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By Jessica Chevalier & Darius Helm
Carpet tile's unique performance attributes first captured the attention of the commercial market over 30 years ago, but its meteoric growth in the last decade or so has been driven as much by its rugged construction as by its sustainability and its design and installation flexibility.Once viewed (and approached in design) as chopped-up broadloom, carpet tile is now its own segment—and one that is relentlessly taking share from other flooring types. Even the seams of modular carpet, previously seen as something to hide, are now embraced as a design element. Today, the commercial market is perfectly primed for carpet tile. The flooring is hip. It's sustainable. It's easy to install, stock and repair. And it's becoming more affordable. What's more, it's a category that continues to evolve—and not just by introducing new shades of beige. Carpet tile is a fashion-forward flooring material that affords designers creative control in a way that no flooring material has before. How has the segment achieved all this?CARPET TILE: FLEXIBLE FLOORINGThe overall flexibility of carpet tile is a big part of what gives it an edge in the marketplace—design flexibility, installation flexibility, flexibility for replacement, even flexibility in regard to end of life (reuse and recycling). The design story is well told. Designers can essentially create a couture look for every project by mixing colors, textures, shapes, sizes and patterns. One product can be installed in different ways to achieve a different visual result.Says Reesie Duncan, creative director for Shaw Contract Group, "Designers are thinking of the module itself as a design element." Indeed, the modularity of tile, which designers once sought to hide, is now a boon. This is evidenced by the fact that rectangular formats are becoming popular. Terry Mower, vice president and chief creative officer at Tandus, adds, "If, once you install, you can't see the lines, who cares about the shape? Now, transitions are meant to be seen."Though the rectangular format was introduced years ago, David Oakey, who designs carpet tile for Interface, says that Interface came out with its first rectangular tiles around the year 2000. The shape is just now taking hold in the market, multiplying the number of looks that can be achieved in installation with a single product, just as the quarter-turn did with square tile. The rectangular tile opens up the option for brick, ashlar, herringbone and basketweave looks. It's interesting to see the excitement for rectangular formats in carpet tile, as we saw the same happen just a few years ago in the ceramic world. Both flooring types are viewed as more high-design than their peers, and there are significant parallels in how they can be used to create one-of-a-kind looks at the hands of the designer. Similarly, plank formats have become popular in ceramic, generally with a wood look, and we are seeing the same shape—sans wood visual, thankfully—in carpet tile from Interface with its 9"x36" formats. Some of the other mills are waiting to see how Interface's gamble on planks turns out before they introduce their own plank shapes. Mower notes that 24" squares still greatly outnumber other sizes and shapes in terms of sample requests, so while rectangular tiles have wind in their sails, the old favorite is still winning out. Carpet tile is made in large sheets, then cut. For the sake of material conservation and cost, product designers seek to use as much of those large sheets as possible, so circular tiles, for example, would be wasteful and expensive; however, straight line shapes like triangles and hexagons, though they may waste a bit more on the edges, are distinct possibilities. Designers just have to find ways to deal with the problems that those new shapes present; for example, the narrow points of an isosceles triangle would be more susceptible to crushing. Once the hurdles are overcome, new formats like these will add even more flexibility for designers. If tile continues to follow ceramics, hexagons may be the next shape around the bend. Flexibility with installation is a significant benefit as well. Mower points to Tandus' Tape Plus, an adhesive system designed to create a floating floor, that can be used on slabs with moisture problems, as it is able to withstand up to 12 pounds of moisture pressure. In addition, installation systems like Tape Plus, Shaw's LokDots and Interface's TacTiles make it possible for users to pick up their carpet tiles and move them to a different location—a new office space for instance—or to swap out tiles from a visible high-traffic location with ones from a location where the tiles are less worn. In addition, because carpet tiles are installed one by one, rather than in a large sheet, the new flooring can be implemented in phases, rather than clearing the full space and halting the workflow. Of course, it's simple to replace a damaged tile as well. Designers generally keep an attic stock of extra product, so that a fatally soiled or damaged piece can be popped out and a new one popped in. If reuse isn't an option or if the product is just, finally, worn out, many types of carpet tile can be recycled. In fact, a lot of tile, including product from Shaw and Interface, is recycled into new tile. Tandus' Ethos backed nylon 6 products, for instance, are fully recyclable once the yarn has been sheared off the backing. The key is making certain that recycled materials have less than 10% contaminants. This is one reason that the company does not mix yarns; at this point in time, mixed yarns—like a nylon PET blend—cannot be recycled. The key to a successful recycling program lies in logistics. Where does the source material come from? How is it collected and transported? Oakey believes that future breakthroughs in recycling will come through improvements in the supply chain.
