Seattle Story Time Tour - Ballard Branch

Branch: Ballard

Storyteller: Ms. Claire

Age/Type: Baby 

This post is a little late in coming, but I went to the Ballard Branch last week and observed a Baby Story Time. It was fantastic! And a nice change of pace. 

When I enter the meeting room at the Ballard Library, parents are sitting on the floor with blankets and adorable babies. Ms. Claire has a large sheet of butcher paper that has the order of today's story time and the words to some of the songs. 

Ms. Claire lets everyone know that this program operates on baby time. This means that you can be late, be wiggly, or leave early if that is how your little one needs it to be. She also encourages parents to sing along even if they don't like their singing voices. 

Time to say hello! Say hello to your toes, to your knees, to your elbows, etc. Parents wiggle their babies to say hello to each body part. To demonstrate what to do, Ms. Claire uses a Barbar stuffed animal as her 'baby'. 

Next they chant 'Old Mother Goose' and fly the babies around.

Book: "Click, Clack, Peep"

Ms. Claire tells us that body rhymes help develop right and left brain connections. 

After a few more nursery rhymes and songs, Ms. Claire pulls out a drum.

They all sing:

"We are marching to the drum, marching to the drum, hi-ho the dario... and the drum says stop!" A few more verses include running, bouncing, and sitting instead of marching.

Board book time! Parents are encouraged to pick up a nearby board book and read to them as Ms. Claire passes out scarves. 

Next, they act out a series of activities with the scarves. They pretend to take baths, to pop popcorn, and go to the moon. 

The goodbye song is "Shoo Fly." 

What a welcoming environment for new parents! Bravo.

Best,

Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Capitol Hill

Branch: Capitol Hill
Age/Type: Toddler Story Time
Storyteller: Ms. Rachel

I visited with Ms. Rachel once already for the Family Story Time at the Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch, however it was nice to see a different approach for a different age group.

The meeting room upstairs is all decorated for story time when I enter. Ms. Rachel has put together a book display and laid out name tags on a table. The front of the room has a map of the world and a felt board with Chinese lanterns. I am very excited to see it is going to be about Chinese New Year! My husband is Chinese-American and his family celebrates the holiday.

We begin with an opening song and a round of "Open and Shut Them."

Ms. Rachel tells us, that continuing with our tour of the world, we will talk about China. She points out China on the map and tells us how to say "Happy New Year!" in Chinese.

It turns out that there are a lot of ways to say this and I'm sorry to say I cannot remember which one she used. My personal favorite, and one I can't use because I'm married now, is "Kung Hei Fat Choy." This is basically a way of saying "Happy New Year, now give me my red envelope full of cash!" I was lucky enough to get the gift of Lai See from my in-laws last New Year when I was engaged. Now it is our job to give others money. Share the love!

There are more common ways to say Happy New Year, however. Chinese is a very tonal language, so it is best to listen to a phrase and attempt to get the intonation just right. Here is a link I found from Good Characters, a company that helps North American businesses translate copy into Chinese. My husband claims I am incapable of getting the tones correct, so good luck!

Book: Two Shy Pandas

Next we sing the color song, picking out colors on our clothing.

"If you're wearing red today, red today, red today. If you're wearing red today, stand up and say hooray! (repeat with other colors)."

Book: Red is a Dragon

This is a perfect book for toddlers. Bright pictures and simple words to teach colors.

Now it is time for scarf dancing. Ms. Rachel even lets me have one! She passes out brightly colored scarves and puts on a CD. The song we dance to is "The Rhythm in the Scarves" by Johnette Downing.

Once everyone has returned their scarves and settled down, Ms. Rachel does a flannel story with the Chinese lanterns on the felt board. She sings a song to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot."

"One Chinese lantern, shining bright. Use them to light your way in the night. If it's really dark, just light one more. That's what Chinese lanterns are for." Each time she adds one until she gets to five. At this point she alters the rhyme a little to wish us all Happy New Year again in Chinese.

Ms. Rachel gets out a nonfiction book that they have been using about world cultures and reads the section on China.

Book: Children Around the World

Now it is time to go and we sing a closing song, "Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink."

She has hand stamps for the children and a craft. Today's craft is a Chinese Dragon.

Happy Chinese New Year! I hope you have a truly calm and peaceful year of the sheep. 

