{"id":9766,"date":"2019-02-05T13:26:28","date_gmt":"2019-02-05T18:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.nornow.org\/?p=9766"},"modified":"2019-02-05T13:26:29","modified_gmt":"2019-02-05T18:26:29","slug":"changes-on-the-way-for-the-childrens-room-at-the-library","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/2019\/02\/05\/changes-on-the-way-for-the-childrens-room-at-the-library\/","title":{"rendered":"Changes On the Way for the Children\u2019s Room at the Library"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Facelift will feature reading nook and star-bright lighting<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By Colleen Gundlach<br>Photo by Savage Frieze<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Generations of Norfolk children have spent many happy hours in the Children\u2019s Room at the Norfolk Library.  Originally located in what is now the Reference Room, the Children\u2019s Room moved to its current location about 30 years ago when the beautiful addition was built.  That room, with its welcoming make-believe turret reminiscent of the overall architecture of the building, has housed untold numbers of story hours, Corner Clubs, special programs, pajama story times and individual play and reading times.  Now the room is slated for a facelift that will enable it to welcome many more generations of children to come.<br>\nChildren\u2019s Librarian Eileen Fitzgibbons says part of the impetus behind the renovation is to make the space more comfortable for relaxing and reading and for adults who accompany the children.  The seating will be made more accessible to adults, who can\u2019t sit comfortably in small, child-sized chairs, and a comfortable reading nook is planned for the window on the east side of the room.  \u201cWe want it to look classic but kid-friendly,\u201d she says.<br>\nThe overall look of the new design is planned to be \u201cmore magical,\u201d according to Fitzgibbons. \u201cThere will be sparkly paint on the ceiling and new, fresh colors. We will also lighten up the heavy, boxy look of the bookcases and make them easier for children to reach.\u201d Each bookcase will be stepped back a bit to create platforms where children can build with Legos, play with cars and trucks, or just read. Plans are also underway for a more accessible sink area and a new, updated bulletin board, perhaps a magnetic one.<br>\nAnn Havemeyer, the library\u2019s director, is enthusiastic about the new look for the Children\u2019s Room. \u201cWe have a high, wonderful ceiling in this room that one rarely notices,\u201d she says. \u201cWe are planning to paint the ceiling blue and will have a new chandelier called \u2018Ursa Major,\u2019 which will replicate the constellation in LED lights.\u201d  She stresses, though, that the original cove molding surrounding the ceiling will not be disturbed, nor will the woodwork. \u201cWe want to add to the room, not change it,\u201d says Havemeyer. \u201cIt needs to be integral with the building as a whole.\u201d<br>\nCabinetry in the hallway leading to the Children\u2019s Room will be remodeled as well, to make it multifunctional. It will accommodate children\u2019s backpacks and coats when the kids get off the school bus for afterschool programs at the library.<br>\nSome of the funding for the project is being provided by the Library Associates, says Havemeyer. \u201cThe fundraising the Associates did was so successful this year that they were able to support a good portion of the project.\u201d The remainder of the costs will be borne by the library itself.<br>\nDemolition of the Children\u2019s Room will begin the second week of February, with completion expected in early spring. \u201cChris Peterson is doing our woodworking,\u201d Havemeyer says. \u201cHe is constructing the woodwork off-site and will deliver it complete. He has done work for us in the past in keeping with the ambience of the library as a whole.\u201d<br>\nChildren\u2019s programs will continue uninterrupted during the process, with most programs being relocated to the Great Hall. \u201cIt will be lively in the Great Hall this month,\u201d says Fitzgibbons. \u201cWe will shake things up out there.\u201d All of the children\u2019s books and DVDs will be relocated temporarily to the Reference Room, where they can be checked out as usual.<br>\nA grand reopening celebration of the Children\u2019s Room is planned for late spring, but the room is expected to be open again by April.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Facelift will feature reading nook and star-bright lighting By Colleen GundlachPhoto by Savage Frieze Generations of Norfolk children have spent many happy hours in the Children\u2019s Room at the Norfolk Library. Originally located in what is now the Reference Room, the Children\u2019s Room moved to its current location about 30 years ago when the beautiful [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9767,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,194,41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-february-2019","category-slider"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9766"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9768,"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9766\/revisions\/9768"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9767"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nornow.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}