Each and every holiday this wonderful hedge dragon lights up to share the joy! It is across the street from the Moore Branch of the Tacoma Public Library (215 S 56th Ave Tacoma, WA 98408). I truly admire folks that go all out for the holidays! This holiday ledge dragon even has a Rudolph red nose! 🙂
Yesterday I had a meeting at Tacoma Community College (TCC) and while there I stopped at the library. It had a wonderful, comfortable ambiance with plenty of study carrels, tables and of course resources.
http://www.tacomacc.edu/library/
The small park next to the Washington State History Museum is now informally known as Occupation Park. Dear daughter and I walked through it this evening, taking some photos and visiting. The folks there were articulate and warm (their personality, not their bodies which are going to be cold camping this late in the year!). Perhaps my favorite moment is when I realized they had created a small lending library!
In solidarity with #OccupyWallStreet and countless other @Occupy movements across the world, Occupy Tacoma is part of a peaceful, nonviolent movement fighting corporate abuse of American democracy. We are gathered together in solidarity, to exercise our First Amendment freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly. We are the 99%. Please join us.
http://www.facebook.com/OccupyTacoma
I signed up for the adult summer reading program at the library and have completed my first five books, so I qualified for a prize! Yippee! It is a darling, red snack sack and inside was a reading notebook, a coupon for 3 free games of bowling with shoe rental and a free appetizer from the Harmon Brewing Company at 1938 Pacific Avenue, Tacoma! Wow, that’s cool! So off we went. Dear daughter and I split the crab cake appetizer, which was delicious and also shared the very rich mac n cheese. We brought some of that home with us in a doggie bag. The service was grand and the food wonderful. What more could we want? The website for the Harmon is here: http://harmonbrewingco.com/brewery_eatery.html
Today I finally went to the new Pierce County Library at 3609 Market Place W. University Place, WA 98466. What a welcoming library it is! It is, the layout is open with lovely light (on a rainy day). I’m not use to self checkout, but it was so easy to grab the book I had on hold and scan away. I especially like how the space flows into the entry area. Based on the number of patrons, other folks are also enjoying the space.
Today I stopped at the Charlotte White Mottet Library, one of the 10 libraries that make up the Tacoma Public Library System. The library was built in 1930, a gift to the city from Mr. Mottet, a local businessman. The architect for the building was Silas E. Nelsen, who also designed the McCormick Branch Library, the Everell S. Collins Memorial Library at the University of Puget Sound, the Tacoma Mausoleum, the Johnson Candy Co. Building and the Tacoma City Light Administration Building.
Library Hours:
Tuesday & Wednesday 12 – 8
Thursday – Saturday 10 – 6
3523 East G Street Tacoma, WA 98404 (253) 591-5666
For more information on this property, including some older photos, go to http://search.tacomapubliclibrary.org/buildings/bldg1up.asp?n=15057
Note that Mottet Branch is one of the libraries that could potentially be eliminated depending on the budget option recommended by the library trustees.
http://www.thenewstribune.com/2010/11/06/1412177/board-weighs-closing-library-branches.html
I was delighted to find a well used public library at the Crossroads Shopping Center in Bellevue today. Everything about the library clicked for me. The good things include the location in a busy enclosed shopping, the hours (Sunday!), the colorful, art filled decor, the materials selection (lots of foreign language books and books for the kids) and plenty of computers.
It’s worth noting that there is also a King County Library Connection at the South Center Mall and that many of the other free standing, more traditional libraries are open on Sunday.
http://www.kcls.org/crossroads/
This much used library branch made me think about the importance of having community space. Ray Oldenburg discussed this need for community area, which he called Third Places in his book The Great Good Place.