The same processes used to dye yarn for carpet tile are used to dye yarn for broadloom: solution dyeing, piece dyeing and skein dyeing. This is an advantage, since it ensures color consistency between the two flooring types and enables them to be used together in an installation.Solution dyeing is the most common dyeing process for carpet tile yarn. This process also produces more color consistency and is more cost efficient because it allows manufacturers to dye and extrude at the same time. By eliminating a step, manufacturers save time and water and produce less waste. However, if a manufacturer is making carpet tile to order, piece dyeing is the way to go, because, in applying dye to the finished product, it enables the manufacturer to create the amount of carpet tile needed, when it is needed. Also, with solution-dyed fiber, the more color lines you add, the greater the expense in terms of maintaining yarn inventory.For Shaw's new Dye Lab product, it is using a piece dyeing process to create an organic look akin to naturally dyed fabric. This mimics beck dying, an old process, and produces veining that has the appearance of stone or animal hide.In the U.S., 86% of carpet tile is solution dyed, according to Market Insights LLC. However, in Europe that number falls to 76%. And in Asia, where 25% of the carpet tile has polypropylene face fiber, only 60% of carpet tile is solution dyed.
NEW WORK SPACE, NEW LIVING SPACEThe trend in office space is toward completely open floor plans. Says Mark Oliver, senior director of product management at Mohawk, "We see the corporate market moving away from cubes and offices toward a true flexible open environment. As the walls go away, designers are more limited in the surfaces they have to work with, and therefore the floor is becoming even more important—and more fun. The flexibility of the carpet tile platform enables this freedom and creativity."This affects not only the fact that carpet tile is chosen but also the way it is designed. Mowers explains, "Designers are looking to get light into the center of the office, and in these new configurations, the floor plane is much more exposed. There are no walls to hide transitions, and we needed larger flowing motifs."Product designers view each carpet tile as a part of a larger motif. Most carpet tile is manufactured in 6' widths. With old tufting machines, the patterns would repeat across the width of the backing, but, starting four or five years ago, technology enabled designers to begin creating non-repetitive patterns with color variation and flowing designs. The result is designs that are less structured.Carpet tile is a great fit for offices that must be reconfigured to accommodate growth as well as those with raised access flooring—an ever more popular way of hiding the multitude of cables and wires associated with technology, as well as HVAC ducts. Carpet tile is an ideal flooring choice to cover these systems, since a single tile can be pulled up to allow access to the space below, then replaced with no damage to the flooring material.In the residential market, carpet tile has been slow to gain traction. Milliken first got into the market in 2002 with Legato, sold through Home Depot, followed in 2003 by Tesserae for the independent dealer. That same year, Interface came out with its residential Flor carpet tile line, sold online and through catalogs.Tesserae has since been discontinued and Legato seems to go mostly through online retailers, though more recently Milliken came out with a mainstreet line of coordinated broadloom and tile called the Studio collection. On the other hand, Interface has gone all in with its Flor line. In 2010, it added its first brick and mortar store, in Chicago, and since then it has added several locations in key U.S. metro markets. To date, the firm has 17 Flor stores in the U.S. and another in Toronto, Canada, and more are on the way. Says Mower, "If the styling and hand is correct, carpet tile could gain marketshare in the residential market." This trend will likely start in urban settings. Currently, carpet tile is most attractive to urban dwellers, whose desires and buying habits differ from those of their suburban neighbors.Interestingly, according to Realtor.com, a study released in early 2012 revealed that 77% of Generation Y plans to live in an urban core; realtors report this preference among Millennials as well. According to a National Geographic article entitled Urban: "While less than one third of the world's population lived in cities in 1950, about two thirds of humanity is expected to live in urban areas by 2030." Ultimately, then, urban trends are likely to be quite lucrative. And, if these urban dwellers move to the suburbs once they marry and have children, as some experts predict, they will likely take their urban tastes with them, which may be carpet tile's foray into the suburbs.Right now, the carpet tile concept is relatively foreign in suburbia. And the current trend toward soft broadloom makes