West Newsmagazine 10-11-17

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October 11, 2017
WEST NEWSMAGAZINE
I COVER STORY I 25
around the country that teens aren’t interested
in being near the children’s area, so
they want their own space and to be recognized
as not being kids anymore,” Sorth
said. “It’s pretty dynamic and is a good
place for the teens to go and just enjoy
hanging out there.”
Spaces for teens and kids aren’t the only
areas to receive a makeover. The furniture,
seating areas and shelves also have been
updated with a more modern aesthetic to
correspond with survey feedback about
updating the look of the facility. The new
branch features more open floor space and
more windows creating natural light in that
space.
“We certainly tried to place our new
seating areas near windows as much as
possible, because those are often the most
popular places in the branch,” Sorth said.
“The new addition has some fabulous
views outside the branch.”
Other additions to the renovated location
include a new commons area, a quiet
reading room, a laptop bar, a vending
machine area and a new family restroom.
An updated business center with fax, copy
and scanning machines also was created to
replace the old computer lab.
The new West Newsmagazine Crooked House under
construction.
[Photo courtesy of St. Louis County Library]
“Daniel Boone has an awesome commons
space with high-top tables and a
laptop bar that looks out into the branch,”
Sorth said. “On the other side is the copy
center, so people can spend time in those
areas. There are also vending machines,
so if people wanted to grab a bottle of
water, soda or a bag of chips, they can just
hang out and enjoy themselves.”
According to Sorth, one of the biggest
additions is six new study rooms, the largest
amount of any branch that has been
renovated or replaced in the system.
“Adding the six private study rooms is
huge for that branch,” Sorth said. “That is
a branch that has a lot of children and teens,
and there are also a lot of people that do
study groups there or tutoring.”
The update also allowed for the creation
of four revamped community meeting
rooms available for use by individuals and
organizations.
“In our old branches, the meeting room
spaces were closed off,” Sorth said. “In
the new branch, there’s glass on the front
of the meeting rooms, study rooms and
lab areas. This means that people can see
what’s going on in there, and they might be
more inclined to join a program or go to a
computer class.”
Various other amenities in the facility
include a quiet reading room, a new program
room and newly-designed seating
areas scattered about the facility.
“We tried to put various options in terms
of seating, Sorth said. “Some are just chairs
and some have tables with them. There’s
quiet rooms where if people want to work or
get away from interruptions,
they can go there. If someone
wants to be in the hub
in the center of everything
that’s going on, there are
places for them, too.”
As the Daniel Boone
branch opens, four others
will close. Grand Glaize,
Mid-County, Thornhill
and Meramec Valley all
are scheduled to close this
fall and winter for renovations
or new construction.
The timeline is subject to
change based on weather
conditions and other factors,
and the final dates
have yet to be officially
determined.
One thing is for sure;
once renovated, the
branches are built to last.
According to Sorth, the
gutting and renovation of
the branches, including
Daniel Boone, is meant to
keep the facilities updated
long into the future.
“We’re future-proofing the buildings
because we don’t want to do this again for a
long time, Sorth said. “It’s the perfect location
for us, there’s great visibility. It’s easy
for patrons to find and has great parking.
This is a building that’s been expanded on
and completely renovated, and we expect it
to be like that for a very long time.”
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