The Storefront Library will run regular hours through January 17, at which point our volunteer staff will begin wrapping up the project at 640 Washington St. We’ve let folks at ALA know that we’ll be open to the public during the convention, but no official ALA program is scheduled here. As always, we’ll have one staff person available for informal tours/questions from professional visitors. (Throughout the project, we’ve tried to strike a balance between allocating resources to professional tours/events and the demands of daily operation and patron-oriented programs.)

During the project, it has been extremely useful (and a pleasure) to have informal visits and feedback from visiting librarians. We’re looking forward to meeting more of you during the ALA.

“Much of what Mr. Hellman predicts is consistent with the conversations we are having, and in some cases the actions we are taking, here at PVLD (Palos Verdes Library District). While we have not contemplated merging PVLD with another library (and I confess that this idea is one I instinctively dislike) we are part of a cooperative library system that last year merged with two other regional cooperatives to enable greater sharing of resources across the Los Angeles, Orange, and parts of Ventura counties. Our Annex is a variation on the store front library model and we have had at least preliminary conversations about whether the concept could be deployed elsewhere in our community such as in the Miraleste village shopping area to relieve pressure on the overcrowded Miraleste Library. David Campbell has pushed the idea of delivering materials by mail for a couple of years now, and while we have yet to come up with a feasible economic model we have not given up on the idea. And we certainly are investing substantial time, money and energy in beefing up our digital collections and improving how the community can access them.

All of this makes me think that Mr. Hellman is on to something…”