carpet tile's residential growth even more challenging, since carpet tile does not provide the plush feel that homeowners are generally seeking when they choose a soft surface flooring product. This is not to say that carpet tile couldn't provide that luxe texture. The concept is totally plausible. In fact, Shaw has experimented with shag versions of carpet tile. However, a heavier face weight will mean a heftier price tag—another inhibitor to growth in this market.However, with its ease of installation, carpet tile certainly seems like a natural step in the do-it-yourself trend. Without the use of tacks or glue, the product is much more friendly to the DIY end-user than broadloom, which requires special tools to cut, stretch and seam it. It seems as though the other big carpet tile players are watching the Flor model to see where it goes before making the leap themselves. Both Shaw and Mohawk have massive residential carpet businesses, so they certainly have the infrastructure to add carpet tile to their residential offerings. Another big residential carpet player, Beaulieu, has a contract carpet tile business under the Bolyu brand that could be tweaked for the home owner.Then there's Tandus, the fourth largest carpet tile producer in the U.S. The firm was recently acquired by Tarkett, which goes to the residential market with hard surface and resilient flooring. It's unlikely that Tandus will attempt residential carpet tile anytime soon, but if and when it does, being a Tarkett company will help it get that business off the ground.In terms of mid-sized players producing carpet tile in-house, the only commercial specialist is J&J Industries, which is likely not large enough to make an independent go of it like Interface has. Masland Contract is part of the Dixie Group, which has a comprehensive residential network for its broadloom. And Mannington Mills goes to the residential market with a range of resilient and hard surface products.It could be argued that, among tile producers not currently in the residential carpet tile business, Dixie has the best opportunity. After all, one of the primary barriers to adoption of carpet tile in the residential market is the higher price point, and that could be a problem for the big broadloom players that sell a lot of lower priced products. However, the Dixie Group's clientele tend to be more well to do. Its most affordable residential brand, Dixie Home, is about twice the industry average price, and its Masland and Fabrica lines stretch upward to the high end. So there would certainly be no sticker shock. Nevertheless, there is the issue of style. Today, Dixie's residential products use cutting edge machinery but the designs tend to lean toward the traditional, while carpet tile, with its modularity, is decidedly fashion-forward.While carpet tile competes directly with broadloom in the commercial market, it's a different story on the residential side. Over the last two decades, broadloom has steadily lost share in the home. It used to be everywhere but the kitchen and bathroom, but it has steadily given up square footage to hard surface, first in foyers, hallways and dining rooms, then more gradually in casual spaces like living rooms and dens. Broadloom's strongest hold is now in the bedroom, where it's fighting hard to keep share through lush designs and soft, luxurious face fibers.Carpet tile, which offers a tighter, lower construction, can't compete with broadloom for softness, and it tends to be used in living rooms and dens rather than bedrooms. Firms like Flor are increasingly marketing carpet tile as a design-forward alternative to area rugs. Using a tab or tape installation system, carpet tile can easily be assembled to create a floating area rug, which can then be moved from one location to another or taken apart and reassembled to create a new look or incorporate new pieces to make a larger size rug.
Face weights declined industry-wide over the last few years and are likely to continue on this path for a short while. Oakey points out that ten years ago, 18 ounce to 28 ounce weights were common; today, products range from ten ounces to 40 ounces.Lower weights mean a lower price tag, which was a benefit in the recession to keep carpet tile competitive with other flooring types. But lower face weights also mean a conservation of materials, and that sort of conscientious manufacturing is a trend that is unlikely to lose traction. However, design-wise, a ten-ounce weight is very limiting. To create better lower face weight products, Tandus redesigned its manufacturing process back to the extrusion heads, to create yarns that facilitate coverage at low weights. These products are modeled after flat weave sisals, and they have good performance, since less pile height means less matting and fiber degradation.Of course, as we so often hear, even designers who are counting dollars are unwilling to sacrifice style, so manufacturers are challenged to make their lower weight products appealing design-wise.
