Alan Gray from Darien PL is blogging! This post caught my eye:
http://www.darienlibrary.org/staffpages/gray/blog/archives/2006/08/siege_warfare.html
Alan discusses the reference desk as a barrier or stronghold against patrons. he uses a photo illustration to show the reference area of his library as a fortress. He then notes that the NEW Darien Library will be different:
What they’ve decided is that we are NOT going to have a desk or any kind of barrier, but that reference librarians will work in partnership with patrons at reference “pods.” Truly, we don’t have a clue what they are going to be like exactly (we have done lots of sketches but we aren’t to the mock up stage yet — some drawings look like lima beans, or saddleshapes or boomerangs) except we know the general principle is that a reference librarian and the patron will sit together so they can share access to computing resources if necessary. And the space will clearly as much the patron’s space as it is the librarian’s space.
Again, a model of library thinking to watch closely and emulate. Thanks Alan!