Kids back in the Library!

Looking SO pretty...the ceiling shining with the new paint!

 



 We started opening the Library to classes last week, it was so great to have the kids back where they belong! We aren't finished yet and probably won't be for a few months yet, but we're up and running the best we can now and everyone seems excited about what we've gotten done so far.....more to come!

Ms. Denzer working on the new Perodical Room.

If you look to the left you can see the boxes with the White Board and projector still waiting to be installed....eventually!

Painting!

We were so lucky to have an amazing group of painters come and paint the ENTIRE library! Beautiful, bright colors of Purple and White to show off our JHS School Spirit!

It took about a week and a half to get the whole job done but Ms. Denzer and I just couldn't be happier with how wonderful everything looks. The new lab tables were set up with electric and data drops and NEW computer flat screens are on the way.

Installing the new Library Lab!

JHS Colors, Purple and White!

New Lights...we can see the books now!

Ms. Rosemary is turning our gold doors PURPLE!

The Computer Lab should be opening next week...We're hoping the whole library, even though all the furnature won't have arrived yet, will be opening the week of September 26th....LONG awaited by Ms. Denzer and me of course but the faculty and most certainly the students too!.

Ceiling is going up, carpet is going down and books are being unpacked!

This has been an exciting week for our new JHS Library Media Center! A lot has gotten done and the Library is starting to take shape.

Ceiling being replaced in the Computer Lab.

The ceiling tiles were all replaced and the carpeting will be completed on Monday. I need to thank the Librarians and Techs who came to help me out this week unpacking the books and helping me redesign our new space. Erik Snyder (AHS), Andrew Robertson (HWES), Corrie Mitchell (ABMS), Pat Minarik (WPES) and Pam Reiter (MAMS). We have over 14,000 books to put back on the shelves! All of the Reference collection and Nonfiction has been unboxed and put back in their new locations, and we just started unpacking the Fiction section.

We have to sort all the boxes into the correct order to be put back on the shelves,
 there are over 1,000 boxes to go through!

This is where the new shelving is for the Fiction collection.

The new Mariner Purple carpeting being installed!

The ceiling is GONE!!!

Yes, it was a very difficult walk through the library last week! The asbestos plastic was still up, the electrician couldn't get to his work because the fireproofing (that is the blue stuff in the picture, honestly it looked like Smurfs threw-up everywhere!) was still being done and the insulating wasn't complete either. I wanted to cry, but everyone was very kind, helpful and encouraging. So I took a few pictures to share here and then headed out. I haven't been to visit this week but I hear things are finally coming along, thankfully. The plastic is down, the insulation is just about finished as is the electricity for the new computer lab and computer area in the front of the library. I'll be back to visit next Monday 8/15 because if all goes well that's when the new carpet is supposed to be installed :-) I'm looking forward to much better pictures to include then.....but until then, here's how things looked.....

Asbestos Removal is DONE!

I stopped by JHS this past week and was very happy to find out that ALL of the asbestos removal project had been completed. They were very careful to make sure that the air in out building was safe while the project was going on. They even had to turn the air conditioniing off during one of the hottest weeks of summer!! Poor Ms. Rosie and Ms. Kyle and all those who had to work in the building that week!!! But the work is finished now, and the next step will be to redesign the library to make it a better place for students to work and for me to teach. Mr. Moore from our Office of Technology is going to change the placement of the computers and even give us a BIG new flat screen TV, I can't wait to post pictures of all the new things happening in the next few weeks before school starts, so stay tuned!

Here is what the Library Office looked like before the asbestos was removed. The workers covered every surface in two layers of plastic and then sealed them.

This is the machine they used to help with air quality/cooling while the air conditioning had to be turned off and it was HOT HOT HOT!

Covered in Plastic!

I stopped by JHS today, the asbestos removal part of the project was to begin today and as you can see they were busy working.
The folks working to prepare the area have to completely seal up every surface, except the ceiling where they are removing the asbestos. They have completely sealed off the back of the library first, but every surface will be covered to plastic and protected.
The state of Maryland allows people to be in a building while asbestos is being removed, the air is being monitored constantly and great precautions are being taken to keep the air healthy. However, Harford County Public Schools goes an extra step and doesn't allow any actual removal of asbestos to happen during the time there are students in the building.This means that this work won't be done until all students who are at JHS during the summer, have left for the day. Of course this slows down the project, but the extra protection is commendable.
Ms. Denzer is visiting her brother's family now, I hope I can get her to send me some pictures of her enjoying her time away. I'm leaving soon for Bethany Beach after having had a great time in WVa and Pittsburgh with family. I hope the next entry will have pictures of the library progress as well as some of our summer fun too.

We hope all our JHS family and students are enjoying a happy and healthy summertime! Ms. Bourn

Packing..packing..packing..then the shelves came down!

The kids did a great job finishing up the last of the books and stacking the boxes out of the way. Next came the guys from Facilities to start breaking down the old shelving and making new shorter shelves for us...there was a lot of clanging, banging and drilling going on today, very noisy for a library, but we're loving the progress!

It began with LOTS of Boxes!

Beginning the week of May 23, 2011 we started packing all the library books into boxes. Mrs. Blair and Mr. Strazzarie brought their students down to help out first, but after that, for the rest of the week, students came down on their own time to help.

We finished packing that first week, thanks to the help of the students who took time from their lunches,  or extra time out of their day, and worked VERY hard to complete this job.

Ms. Denzer and I couldn't be more thrilled with our JHS students and their thoughtfulness!