CARPET TILE VERSUS BROADLOOMThe corporate sector, as the largest piece of the commercial market (by far), is also carpet tile's biggest market, and in that sector it continues to gain share. The other big markets for carpet tile are healthcare, retail, education and government. Carpet tile has the smallest share in hospitality, where the public areas are still dominated by Axminster carpets with large-scale visuals and the guest rooms use inexpensive broadloom below the price points where carpet tile can effectively compete.According to Market Insights LLC, 48% of commercial carpet tile in the U.S. goes to the corporate office sector, 35% goes to the education and institutional sectors (including theaters, museums, airports and other transportation terminals, government buildings, houses of worship and prisons), and 10% is the retail sector. That's the bulk of the carpet tile business. Another 4% goes to lodgings (defined as hotels, motels and dormitories), and 3% is healthcare, which comprises acute care, medical office buildings and senior living. Residential carpet tile, estimated at over $40 million, is dominated by Interface's Flor sales.By all accounts, the corporate sector was uneven last year, following a strong 2011. However, most carpet tile producers saw growth in sales to that sector—it's such a dominant sector that the shift in share from broadloom to carpet tile is more than enough to counteract a lackluster market. The education market was also uneven, with reduced K-12 activity but a strong higher education market. Retail was sluggish, with some bright spots.Nevertheless, the U.S. carpet tile market was up by low single digits last year. And strong activity in Asia, which accounts for about a third of global sales, helped drive the international market up last year. Global consumption topped 1.97 billion square feet, up 2% from 2011 (see chart below). Carpet tile has made annual gains just about every year since its invention in the 1970s. In recent memory, the only year the category posted a loss was 2009, when global financial markets were in freefall.THE BIG FOURShaw Contract, Interface, Mohawk and Tandus are the biggest players in the carpet tile market, followed by Milliken, Mannington, J&J Industries, Bentley Prince Street, Beaulieu, Masland and Canada's Kraus. Some of the smaller mills have lines that are sourced from the bigger players.While Shaw outpaces Interface in domestic carpet tile sales, Interface is the clear global leader, with a 20% share, according to BMW Associates and Market Insights LLC. Shaw has a 12% global share, Milliken has 6%, followed by Mohawk at 5% and Tandus at 4%. There are only two major global players that are not U.S. based—Desso and Toli. Desso, a Dutch firm, has a 5% share, and Japan's Toli has a 7% share. Toli is better known in the U.S. for its commercial vinyl lines, which go to market through CBC Flooring.Toli's carpet tile revenues are largely from its domestic market. Japan is second only to the U.S. in carpet tile consumption, though it's a distant second, at only 40% of the size of the U.S. market. China is close behind.Carpet tile accounts for about 70% of Shaw's commercial carpet revenues. Last year, Shaw's carpet tile sales were strong both domestically and internationally. The Asia Pacific region was robust last year, while Europe is still depressed. There are also bright spots in Latin America, all the way from Argentina through Brazil and Peru up into Central America.Later this year, the firm will open its carpet facility in China to serve the regional markets. According to the firm, it's the first cradle to cradle carpet tile plant in Asia.Like all the big carpet mills, corporate is Shaw's biggest sector. Next is education, where Shaw has traditionally been stronger in higher education. However, volume has recently been building in K-12 as well. The firm's carpet tiles also go to the institutional and healthcare sectors. The firm has been making inroads in the senior living market, developing senior living collections of both carpet tile and broadloom.For Shaw, the retail sector has been predominantly broadloom, but now that's starting to change. The selective replacement capability of carpet tile can be a real godsend in the retail sector. In addition, Shaw reports that its No Rules tiles, with mergeable dye lots and tiles designed to go down in random orientations, is helping the firm gain traction in the sector.Hospitality continues to be a small part of Shaw's carpet tile revenues, though its 18"x36" tiles have been in demand in this sector. However, the firm anticipates that over time carpet tile will make inroads in hospitality, and that's part of the reason that the hospitality division was recently folded into Shaw Contract, to offer those products to the hospitality market.The firm's LokDots installation system, which replaces full-spread adhesive systems with glue beads adhered at intervals along the back of the tile, continues to make gains. The firm estimates that in barely a year LokDots are already used on nearly 10% of installations.Interface, which is once again a complete carpet tile specialist, now that it has divested itself of Bentley Prince Street, had another growth year in 2012 in the U.S. Globally, conditions were mixed, with weakness in Europe somewhat offset by gains in Russia, China and eastern Europe. The fire that destroyed Interface's Australia plant impacted the firm's performance. Interface has continued to serve the Australian market with products from its plants in China and Thailand.The domestic corporate sector was hit or miss for Interface last year, with growth from some of the big banks and the technology sector, as well as projects in the Southwest related to the energy industry. However, the education sector, Interface's second biggest market, was up last year, both in K-12 and higher education. The firm credits some of that to its mergeable dye lots and random installation products, which are in high demand in schools.Another big sector is retail, which has also been a mixed bag. Healthcare has been steadier. And one sector that's growing for Interface