Best,
Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Green Lake

Branch: Green Lake
Storyteller: Ms. Joanna
Age/Type: Toddler Story Time

Today's Story time takes place in the "Mary Alice Cooley" meeting room on the lower level of the library. It's a nice, big space. Children gather on a colorful carpet and Ms. Joanna welcomes them. She points out the shapes and colors on the carpet.

The theme for this story time is Animals!

Book: "Hello, Day!"

Song: "When Animals Get Up in the Morning"

"When cows get up in the morning, they always say hello. They say moo, moo, moo, that is what they say." We repeat with Pig, Duck, and Horse. 

Book: "Spots, Feathers, and Curly Tails"

Next, Ms. Joanna hands out shakers and we sing "The More We Get Together."

Big Book: "Where is the Green Sheep"

Now Ms. Joanna asks the children to get on all four like a dog. We sing "How Much is That Doggie in the Window." The children bark and shake their 'tails' during the song. What fun!

Next we do a classic finger play called "Two Little Birds." We hold out a pointer for each bird and fly them away behind our backs. At the end they come back out.

"Two little birds, sitting on a wall. One named Petter and one named Paul. Fly away Peter. Fly away Paul. Come back Peter. Come back Paul."

She repeats this with ponies, fishes, and pussy cats.

Book: "Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?"

Ms. Joanna then tells us a Flannel Story based on the popular book "Dog's Colorful Day."

Shakers are passed around again and the children shake and dance to the song "The Animal Fair" on a CD.

It's time for the Goodbye Song! We sing: "We Wave Goodbye Like This."

Ms. Joanna stamps hands and passes out toys for a play time that follows story time. I love the idea of letting caregivers and children socialize.   

Thank you for letting me observe, Ms. Joanna! Congratulations on your retirement. I'm so glad we got to meet.

Best,

Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Lake City Branch

Branch: Lake City 

Storyteller: Ms. Nancy

Age/Type: Family Story Time

Today's storyteller is Ms. Nancy. She tells us about upcoming events at the library as parents and children trickle in. The theme for today is Love in honor of Valentine's Day. Children gather around on the quilt in the center and Ms. Nancy leads us in an opening rhyme. It is a variation on this classic rhyme:

"This is my book I open it wide to see all the pictures that are inside. This is my ball, so big and so round. To toss in the air or roll on the ground. This is my umbrella; it keeps me dry, as the raindrops fall from the cloudy sky. This is my kitty; just hear him purr, as I gently stroke his long silky fur." 

We give ourselves a 'round' of applause for reciting the rhyme, clapping in a circular motion.

The first book we read is "My Friend Rabbit."

Ms. Nancy points out that sometimes you love your friends and sometimes you love things and events.

We read "Leo Loves Baby Time."

Next we do a fun action rhyme that goes like this:

"Zoom, zoom, zoom. We're going to the moon. Zoom, zoom, zoom. We'll be there very soon. So, if you'd like to take a trip, Just step inside my rocket ship. Zoom, zoom, zoom. We're going to the moon. Zoom, zoom, zoom. We'll be there very soon. 10 - 9 - 8 -7 - 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 - 0 - Lift OFF !!!"

We do this three time to practice our life off skills.

Next Ms. Nancy gets out her alligator puppet and she leads us in the 5 Little Monkey's Sitting in a Tree.

In honor of Valentine's Day, we now sing H-E-A-R-T to the tune of B-I-N-G-O. Ms. Nancy and her student helper give five older children each a letter. We sing the song, replacing a letter in each verse with a clap. 

The letters are retrieved and we say the following rhyme:

"To show you love your special friends, give them each a heart that says 'I love you.'"

Now Ms. Nancy passes out paper hearts to do the next few rhymes and songs.

We sing "10 Little Hearts" to the tune of "Ten Little Indians" and a say the rhyme "5 Little Hearts All in a Row."

Next we read "Momma, Do You Love Me?"

After this book Ms. Nancy has us all stand up and form a circle. We hold hands and sing "It's Love that Makes the World Go 'Round."

She ends the story time with a few verses of "If You're Happy and You Know It."

There are three tables set up with crafts. Ms. Nancy and the parents pull the tables out from the wall and the families set to making Valentine's Day cards and collages. 

This was fun! Thanks for letting me watch today, Ms. Nancy.

