Technolibrary: A Look at the New Library
NEIRAD enilno edition
Library Hours
Mon-Thurs: 9am-9pm
Fri: 9am-6pm
Sat: 9am-5pm
Sun: 1pm-5pm
Over the course of history, the Darien Public Library has often been a dreaded place in town for students. Nobody wanted to set foot in the dark, musty old Darien Library. However, this year, it will be hard for anybody to stay away from the new building.
The new Library has finally arrived in Darien after years of anticipation. The initial steel outline appeared in January 2008 in place of an old gas station. Now, as people step inside the modern, three-story structure, it is clear the finished product had been worth the wait.
Ever since its hulking shape had emerged out of the frigid winter earth, the Darien Library had awed Darienites of all ages. For many, it was the most exciting thing they had ever seen in the town. Then, at last, on January 10, 2008, the new library was officially unveiled to the public. The incredibly high-tech, yet perfectly cozy library impressed many of the townspeople.
“The library is great because it’s really high-tech, but it’s also a relaxing place to get work done,” junior Tommy Hyde said.
The Darien Library's new approach certainly appears like it’s targeting the younger generation in Darien. “Main Street,” the name given to the center hallway on the first floor, is lined with flat panel TVs that advertise upcoming events and give an hour-by-hour video presentation that shows the construction process. The building is littered with computers, including an entire floor devoted almost entirely to a computer lab. The library’s modern design and tech-savvy accessories make it both cool and effective place to research, read and just hang out.
"There are 21 wifi access points on all three stories of the library, so people can easily connect to the internet with their laptops just about anywhere in the building," librarian Gretchen Hams-Caserotti said.
These new innovations are a substantial leap from the ways of old library, where wifi connection was limited, and there were only a small amount of computers that could be employed for personal use. At the new library, one could find a working computer in just about every possible spot in the building.
However, extensive computer use was not the library's only means of getting the attention of Darien's youth. The library is now much more focused on making the process easier for users.
The first step is to get a library card. Once a card is in your possession, the new library experience can begin. Each computer on the lower level must be activated by a library card, so make sure that you have one on you at all times. A new invention used by the library further utilizes the library card. Quick, efficient machines can now check out books, which allows for librarians to get out from behind their desks and become more involved.
“The machines are very useful because instead of you having to wait in a line in order to check out a book, you can do it yourself,” librarian Erica Leone said.
The new library certainly has a more independent feel to it. No longer is everything jammed together onto one floor with a full staff of librarians at every corner. The new four-level building has a lot less people on the staff. The new machines may have a lot to do with this reduced staffing. The machines can check in and check out books, which makes the process easier. The Dewey Decimal system, which has always been the way library books were organized, has been changed so that books are now arranged by subject.
“The new system is great because it’s easy to go to a section and find exactly what you need,” sophomore Sean Fitzpatrick said.
The addition of the library will certainly make life easier for students. Simply wander up to Glanville Reading Room where you can escape from your homes every once and awhile in exchange for a quiet and peaceful environment that has all the resources you will ever need. The new library is great for both work and pleasure, and is one of the first libraries of its kind. It is ranked the number one library in Connecticut and is one of the top ten public libraries in the country for its size. With more than 155,000 books and 300 newspaper and magazine subscriptions, the new library has a lot to offer.