is the multi-family market. Hospitality business is small but growing. Interface has a dedicated hospitality team, headed up by Charlie Knight, and the firm anticipates growth as the industry continues to move through a remodel phase. The firm's Tapestry technology, which as been around for a few years, helps the firm compete in the public space side of the hospitality segment with highly patterned, decorative carpet tiles at lower face weights.Interface's Flor business had a great growth year, opening up several new stores. Also, the firm still does a lot of business through the Internet and catalogs. The Flor program has grown very sophisticated over the years, with a huge number of designs, patterns and colors, and plenty of installation ideas, including FloRugs, a line of over 60 designs. The bold, fashion-forward styling is helping Flor gain a strong brand identity.Interface is still well ahead of the other carpet mills in global operations, with mills in Europe, Asia and Australia. The firm's global platform gives multinational firms the standardized product they're looking for with streamlined procurement. At the same time, the regional facilities offer the opportunity to design and innovate for specific markets. Mohawk's strength in the modular carpet market has traditionally come from its Lees high performance brand, which was particularly strong in the education and institutional sectors (as well as corporate). Over the years, carpet tile has become a bigger part of the Bigelow and Karastan brands, and it's now part of the Durkan hospitality business as well, with Durkan carpet tiles for public space applications.The Lees legacy is part of the reason that, following corporate, education is the firm's next biggest market. That's followed by retail, then healthcare and hospitality.Mohawk's corporate business was steady last year, mostly in refurbishment projects at lower price points. Education business was soft, led by a slow K-12 market, and the firm anticipates more of the same this year. Retail business is expected to pick up this year.The firm serves the global market largely through toll manufacturing partnerships in both Europe and Asia. Business has continued to be robust in the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China). Mohawk makes carpet tiles backed with both PVC and olefin. Its PVC backings, which account for the bulk of its sales, are virgin, which allows them to be phthalate free.In addition to nylon carpets, Mohawk also makes carpet using triexta face fiber under the SmartStrand brand, using Sorona polymer from DuPont. The program started on the residential side, where Mohawk has an exclusive deal for the fiber. Over the last couple of years, the firm has been rolling out products for the commercial market, in both broadloom and carpet tile, with more coming this year. Mohawk doesn't have an exclusive on SmartStrand in the commercial market, but it's the only mill really using the fiber. Many of the other mills feel that they can find no justification for the premium cost of the fiber.Tandus makes carpet tile, Powerbond six foot goods and broadloom. These days, broadloom accounts for less than 20% of sales, and the balance is split more or less evenly between Powerbond and carpet tiles. Over the last few years, Tandus has made a splash with its designs, particularly the organic and architectural blends coming out of its Sero design technology. Sero allows the firm to cut carpet tiles from wider widths, creating carpet tiles with irregular repeats—and making for dynamic, progressive installations. The technology has also elevated Powerbond, which used to be relegated to the education market, but is now growing fastest in corporate.The other big news at Tandus is its acquisition by Tarkett in the fourth quarter of 2012. At the beginning of this year, Tarkett joined together Tandus and Centiva, Tarkett's luxury vinyl producer. Tandus and Centiva both go direct, while the rest of Tarkett's commercial products go through distribution, so the alignment makes a lot of practical sense. At the end of March, Thomas Trissl will step down as the head of Centiva, and Glen Hussmann, Tandus' president, will start to run Centiva as well.The acquisition is also expected to help Tandus' global sales. Currently, international business only accounts for 10% of sales, and most of that is carpet tile to Asia. Tarkett has a robust global footprint, with about a third of its sales coming from the Americas, a third from Europe and a third from Asia. Tandus also hopes that being part of Tarkett will help increase penetration in the retail and hospitality segments.
Copyright 2013 Floor Focus
Copyright 2013 Floor Focus


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IT'S been hailed as a "new era" for Aussie rules football on the South Coast.
After rumours started circulating earlier in the week, the Batemans Bay Seahawks confirmed on Wednesday that from next season, the club will play its matches in divisions two and three of the ACT/AFL competition.
"This has been in the works for 12 months now," Bay Seahawks president Danny White said.
"We had to show that we had the depth in playing numbers, the committee strength and the ability to be competitive.
"And I think we've done that – we've only missed three grand finals since 1999."
The Seahawks seniors side will play in the AFL/ACT division two competition, while the reserves will battle it out in division three.
Dwayne Gentner, who was part of the Bay's senior playing group last season, said it would be a big step up in quality but remained confident that the Seahawks could be a "competitive" force in the nation's capital.
"We'll be hoping for middle of the range in our first year but we're not getting too far ahead of ourselves," he said.
However, the move over the Clyde Mountain is about much more than just giving the senior players a harder hitout.
One of the conditions surrounding the Seahawks' switch from the Sapphire Coast AFL (SCAFL) was that they become officially affiliated with an AFL/ACT club.
Seahawks' secretary Sandy McDonald said the Queanbeyan Tigers AFC was a no-brainer.