Best,

Amanda Hua

Seattle Story Time Tour - Madrona-Sally Goldmark Branch

Branch: Madrona-Sally Goldmark 

Storyteller: Ms. Rachel

Age/Type: Family Story Time

This branch lives in an historic building (see plaque above). It's super tiny, but they make the space work. Ms. Rachel opens the doors at 11am and we begin right away.

Ms. Rachel leads the group in an opening chant that goes like this:

"The bright sun comes up, the dew falls away. Good morning, good morning, the little birds say. Wake up!"

Next she leads the group in the traditional action song "Open and Shut Them."

Today's story time is about Birds! Ms. Rachel Asks the children about the letter B and we make the 'buh' sound. 

The first book she reads is "WOW! Said the Owl."

This book is good for going over colors and basic counting. Perfect for the younger members of the audience. 

After the book, she asks everyone to give a 'round of applause' by clapping in a circular motion. 

In keeping with the color theme, we sing the "Color Song." It goes like this:

"If you're wearing red today, red today, red today. If you're wearing red today, stand up and say hooray! (repeat with other colors)"

Ms. Rachel has us all stretch and sit down for the next book: "I Spy in the Sky."

This book works really well for the older kids as it focuses on specific types of birds and involves guessing. A particularly funny moment comes when one child proudly proclaims to Ms. Rachel that he or she has seen a bird poop. What fun!

The next few activities involve egg shakers, so Ms. Rachel passes these out. After a few chaotic minutes, everyone settles in and Ms. Rachel puts on a CD of "The Chicken Song."

Next we use the shakers to sing "Head and Shoulders." This one is easier for the younger ones.

The shakers get put away and we play a counting game. Ms. Rachel puts up a large writing pad with a tree on it. She puts up five brightly colored owls and teaches subtraction by taking away owls in groups. Prefect activity for the preschoolers who shout out answers.

After the game, we sing all five verses of "Where is Thumbkin?" This song is better suited for the younger children who need to learn those hand movements. 

The challenge of a Family Story Time is finding books and activities all ages will enjoy. I think Ms. Rachel provides a good range of books and activities to find that balance.

Now she closes with a goodbye song, "Skinny Marinky Dinky Dink."

Stamps are available for those who want them and a craft is set up for any groups that want to stay and participate. Today's craft is a paper plate bird's nest with baby birds. 

The End. Yay!

Now that I've been to a few of these, I can definitely see how the librarians influence one another. Many of them use the same songs and have the same little tricks for getting the kids to sit still and listen to the next book. This is the benefit of working in a larger system- all the resource sharing! 

Thanks for letting me watch today, Rachel.

Best,

Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Northeast Branch

Branch: Northeast

Storyteller: Ms. Erica

Age/Type: Preschool

Another packed story time for the Seattle Public Library. This branch, however, has a bigger meeting room and can support all the kids that show up today. Ms. Erica does a Groundhog Day theme today, focusing on the changing of the seasons. 

Letter time! We go over the letter 'G' and the sounds it can make. Ms. Erica asks if anyone has a name that starts with 'g.' A few do. So does Groundhog! 

Hello Song: "Open Shut Them" with whispered verses and loud verses. 

She asks everybody to shake their hands while she goes over story time expectations with parents.

Book: "A Friend for All Seasons"

Ms. Erica tells us the story of the Groundhog. If he sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, that means 6 more weeks of winter. 

Next we sing a song called "I'm a Little Groundhog" to the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot." It goes like this:

"I'm a little groundhog short and stout. February 2nd I pop out. If I see my shadow, they all shout: '6 more weeks of winter without a doubt!'"

Stretch! She asks us all to stand up and stretch to this rhyme:

"Tall as a tree, wide as a house, thin as a pin, small as a mouse."

Book: "Tap the Magic Tree"

She asks us to tap the air in front of us to make the magic happen in the book. Very cute read aloud.

Yay! I finally get to see a flannel. She uses a flannel set to tell the story of a confused Groundhog that can't tell if he can see his own shadow. Ms. Erica asks us to chant 'Groundhog, groundhog, when will Spring be?" He decides to go back into his burrow and wait for Spring to decide on its own.

Fact: Did you know that a groundhog is also know as a a woodchuck?

