Greetings from the Main Reading Room of the National Library of Australia. Building work for the new "Treasures Gallery" and "Temporary Exhibition Gallery" had meant that new serials had been removed from the Main Reading Room to the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room downstairs. This left the main reading rooms with a few token shelves of books around the walls and a very large number of desks with computers on them. The basement with serials was quite comfortable, with a very pleasant view out to some birch trees. But the newspaper room is open limited hours. So the serials have been moved back to the main room.
However, there are now only two rows of two shelves of serials, when there were three rows of three before. Also the selves are so close together than I can't bend over to read the bottom row of titles. The importance of printed periodicals is decreasing, but it would pleasant to still have somewhere to sit and browse.
An idea I suggested previously, which the library might consider, is some lounge chairs with tablet computers built in, So readers could sit a flip though e-publications. This could be easily built using a King furniture "Delta" chair, or another modular design which has sockets for attaching accessories to. A tablet computer would be fixed to a metal arm attached to the chair. This could be swung around to be operated while sitting comfortably, but permanently attached so it could not be stolen.
4 comments:
The National Library is currently undergoing building works on the Ground floor. Due to lack of space in the Main Reading Room we temporarily relocated the current journal display to the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room. We have returned the current journal display to the Main Reading Room to ensure they are accessible in the evenings. The comfortable lounge chairs are also in place. Once the building works are completed, 250 current journals will be displayed on purpose built new shelving in the area currently hidden by hoarding. There will be comfortable new seating as well.
Internet resources and electronic journals subscribed to by the Library can be accessed from all public computers in the Library. Laptop users can also access them throughout the Library through our free WiFi network, including in the sofas in the foyer and in the paperplate café.
Regards
Susanne Bruhn, Director, Reader Services
The National Library is currently undergoing building works on the Ground floor. Due to lack of space in the Main Reading Room we temporarily relocated the current journal display to the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room. We have returned the current journal display to the Main Reading Room to ensure they are accessible in the evenings. The comfortable lounge chairs are also in place. Once the building works are completed, 250 current journals will be displayed on purpose built new shelving in the area currently hidden by hoarding. There will be comfortable new seating as well.
Internet resources and electronic journals subscribed to by the Library can be accessed from all public computers in the Library. Laptop users can also access them throughout the Library through our free WiFi network, including in the sofas in the foyer and in the paperplate café.
Regards
Susanne Bruhn, Director, Reader Services
The Library is currently undergoing building works on the Ground floor. Due to lack of space in the Main Reading Room we temporarily relocated the current journal display to the Newspapers and Microforms Reading Room. We have returned the current journal display to the Main Reading Room to ensure they are accessible in the evenings. The comfortable lounge chairs are also in place. Once the building works are completed, 250 current journals will be displayed on purpose built new shelving in the area currently hidden by hoarding. There will be comfortable new seating as well.
Internet resources and electronic journals subscribed to by the Library can be accessed from all public computers in the Library. Laptop users can also access them throughout the Library through our free WiFi network, including in the sofas in the foyer and in the paperplate café.
Regards
Susanne Bruhn, Director, Reader Services
Blogger Susanne's Voice said February 08, 2011 5:57 PM, 6:00 PM and National Library of Australia February 09, 2011 9:38 AM
>... Once the building works are completed, 250 current journals will be displayed on purpose built new shelving ... comfortable new seating ...
Good, thanks.
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