"Queanbeyan is in a great financial position, geographically it's good and there is already a history between our two clubs because some of their players have played down here before and vice-versa," he said.
As part of the partnership, there will be a "pathway" for young South Coast footballers to "further enhance" their careers.
"We want to be known as the club on the South Coast that gives young players a pathway to an elite level," White said.
"So we want to be signing up players from Bermagui to Vincentia."
Gentner was also quick to point out the off-field benefits.
"We're going to be hosting games at Hanging Rock every second week and the Canberra blokes won't just come down for Saturdays," he said.
"They'll be coming down on Friday nights and maybe staying until the Sunday so that's going to be good for the whole town."

subset: commoncrawl


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Redwood Burl Poaching Spreads To Oregon
Redwood burl poaching has long been an issue in the Redwood National Park in California. But now a conservation group says it has spotted evidence of this type of tree damage in a national forest in Oregon.
Burls are the knobby growths sometimes found at the base of the towering trees. They're highly valued for their intricate designs; cross-sections are used to make furniture or artwork.
There's been an uptick in the theft of redwood burls from public lands in northern California's redwood region. Now Oregon Wild says it has spotted a burl theft in one of Oregon's redwood groves in the far southwest part of the state.
Steve Pedery with Oregon Wild says while a redwood usually survives having its burl removed, the process can prove heavily damaging.
"When you hack these chunks out of the tree, you're leaving the tree open to disease, to insects. You're weakening it structurally in case there's a storm or a wind event in the future. And if there's a drought, you're making it very unlikely that that tree will survive," he said.
Forest Service spokesman Tom Knappenberger says the agency is taking the report seriously. He says theft of redwood burls is potentially a felony violation. Complicating things, redwood burls can be obtained legally from private timber land or old stumps.


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Participants announced for the 2006 North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee
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A total of 52 fourth- through eighth-graders from the five northern counties of Idaho will participate in the third annual North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee Saturday, March 18, the winner of which will receive an all expense paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the 79
Annual Scripps National Spelling Bee May 31 through June 1.
Each contestant was the winner of his or her respective grade level in district qualifying bees held at 13 districts, which included various school districts as well as a home school and private school district, throughout North Idaho. The spellers will compete against each other, regardless of grade level, beginning at 10 a.m. in Boswell Hall Schuler Auditorium on North Idaho College's main campus. Registration for participants begins at 9 a.m.
The event is sponsored by Hagadone Newspapers and hosted by NIC.
Information: (208) 769-7819.
2006 North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee participants are as follows:
Fourth grade participants:
Abbey Huggler, fourth grade, Idaho Hill Elementary
Lindsay Barrett, fourth grade, Betty Kiefer Elementary
Liz Short, fourth grade, Heyburn Elementary
Lizzy Branson, fourth grade, Farmin-Stidwell Elementary
Justin McCabe, fourth grade, Ponderosa Elementary
Riley Toews, fourth grade, Sunnyside Elementary
Jailee Foster, fourth grade, Valley View Elementary
Allix Anderson, fourth grade, Harrison Elementary
Claire Wardian, fourth grade, Fernan Elementary
Will Kennedy, fourth grade, Holy Family Catholic School
LeeAnne Bixler, fourth grade, Coeur d'Alene
Fifth grade participants:
Scott French, fifth grade, Priest River Elementary
Timothy Young, fifth grade, Spirit Lake Elementary
Cassidy Walters, fifth grade, Heyburn Elementary
Katie Miller, fifth grade, Southside Elementary
Calvin "CJ" Miller, fifth grade, Mullan Trail Elementary
Katelynn Wuolle, fifth grade, Canyon Elementary
Jessica Hart, fifth grade, Valley View Elementary
Haily Simonsen, fifth grade, Harrison Elementary
Shaynie Oksness, fifth grade, Atlas Elementary
Capria Rinaldi, fifth grade, Post Falls Christian Academy
Autumn Weppner, fifth grade, Coeur d'Alene
Sixth grade participants:
Calista Gresick, sixth grade, Priest River Elementary
Jessica Brown, sixth grade, Spirit Lake Elementary
Jackson Olin, sixth grade, Farmin-Stidwell Elementary
Emily Irvin, sixth grade, River City Middle School
Tyler Stout, sixth grade, Kellogg Middle School
Nicole Bennett, sixth grade, Boundary County Middle School
Brandon Carman, sixth grade, Harrison Elementary
Abigail Anderson, sixth grade, Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy
Preston Goodall, sixth grade, Post Falls Christian Academy