As soon as I heard 'woodchuck' I knew what was coming! Ms. Erica has us chant the classic tongue twister:

"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood!?"

After several repetitions of this, Ms. Erica leads us in singing "The More We Get Together" and shows us the American Sign Language to go with it.

She fills the parents in on an Early Literacy Tip before the closing song. Writing takes a lot of core strength. Encourage your child to play and get strong so they can learn to write.

Goodbye Song: "If You're Happy and You Know It"

After the story time, Ms. Erica passes out puppets for kids to play with. She also has a craft prepared. Today's craft is a sheet of paper with four empty trees representing each season. The kids are provided with paper, glue, cotton balls, etc. to decorate them. 

Ms. Erica also provides each kid who wants one with a hand stamp to conclude the story time.

This was a great, high energy group! Thanks for letting me observe. 

Best,
Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Northgate Branch

Branch: Northgate

Storyteller: Ms. Claire

Age/Type: Family

As you walk into the library, a friendly whiteboard reminds all story time goers to get a ticket at the desk. The story time at this branch is more popular than the room can handle, often turning people away to adhere to fire code. Laminated tickets are given out to ensure just the right number of people can enter the program. 

Ms. Claire has made handouts with today's songs, rhymes, and books so that parents can take the fun of story time home. The repetition, she explains, helps them learn concepts and memorization.  

Even though Ms. Claire does not always do themes, she points out that the characters for this story time are all worried about something. 

Before her opening song, Ms. Claire goes through the motions that they will use in the song. This gives the newcomers a chance to learn and gives the regulars a chance to practice. Her opening song goes like this:

"Good morning dear earth. Good morning dear sun. Good morning to the clouds and the flowers, each one - Good morning to the bees and the birds in the trees. Good morning to you and good morning to me!"

Next, she takes the chance to tell parents about story time expectations. To entertain the kids while she does so she tells them to shake one hand then another as she outlines how to make the most of story time. She tells parents it is okay to be loud, but any unhappy children are also free to leave and rejoin them when they are happier. Parents are expected to participate and put those cell phones away.

To get out a few more wiggles, Ms. Claire has them sing "Open Shut Them."

Her first book is a classic. I adore this book: "Owl Babies."

After the story she has them sing the classic camp song "Boom Chicka Boom." She then asks them to whisper it, sing it fast, sing it slow, then sing it super fast. The result is perfect. The kids love this one. 

To transition into the next book she has the kids shake up high, shake down low, and shake in the middle. She reads "The Squeaky Door." 

Side note: This book is perfect for a flannel story as well.

Now Ms. Claire asks them all to stand and sing "Itsy-Bitsy Spider." They like that so much, she starts a second verse with "Great Big Spider," making bigger gestures. 

While still standing, she teaches them the finger play "Johnny, Johnny, Whoops!" 

You hold out your hand and point to each finger, naming them Johnny. When you get to the crook in the hand between the pointer finger and thumb, you swoop your finger down and say "Whoops!" Ms. Claire does this faster and faster until silliness occurs. (I feel like this is a good general rule of thumb for story time. "Repeat until silliness occurs.")

The last book is good old "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes."

The best part of her reading is when she points out how unrealistic it is to step in random piles of fruit. 

Her closing song is a fantastic counting ditty about dinosaurs. It's a song by Nancy Stewart called "Dinosaurs in Cars" and you can find it here.

She ends the story time by stamping the hand of each kid who wants one. She has them sing a waiting song. She points out to the parents that this will help them self-regulate later on. The song is to the tune of "Frere Jacques" and goes like this:

"I am waiting, I am waiting. For my stamp, for my stamp. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting. For my stamp, for my stamp."

All and all, a good show! Thanks for letting me observe, Ms. Claire. 

Best,

Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Central Library

Continuing the series, I visited Ms. Lauren at the Central library today to enjoy a penguin themed story time.

Branch: Central

Storyteller: Ms. Lauren

Age/Type: Preschool

Three or four different preschool groups and several caregivers with children crowd into the story time room at the Central library this morning. They do a head count to make sure they don't go over the 170 something capacity for the fire code. This is a popular program! 

Ms. Lauren starts out with a new welcome song for the season. Sung to the tune of "Farmer in the Dell", the song goes like this:

"We clap and sing hello, we clap and sing hello. With our friends at storytime, we clap and sing hello." This is repeated with "stomp and sing" and "nod and sign" (she teaches them the ASL sign for 'hello'). 

