As Tulsa City-County Library nears the grand opening celebration of Central Library, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m., Fifth and Denver, a chapter is nearing completion for Librarium, 11th and Denver.
A customer appreciation and thank you celebration is planned for Aug. 23, 2-4 p.m. at Librarium, featuring cake, lemonade and balloons. Customers also can view the Librarium sign removal beginning at 2 p.m.
Opened in September 2013 to serve downtown residents, students and business professionals during Central Library’s renovation, Librarium will close its doors for the last time Sept. 2 at 5 p.m. Library staff will begin moving the Librarium’s collection to Central Library on Aug. 22. Customers will still have access to computers and Wi-Fi during the transition. Beginning Monday, Aug. 29, materials on hold can be picked up at the Brookside Library, 1207 E. 45th Place.
The Librarium, a 22,000-square-foot building, serves as a showcase for the latest in new library services, technology and equipment to meet the changing needs of the 21st-century library customer. It was the first Tulsa City-County Library location to transition to the New Service Model, which features a more intuitive library experience for library customers. For example, all materials are arranged based on subject, similar to most retail bookstores, rather than the Dewey Decimal System. Customers also enjoyed a more convenient and efficient process with self-service checkout and return machines that immediately updates the customer’s library account, allowing for a more convenient way to check out additional materials without a delay.
Librarium also features these highlights:
• Technology Discovery Table showcases the Librarium’s focus on the future of information where customers can test and explore the latest Apple iPads, Microsoft Surface, Nooks and Kindles in a comfortable and spacious atmosphere.
• Librarium staff are equipped with handheld and tablet devices to assist customers in locating and checking out materials throughout the building.
• A part-time case manager to provided additional assistance to the homeless and mentally ill community.
• PAWS for Reading, a one-to-one literacy service for children, featuring therapy dogs and their handlers.
• Business Center features a self-service center for printing, scanning, copying and faxing.
• The Maker Space proved to be a popular feature at Librarium. This interactive space is geared toward teens and adults for exploring science, technology, engineering, art and math. Library customers enjoyed learning and exploring the latest advancements in 3D printing with special equipment like Makerbot and Ultimaker 3D printers.
The name Librarium was chosen from nearly 350 submissions during an online naming contest. John Byrne received a Kindle Fire as a prize for submitting the winning name. The average monthly traffic count of library customers was 17,336. The average overall monthly circulation was 15,000. Librarium has the second highest computer use in the system with an average login of more than 10,000 logins per month and an average login per computer of more than 200.
In 2014, “Communities of Distinction,” a syndicated TV show hosted by former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw, filmed at Librarium to showcase the unique service model. You can view the five minute segment by visiting this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iqZ8CywkBU. Also in 2014, Librarium hosted the Digital Festival featuring the OverDrive Digital Bookmobile, a 74-foot, 18-wheel tractor trailer housing the newest ways to access eBooks, audiobooks, music and video for libraries.
For more information on Librarium’s customer appreciation celebration or Central Library’s opening day activities, call the AskUs Hotline, 918-549-7323.
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