by the vast amounts of resources and subject areas covered in this section. While this was something I knew as a general matter but after reading through some titles, I was a little boggled by the diversity of information out there. Besides the usual encyclopedia sets, dictionaries, atlases, and almanacs, there were genealogical histories, periodical directories, encyclopedias of privacy, sex, civil rights and liberties, occultism, and the Mafia, to name a few. There were language dictionaries, dictionaries of sciences, handbooks of sciences, medical source books, chemical technologies, the Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians, song indexes, instrument indexes, and a very large section on Contemporary Library Criticism.

The library has several electric/online resources. According to one librarian, the two of the most used are the library's catalog and the Ferguson's Career Guidance Center. The library's online catalog is the most used online resource and is available at computer terminals throughout the library. Patrons may use these most readily to find the resources that they need both immediately at the library or which they may hold or have delivered to the library of their choice as needed. The library catalog also provides links to other online resources. The Ferguson's Career Guidance Center provides a variety of resources for patrons including links to job sites, websites for job-finding tips, calendars of career events, and information on different careers patrons may be interested in researching.

The library provides many services to patrons. The most used service is the Electronic Information system in which patrons may use the library's computers to surf the internet, create and printe documents, search online catalogs, etc. Another service of the library is the Technology Learning Center in which patrons may use to learn and practice work on computer programs with the aid of a librarian. Another service the library provides is the Information Center for People with Disabilities. Here there is special equipment which are adjustable to the needs of the patron. There are also special programs for Homebound Readers in which the library provides resources to these patrons through the mail or with Books on Wheels in conjuction with the Meals on Wheels program. There are also on-call librarians and some one-on-one assistance.

There are several resources at library that are only availabe for use in library such as those in the reference section, current periodicals and those labeled "For in library use only". Otherwise, patrons may check out fiction and nonfiction book, magazines, books on tape, ESL books and media, and for a small fee, DVDs and music CDs for varying lengths of time.

There were many things that I liked about the Main Library, some of which I knew of and others that I learned of during this trip. I really enjoyed looking at the artwork collections when entering the top floor of the library but did not know that there were collections of work throughout the library. There was a "Sea Microbe Series" and a "Suduko Series" by an artist named Michelle McNeill. There were also small scale models of things such as a steamboat called the Jubilee and the Cyclone rollercoster which used to be a part of Long Beach's history. There were also many displays of archives, sheet music and other photographs of historical Long Beach. I also really enjoyed the Children's Department of the library and how the its environment is completely created with children in mind with comfortable places to read, computers and tables at their level, and bright colors and illustrations. I have also used the library's services, particularly, the Electronic Information Center. I was completely unaware of the extent of the services for persons with disabilities and could not help but admire the thought and work put in to help meet the needs of these patrons. There are not many things that I do not like about the library. I wish that there were enough funding to keep the Main Library and other branch libraries open on Sunday or with longer hours.