Today we learn about... Penguins! Ms. Lauren points out the letter P on her dry erase board and has the audience try out the 'puh' sound. 

To get the kids ready for a book, she has them do the "Open, shut them" song and tells them the first fact about penguins (did you know that, although penguins are birds, they don't fly?).

The first book she reads is "Sergio Makes a Splash" by Edel Rodriguez. 

After this book, she asks everyone to get out their flippers and they sing this song:

"Did you ever see a penguin, a penguin, a penguin? Did you ever see a penguin, waddle this way and that? Waddle this way and that way, waddle this way and that way. Did you ever see a penguin, waddle this way and that?"

Fact #2: Did you know that there are 17 different types of penguins? She points to a stuffed animal penguin behind her and points out that that penguin in an Emperor Penguin. She points to a globe and shows the crowd where they come from- the south pole.

The next book is a big book called "Tacky the Penguin" by Helen Lester.

When Ms. Lauren finishes this book, it is time for a dance party. She puts on a song form Seaseme Street called "Doing the Penguin." 

The last book is by one of my favorite picture book authors Oliver Jeffers. She reads "Lost and Found."

Ms. Lauren then uses the ASL sign for 'goodbye' in her goodbye song to the tune of "Goodnight, Ladies."

"Goodbye, friends. Goodbye, friends. Goodbye, friends. It's time to say goodbye."

She ends her story time by stamping the hands of the children with a penguin stamp. 

This was great fun. Thanks for letting me watch! And kudos to whoever made this sweet tree for the fantasy books display.

Best,

Amanda

Seattle Story Time Tour - Douglas-Truth Branch

Welcome to a new recurring series of posts that I am calling 'Seattle Story Time Tour'. I was challenged by my WLA mentor to visit all 27 Seattle Public Library branches by April of this year. As I thought about this, I decided to make my mission to visit a story time from each branch. Here is my very first visit.

Branch: Douglas-Truth
Storyteller: Ms. Lynn
Age/Type: Toddler Story Time

Right away I know this story time is going to be fun. The kids outside the door are all repeating to one another: "Ms. Lynn, Ms. Lynn!" We go inside and Ms. Lynn asks all the caregivers and toddlers to take off their shoes because today we are trying out a new activity-- a parachute. I've always wanted to try out a parachute in a story time and today I get to see it in action. It sits in the middle of the room, big and colorful. Waiting. For those of you unfamiliar with the playtime parachute, here is a little girl using one:

Photo by: Lance McCord

Ms. Lynn starts the story time traditionally with a Hello Song. She points to a little girl and asks everyone the color of her shirt and then they sing a song that goes like this:

"Mary is wearing her green shirt, green shirt, green shirt. Mary is wearing her green shirt all day long."

She repeats the song with a number of different children and then moves on to the first book, which is "Bounce" by Doreen Cronin. All of the kids stand up and bounce along.

Next Ms. Lynn puts on a modified version of "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" that involves counting and a fast rhythm.

They read the classic Keith Baker "Big Fat Hen" big book next. Lots of great counting and movement.

The next activity is a song to the tune of Frere Jacques that goes like this:

"Walking, walking, walking, walking. Hop, hop hop. Hop, hop hop. Running, running, running. Running, running, running. Now we stop. Now we stop."

Finally we get to the part all the toddlers have anxiously been waiting for: the parachute! Everyone gathers around the outside of the parachute and holds the edge. They sing a few verses of "Ring Around the Roise" while walking and spinning the parachute.

The next parachute activity is waving it like ocean tides. It gets faster, then slower again. Then Ms. Lynn puts on the Elevator Song and they take the parachute up and down.

By far the best part (as far as the toddlers were concerned) comes next. Ms. Lynn puts clear plastic balls on top of the parachute and they make the balls bounce. The children help put the balls away afterward.

They said goodbye by letting the children underneath the parachute and singing the goodbye song. A few adorable little girls have mad scientist hair as the static takes over. Kind of like this kid:

Photo by: Marcus Nelson

After the goodbye song, some of the toddlers and caregivers choose to stay for a while longer playing with toys and mingling.

It all looked very fun. Thanks for letting me sit in and observe, Ms. Lynn!

