Delivering Happiness

I don't usually make a habit of picking up business success stories or business how to guides but as luck would have it, this type of book was thrust upon me near the Las Vegas Marathon finish line by the jovial individual standing by a Zappos RV wrapped in the same graphics as the book jacket. Despite the topic, as a librarian, I think I was more excited about the free book than the bagels and bananas my body desperately needed after such a long race.

Most people recognize the name Zappos as the successful online shoe retailer but many may not know the brains behind such a bold venture, Tony Hsieh. Delivering Happiness recounts the struggles faced by Hsieh, as an Asian American boy growing up in the United States, his secret love for business and various failed business attempts through childhood and college.

The lessons shared in the book are life lessons not necessarily business lessons. In fact, it is more a guide to personal success, maintaining one's values no matter what you do in life. Hsieh, in an unassuming tone, shares his private struggles to find his unique identity despite the strict expectations from traditional Asian parents. Hsieh recounts mistakes and successes along his personal and professional journey, both being so closely merged as to seem indistinguishable from one another.

Along with hard work and dedication, it is connectivity, a shared vision and passion that builds a truly successful business, according to Hsieh. The message throughout Hsieh's writing, is that to be a true success, one must strive for connectedness to others, sharing success and happiness wherever possible. Inspirational advice we can all use in difficult economic times.

It's a Southern Thing

My southern roots call to me as I lazily read through The Help by Kathryn Stockett, my latest summer read. While not the typical summer novel, I can picture myself planted on the porch swing with and ice tea during the hot humid summers of Jackson, Mississippi, the story's backdrop. I enjoyed the slower pace & simpler times and retreated a bit to my southern accent, affectionately spoken to all that would listen. As with much of history, the 1960's was mixture of both the good and the bad. Despite the genteel endearments of the time, it was heartbreakingly shameful in many ways. It has been compared To Kill A Mockingbird by some book critics, examining the deeply rooted southern traditions, racial tensions and accepted segregation. The Help humanizes the characters on both sides of the racial tensions, specifically the women. Significant moments in history, such as John F. Kennedy's assassination and Martin Luther King's, famous speech, provide the historical context for the story, but it is the maids who are the true heroines.

The maids, often called the help, are all black women, who played significant roles in the lives of privileged white families, not just cooking and caring for the house but raising the children with love and fierce loyalty, often referring to them as their own children. Some of the maids receive the same return of love and loyalty from the families while others are mistreated as inferior creatures, and still others experience the dichotomy of both. One young southern lady, Miss Skeeter, becomes an outcast as she bravely and secretively weaves the maids' various stories and diverse experiences together with the help of one maid, Aibileen, exposing previously unchallenged truths. The female characters are beautifully crafted, facing the internal struggles of self any women can identify with, and the external struggles of expectation from family, friends and society as a whole.

The reader is left to question their own morals and commitment to stand for what is right amidst the opposition of one's loyalties to family and friends. Miss Skeeter must face the loneliness of marking her own path and the maids must rely on their faith to save them from being exposed but the new bonds that are formed in the process create stronger character, true friendships and inevitable change.

The author, Kathryn Stockett, was turned down at least forty times before her debut novel, The Help, was accepted and published. Thankfully, this thought provoking story confirms my belief in the possibility of good contemporary fiction. The characters in her book mirror the author's own tenacity and cherished optimism.

William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library

The enthusiasm from the President of Ohio State University, E. Gordon Gee is palpable. Quite understandable, given the university library's amazing transformation. Gee states "'Meet me at the library' will once again resound on our campus" (2009). The renovation of the original 1912 William Oxley Thompson Memorial Library was completed after a three year construction phase. There were many problems with the old Thompson Library building. Space was an issue and the collection of books had come to clutter the library. In an attempt to address the space issue, the original grand reading room had been cut up over the years to provide more shelf space for the growing collection. Social spaces, such as the cafe, were too small to accommodate the growing number of students on campus. In addition, private study spaces were small and confining which wasn't conducive to productive studying(Biemiller, 2007). These problems, along with growing technology needs, made a renovation necessary.

The Thompson Library renovation resulted in an amazing transformation. Resources from the university’s Journalism Library, the Business Library, the Theatre Research Institute, the Hilander Research Library and the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library were all moved to the Thompson Library during the renovation. This consolidation of entities makes exhibition of the special collections and research possible in one convenient place. The decision to move everything to one place is a display of innovative library design. The consolidation creates a heightened awareness with both students and faculty of all collections at the university sparking interest and greater use of these unique resources. A common problem with many university collections is that the students are unaware of their presence. This library solved that problem by bringing them all to one library to facilitate awareness and use by also including exhibit spaces specifically for the special collections.

The new Thompson Library combines old architectural features from the original building, such as the beautiful twin atriums and restored grand reading room, with new features such as the glass-enclosed contemporary study space(See photo 4 from photo gallery).
A former mechanical attic space was transformed into a new public space for study and special events. This was a creative use of space that was no longer needed. The new design also incorporated seating space which more than doubled from its original amount. The addition of more seating, much of it modular, was not only a necessity but an awareness of future user needs. Besides more than a million library books, journals and special collections, the new library also included an exciting array of spaces designed for both individual and group study making it more user centered. These distinct spaces provide needed quiet and noisy designated areas. As education requires more group work, the group study spaces become a necessity while still respecting the need for quiet individual study. Because of the age of the building, a new heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system was installed, in addition to life safety. Electrical systems were completely rewired to accommodate new and future technology needs of both students and library systems. This change, as part of the renovation, is an essential one if the library is to remain viable and be able to meet technology needs of its users.

A piecemeal addition to the library that had been added over the years was torn down in the renovation and replaced with a large, glassy study area with movable furniture. A portion of the building features tiered, open levels. The skin on the stack tower has been replaced with glass, making an impressing architectural statement and allows the books on the shelves to be visible from the grand entrance( See Photo 3 from photo gallery). When referring to the exposed stacks, one of the architects stated that exposing the books would remind people of the central role books play in a library, even in a digital age. (Biemiller, 2007). I particularly like this statement of purpose in the design mission of the library. Libraries-as-place is apparent in the new library's architecture. Most literature on libraries talk about the trends indicating transitioning away from physical space needed; making the point that users access information via the internet. Ohio State University clearly did not assume that position. In fact, the new library is bigger and better than ever. Design concepts gave importance to both the library's history and its future. A respect for the original grand building and function has been combined with the library's new philosophy of embracing new technologies and new ways of communication. When looking at the renderings and floor plans (included below) one can see the amazing finished product and believe that ,in fact, a library can and must evolve to serve the needs of today's user while maintaining a respect for its past. The Thompson Library is the most grand library I've ever seen and hope to experience it in person some day. To gain a better understanding of this magnificent library, please view additional photos on the link below as well as the floor plans.

Photo Gallery of New Library- http://library.osu.edu/about/locations/thompson-library/about-thompson/thompson-library-renovation

Library Floor Plans- http://library.osu.edu/sites/renovation/plans051026.pdf

Bibliography

Biemiller, L. (2007), Library Renovation at Ohio State U. Promises More Space, but Fewer Books. Chronicle.com. http://chronicle.com/blogPost/Library-Renovation-at-Ohio/4700/

Ohio State University Renovation http://library.osu.edu/about/locations/thompson-library/about-thompson/thompson-library-renovation/

User Centered Space

User centered spaces are an absolute necessity in today's academic library. The function of the library and the services provided have been radically changed due to technology. One university that has met these challenges head on is The Ohio State University Library. They have completely transformed their library into a 21st century center for teaching, learning, and research.

Details of this decade long transformation to follow...