Coffee not the only thing brewing at ESU library

Patrons at the Emporia State University William Allen White Library may hear a shushing sound in the distance — but it’s not a silence-seeking librarian; it’s the milk steamer of an espresso machine.

The grand opening of the Circle View Coffee Shop is still weeks away, but the library is already serving Starbucks coffee in the morning to give staff a chance to practice with the new equipment, said library dean Joyce Davis.

The coffee kiosk isn’t the only change people notice in the remodeled lobby. Gone is the black wallpaper, the black chandeliers and the massive reception desk. Instead, the lobby now features warmer colors and welcoming bistro-style tables that call to mind upscale urban bookstores.

“It’s a lot more inviting,” said Davis. “The new reference desk is more visible so you don’t have to go hunting. It used to be so dark in the lobby that people complained they couldn’t even tell if we were open. Now, it’s light, bright and comfortable.”

Upstairs, the university has repainted and re-carpeted the reference area. Center offices that used to block window light have been relocated, and a new reference desk has taken their place. Library staff can now look directly through the new glass walls of the electronic classroom, allowing it to be opened as a public computer lab.

One change Emporia patrons may not notice is the addition of a “virtual reference library,” said Davis. Hundreds of ESU students live outside Kansas and use the library by Internet or telephone. Reference librarians used to juggle requests from in-person and out-of-town patrons at the same time. The new, separate service will allow the library to be more responsive to both sets of patrons, she said.

Next year will bring more changes, said Davis, the most visible being a new public display for the May Massee Collection of children’s literature. An influential editor for both Doubleday and Viking Press, Massee oversaw production of many outstanding children’s books from 1923 to 1963, including Robert McCloskey’s 1941 classic “Make Way for Ducklings.”

The White Library houses Massee’s pre-press materials “including original artwork, manuscripts. Galley proofs, audio-visual materials, correspondence and memorabilia for all the books she published at Doubleday and Viking,” said Davis. The library also houses a reconstruction of Massee’s office using original furniture and décor.

The library has hired a new children’s literature specialist to lead development of the new Massee Collection exhibit. “For people interested in the history of the illustration of children’s books, this is an invaluable collection,” said Davis.

Last Updated July 2, 2007>