This looks like a door, doesn’t it? A door in progress. And that is exactly what it is. This door has not always been there. This door has a story.
A few years ago, when our director, Jennifer, was fairly new in her position as director, she decided that an inventory of the library space would be a good and helpful thing. She wanted to be able to make the maximum use of what space the library had. We don’t have a lot of storage here, and our shelves are usually packed full of books, which is great, except for when we get new books in. But storage of supplies has always been a problem, and Jennifer has been well aware of this, even in her former position as the children’s librarian.
Safe, accessible storage has always been one of her priorities.
During her inventory, Jennifer included every inch of the library. This included all the stairwells and staircases. There is a small staircase that leads to an emergency exit, but there is definitely not room for any shelves there, which Jennifer noted. There was a little metal thing, like a tiny door, right in the wall. Jennifer wondered what it was, and if it could be opened. She said “Wouldn’t it be nice if we opened this, and there was a room behind it? Just like the Room of Requirement in the Harry Potter books!” But of course, that would be highly unlikely. Except that’s exactly what happened! The little door was opened, and a look with a flashlight revealed a decent-sized space. The dream of the Room of Requirement was born.
For the past few days, that dream has been becoming a reality. The doorway has been cut and framed, the new door has been installed, and any necessary modifications have been made. Painting is happening even as I write. Soon, there will be a safe, solid, easily accessible room with plenty of storage. We will be able to move things from far less accessible places, and everything will be together. This is really exciting news for the library. I’m so glad that I got to see this dream come true!
See you in the stacks!
/Annie