Best,
Amanda

Destination Weddings - Best Library Spaces

Back when I was getting married, I briefly toyed with the idea of tying the knot in a library. Unfortunately, I didn't find a library in the Dallas, Texas area that I felt would support the kind of wedding I wanted. My literary wedding (pictured above) took place at the T&P Train Station in Fort Forth, Texas. Ideally, the library for my wedding would have had classic charm and would have been able to support over 200 people. This doesn't really exist in North Texas (that I could find). The Dallas Public Library is enormous at ten floors, but the building isn't really set up for that kind of event.

Dallas Public Library, J. Erik Jonsson Central Library

In fact, most libraries aren't designed for hosting events like weddings because, why should they be? It could be good income for the city or library for one. Also, being able to host large events in general is good for the community. As libraries expand their purpose to a community gathering space, I think future libraries might consider making spaces more flexible to accommodate large events. Here are some libraries that make stunning destinations to host a wedding.

The George Peabody Library

The George Peabody Library is a part of the Sheridan Libraries Special Collections at John Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. The rental fee for the space currently ranges from $4,000 to $7,500 plus a $1,000 ceremony fee depending on the day. The space can accommodate up to 200 seated guests. 

The Boston Public Library

The Boston Public Library has many different spaces for rental. You can read the details here. The best space in my opinion is Bates Hall (pictured above), which seats 220 and has a rental fee $11,000. 

The New York Public Library

The New York Public Library offer's wedding space rentals in their Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Details of the space and pricing are not available online, but can be obtained by contacting them via email.

The Seattle Public Library

The Seattle Public Library offers their Norcliffe Foundation Living Room for $3,000 on evenings when the library is closed. The space can hold up to 400 guests.

Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square

The Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Square in Washington D.C. was originally opened in 1903 and was reopened in 2012 as an event space. This venue has nine different spaces. To find out more details about cost and size of the venue visit their website and fill out a booking form.  

...just to name a few. These libraries make beautiful destinations for weddings. Do you know of any others?

Best,

Amanda  

Library Profile: Seattle Central Library

Today I am continuing the series of posts that profile different libraries. Since I live in Seattle, I figured I should do a profile of the famous downtown library. I was lucky enough to get a tour from one of their assistant managing librarians and I learned a lot about the space.

I'm not going to go into detail about the construction or history of the building, mostly because I think they say it best on the SPL website here. Instead, I'm going to share the pictures from my tour and give my own impressions of the spaces in the library. Here we go!

We started with the world languages section on the first floor, where I learned that they have all kinds of unique languages. They even had a few books in Esperanto, a constructed language. Perfeckta!

The floor of this section is embossed with phrases out of books in their collection in all kinds of languages.

While they have a huge variety, I learned that they only currently develop collections for about a handful of languages. This means that they are not getting new items in for the other languages due to lack of circulation and other criteria they have developed. So, they likely don't have Gone Girl in Esperanto. This is probably okay.

Next we visited the third floor that has the FriendShop, Teen Area, and popular collection items. The beautiful architecture changes on each floor, giving you a different view through the angular glass windows.

The fifth floor is the main floor for public computers, ready reference, and job searching tools. This is the floor that also hosts programs like Tax Help or information sessions on the Affordable Care Act. Behind the scenes, this is the floor for the library staff that answer the library's main phone line. Any general library information or ready reference is answered by staff at cubicles. More specialized questions are sent out to other departments.

Next we traversed the spiral. This is where the nonfiction and reference materials are housed. Friendly, super knowledgeable staff at these desks will talk to you about anything from LBJ biographies to upcoming library programs.

On our journey up the spiral, we stopped outside a music practice room and listened to a library patron play an accordion.

Up on the tenth floor you can walk out onto this balcony and see the amazing view all the way down to the third floor. It really makes me want to throw a paper airplane to see it navigate all the way down, but I am told this is not advised :).

Back on the first floor, I explored the children's section. Fun, bright colors and a huge selection of books makes this the most magical part of the library as far as I'm concerned. Although, I just realized that I took a picture of the bathroom... >< I was just trying to get the fabricated bull and the tree in the same picture, I swear!

I will leave you with one last picture of the view out the amazing glass windows.

So, there you have it! If you are in town, you should pay this glorious building a visit. You can find public tour information here on their website.

Best,
Amanda