Santa arrives at the library...
and he knows who's been naughty or nice! Some may say that Santa's just a whole lot of hot air - but they'd be wrong (about the 'hot' part at least). He's here at the entrance to the library ready to welcome all visitors and give them a wave (especially if it's a bit windy) and more than happy to have a hug.
tis the season to be jolly!

Seaford community mosaic wall...
the wall has been launched! (not literally, of course) For the official launch of the wall we had a speech, release of balloons and then a gathering in the meeting room where guests watched a visual history of events while partaking in refreshments - so civilized!
It was a great wrap-up for the project with good attendance by invited guests.

New PC desks installed...
The new public/student PC desks have been installed. The public PCs have been relocated (on the new desks) to a new area (with all the public access PCs now in the one location). The new student PC desks have been constructed and installed but will remain vacant until the new Mac computers are installed (some time early next year).

Cleaning has commenced on the roof (again)...
There is a lot of accumulated bird waste on the roof. It is systematically being removed and the affected area then netted to stop birds using the area. The completed areas look much better and hopefully when this area is finished that will be the end of this issue!

screens are up...
it's clear that the screens are up (pardon the pun!) and that means the circulation desk installation has been completed (FINALLY).
Let's hope that the ref. desk is completed soon (only the top to go) and then we can organise the whole lot - won't that be sweet!

the edging has been done...
the tiling work has been done, the grouting has been completed and now, the final touch, the edging has been applied.
The Seaford Library mosaic wall in now FINISHED!
This has been a great effort by all concerned and needs to be acknowledged by a celebration - which is what we are planning next!

the banners are up...
it's taken a while...
there was an aborted start...
but now, finally...
the street banners have gone up on Grand Boulevard!

Now that's put some colour and vibrancy into the place.

art moderation...
it's that time - student art works have gone up in the library and are being 'assessed'. There are various styles, formats, colours and sizes on display - and don't they make a splash!
Congrats to all students who have done such a marvelous job.

it's up!...
well, it's taken quite a while but finally we have managed to have the student painting framed and hung. It is quite large and was hung high on the eastern library wall where it can be viewed easily from almost anywhere in the library.
It looks great!

the poles are up!...
The new poles have gone up on Grand Boulevard and are now ready for the new promotional banners. It will be interesting to see what they look like and what response we get from the community. Hopefully they will give a positive vibe and brighten up the boulevard.

tidy-up has begun...
It's the end of Term III and the workroom tidy-up has begun! A couple of staff have changed location, we have introduced some new furniture and we have created additional work areas for new staff. The lockers will be removed (soon) and a new work-desk established for the volunteers. It's all looking sooo tidy!

the 'Beast'...
the new photocopier has arrived and been installed. It's a Konica/Minolta colour copier and it replaces the two Canon's we had previously. Coinciding with the arrival of the 'beast' is the installation of the inepro TM printing management system (sounds like fun). This should give us a completely automated system...so long as the 'beast' doesn't act up...
gggRRRRRR!!

School Services Library Officer...
has started (and completed her first week and survived). Rebecca has eagerly taken on the role and is trying to manage the 'information overload' that all new employees experience. School staff meetings, school leadership meetings, team meetings and loads of desk work have already been hurdled. Rebecca now has to run the gauntlet of meeting a wide and varied range of people that she will be working with day-to-day. Keep smiling Bec!

New circ desk...
well, it has been installed (although not yet completed). It all went very smoothly although the installation did take a little longer than planned.
A big change but it is much better (and more functional to boot).

the wall gets a paint job...
the weather may not have been too flash but that didn't stop the painter putting on a coat of paint and patching up the cracks.
Don't like the colour? Don't worry - it's only the undercoat!

Friday 20 June - Gus' last day...
it's a wrap! There was lunch, there was a card, there was a gift and there were farewells... and he was gone! On his way to the Gold Coast, a new library job and a fresh start.
Good Luck Gus!

facade clean-up...
there have been a number of graffiti attacks earlier this year that have left the library's facade looking...well...less than attractive. But now we have the clean-up happening and the results are quite dramatic (compare the cleaned area with the band that has not been done). This is stage one with a second clean to be done soon. There is a facade replacement planned for the next financial year (for the dark blue panels) which should restore the building to it's original high quality look.

vinyl flooring is down...
it's taken a very long time but finally the vinyl flooring has been laid in the staff tea/lunch room. The time this has taken to complete was unbelievable and has stalled all progress to finish works in this area - but now we can continue! Yay!

and the wall goes on...
It's getting close to winter so we need to get a move on with the wall. The group of dedicated volunteers are adding tiles as fast as they can but it is a big wall - so they are going to need help! They let me lay a tile (heart shape) to show me how easy it is. The race is on...can we get it done?

the wall...
it's 'slow but steady' for the wall outside the Seaford library. The basic wall structure has been completed but it's the mosaic work that is taking time. A dedicated band of tilers are working steadily and are making progress. Students from the school are also pitching in. Let's hope that there's good progress!

community information stand...
the community information stand has been in place for a few months but not as we would have liked it. It was backed onto a room divider to give it support as it was unstable as a free standing unit. As a result, we lost the use of one side and this was not acceptable. But now this has been fixed! The unit has support columns fixed to the sides and is now positioned in such a way that we have the use of both sides. All is now well...

mmm... workroom done too!
Yes, the carpets have been laid and we got the utility rooms and the workroom done to boot!
It's amazing to think that it has all been done in just over a week and now we can get back to business (although there is the new circ. desk in the pipeline).

job done...
all the public areas have been completed (re-carpeted) and everything is back in place - but there's more...
we have found out that all of the library will be re-carpeted (this includes the utility rooms AND the staff work room).
*****Yay!*****

hey! new carpet...
we are now at the end of day three of this four day project and I am happy to report that we are on schedule. Only one more day and we should be done.
...and what's it like?
LOOKS GOOD!
It's quite a dramatic change but I guess that's to be expected when you change a worn, grey carpet with something that's got colour.

sans carpet...
the carpet replacement has commenced! There were some concerns about 'difficulties' in removing the old carpet but it came off easily. The lifting of the shelves (with the books still on them) is working well and we are on target with our time-line.

Yep! we're closed...
well, we will be - from Tuesday 19th to Friday 22nd the library will be closed for an 'interior upgrade' (read - new carpet).
After 10 long years of wear and tear, punishing book trolley manoeuvres, student shenanigans ('yeah, that Nutella™ sure had us fooled'), little 'accidents' and dragging of furniture, it's finally time for replacement.

tough...
The first week of school was OK, the second was a bit rough and the third has started like a bomb! But that's OK because we are Tough Guys (and I use the term 'guys' liberally to cover both genders). We are strong and resilient and, of course, sincere - which got me thinking...
how are we coming across? do the students think we are power hungry library dictators, ruling the library with an iron fist, divorced of any feeling or understanding?
...and then I read an article on 'the power of pink' and how wearing this colour subconsciously influences others positively on the sincerity of your actions.
I know we are sincere but I'm thinking why don't we use this information to our advantage....TOUGH GUYS WEAR PINK!

It's the start of the year...2008
Most staff have had a break and returned refreshed and ready for the new year. This is the first week of the school year and things are ticking along well! We are expecting a year of change - a BIG year - and there is some anxiety...
but this will keep us on our toes.

2008... here it goes...