Rachel Pinkerton, sixth grade, Coeur d'Alene
Seventh grade participants:
Christian Handy, seventh grade, Priest River Jr. High
Tammy Watson, seventh grade, Timberlake Jr./Sr. High
Finan Adamson, seventh grade, Sandpoint Middle School
Alex Carey, seventh grade, Post Falls Middle School
Corinne Estabrooks, seventh grade, Kellogg Middle School
Markayle Acord, seventh grade, Boundary County Middle School
Cody Whipple, seventh grade, Kootenai Jr./Sr. High
Emily Vester, seventh grade, Wallace Jr./Sr. High
Jessica Brock, seventh grade, Canfield Middle School
Jennifer Kiesewetter, seventh grade, Holy Family Catholic School
James Barbieri, seventh grade, Dalton Gardens
Eighth grade participants:
Anna Reed, eighth grade, Priest River Jr. High
Megan Hom, eighth grade, Timberlake Jr./Sr. High
Tommy Jacobs, eighth grade, Sandpoint Middle School
Mona Ali, eighth grade, River City Middle School
Shayne Hamilton, eighth grade, Boundary County Middle School
Courtney Rohrs, eighth grade, Kootenai Jr./Sr. High
Jordan O'Masters, eighth grade, Canfield Middle School
Brendan Foster, eighth grade, Lighthouse Christian Academy
Kyrstin Vens, eighth grade, Spirit Lake
For More Information
North Idaho Regional Spelling Bee Coordinator Stacy Hudson, (208) 769-7819
Posted: Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2006
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Winter Carnival Weekend: "Cocoa and Karaoke"
Start Date: January 19, 2013
End Date: January 19, 2013
Time: 9:30 pm
Winter Carnival Weekend: "Cocoa and Karaoke!"
Saturday, January 19, 2013
9:30 p.m.
Hawk's Nest in the Weller Academic Building, Worcester campus
Come warm up after the ice hockey game! Enjoy a hot cocoa bar, dessert bar, chocolate fountain and karaoke. Relax, enjoy nice warm and delicious refreshments, and have some fun with friends watching performances or by singing along!
Sponsored by your Campus Activities Board (CAB)
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Fall Convocation
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I have a pain that started in my knee but has moved to my groin and down to my ankle. The skin is even hot to the touch. Any ideas?READ MORE
Hi Bird,
Let me second angie's advice about seeing your doctor as soon as you can. There are many, many things that can cause this sort of pain, ranging from common to dangerous, and it's always better to have a physician check you over. The skin being hot to the touch is a sign that you should have a professional screening, because it may be sign of a blood clot, or the sign of an infection from a spider bite, or cellulitis. Good luck! And please let us know what your doctor says about your condition.
this can be a number of issues, from phlebytis to a hematoma. Or an infection or vasculitis. All these are definite reasons to call your primary care doc asap. Dont panic or get scared, some of theses are treatable with meds. But to be sure whats happening, call your doc and tell them whars going on and Im pretty sure theyll work you in.this way you can have a god holiday! keep us posted. take care.READ MORE


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Nicholls State's men's basketball game against Stephen F. Austin on Jan. 16 will be played at Noon in Stopher Gym.
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Contents - Previous - Next
What space for the library? A discussion on the library building
Jacqueline GASCUEL and Marie-Françoise BISBROUCK
From now on, one can fairly say to all those wishing to be involved in library construction, 'Don't forget your Bisbrouck and Gascuel!' Two handbooks by these authors, published in spring 1984, have filled what had in recent years been a notable gap on the bookshelf.
The Bulletin des Bibliothèques de France (BBF) asked authors Jacqueline Gascuel and Marie-Françoise Bisbrouck to go further and compare their viewpoints on the problems of library construction. For example, how are free access and activities in the library actually organized? How should a library network be constructed? At a more general level, what makes up the service of which the building must be the embodiment? Questions of viewpoint will play as large a part in the discussion as questions of construction. And if a number of questions are left open at the end, this is because the debate over what a public library should be has not reached any final conclusion.
BBF: Today's debate has been occasioned by the publication of two books on public library construction.(1)
There had been virtually no literature available on the subject for years, and now two books have been published within a few weeks of each other! They are two very different books: Un espace pour le livre is presented as a handbook and as a stimulus for debate on the question while La Bibliothèque dans la Ville, published by the Direction du Livre et de la Lecture, is a coffee-table edition (large format, glossy laminated cover, with a wealth of very varied illustrations). Why two such different contributions? Could you explain your respective approaches? What kind of book was each of you trying to produce?
Marie-Françoise Bisbrouck: The origins of La Bibliothèque dans la Ville go back a long way, to discussions in the working group on municipal library construction which the national public library service set up in 1973-1974. One of the first results of the working group was the publication of guideline standards in 1975. A further factor was that over the past 12 years, 400,000 m² of municipal library space has been brought into use, three quarters of it in new buildings. It was important to take stock of these recent developments. It was the intention of the Direction du Livre for the book to be of interest to librarians, architects and local councillors alike, these, indeed, being the three groups you encounter in working meetings. We therefore wanted to produce a technical book which would provide them with a certain number of ideas we were constantly having to repeat, but without the book being too dry. We have therefore tried to make it an attractive book as well as a work of reference, and we have thus taken particular care over the general presentation and the indexes.
One part of the book is more 'political' and is aimed mainly at local government representatives. This is a statement of what a library is, how it works, who uses it, the necessity of providing adequate numbers of adequately qualified staff, etc. Another part of the book is aimed more directly at architects and provides technical information on such problems as lighting, floor coverings, working loads on floors, etc. We have also provided a certain number of reference points, giving complete data on 20 recent central and branch libraries which can be compared with each other in terms of completion time, building costs, etc. For each project we have listed the initial schedule, the technical solutions chosen, staff numbers and their respective qualifications; and of course we have included all the plans. Finally, all the factors that may have a part to play both prior to and after any library building scheme have been examined, viz. technical factors (furniture; mobile library), administrative factors (building regulations, grants), political factors (guideline standards and programmes per population group).
We were particularly keen to make this book a genuine instrument for library planning. Planning here means detailed consideration of the function of a library within the town and what one hopes to do, not merely to keep in line with official standards but also to mould the library as closely as possible to local conditions, as they are now and as they may develop in the future. I must say that on this point I have often been very disappointed. Tripartite teams (local councillors, librarians and architects) rarely manage to think up original projects taking account of each situation's specific features, and they hardly stray from the schemes suggested by the Direction du Livre. But libraries have changed over the past ten years and they will continue to change considerably in coming years.
Our book is, of course, a stock-taking of the present state of library development and it will one day be outdated. In view of current decentralization, in particular, I think it will need updating every three or four years; and other material should also be published which will show how the buildings have evolved, how the users have made the buildings their own and how and why, over time, they have changed the interiors.
Jacqueline Gascuel: It is no accident that our two books came out at the same time. Both are the result of joint discussion by the 1973-1974 working group, of which I too was a member. When I saw nothing had been published I set to work; I made a plan and submitted it to Jean-Pierre Vivet and Françoise Bony, who gave my project immediate encouragement and agreed to publish the book. In fact the book had been brewing for a long time, ever since the opening of Massy public library in 1971. At the time, this was one of the first purpose-built public libraries. It represented a particular view of reading by the general public and it was much visited by local councillors, librarians and architects. It was from these conversations in 1972-1974 that the book was born. The actual writing was done much later, and was spread over several years. Writing this kind of book on your own is like ploughing a field - you plough half a furrow a day, and then three years later when the last furrow is ploughed, you can see the weeds growing again in the first one!
The book is aimed at a many-sided type of readership. Firstly it is aimed at local councillors and all those involved with them in library building. But above all I was writing for librarians and architects. For librarians, the approach is more subtle. I have tried to make the book educational. It's a guide for librarians faced with a building problem and it also pleads a cause. It may constitute an argument that will make local authorities decide to build. That is why the tone of the book is in parts somewhat impassioned. Given the practical objectives adopted, it was hard for me to do much with the presentation. There are photos, obviously, and there are also diagrams and drawings that say more than lots of words. I have staked most on readability and humour, with eye-catching chapter titles and headings and an amusing choice of illustrations.
New and different
BBF: In a word then, one book is a work of reference and the other a guide. But despite this difference, both have been equally successful and their first editions will soon be out of print. What we find particularly interesting is the 'new look' that comes out of both books - free-access layout, organized activities, a children's service and record libraries. These all make up a fairly original pattern of organization. In most cases they are departments which are compartmentalized and sharply differentiated. Can one speak of French library design as being different from design in Scandinavia or the English-speaking countries, where all these different parts are generally brought together in one area?
JG: I wouldn't put the question in those terms. What counts first of all is the size of the library - you do not treat 500 m² of floor space in the same way as 5,000 m². The first stage in arranging the departments is obvious. You begin by separating the child and the adult reader. The next step is to divide according to the type of material - a record library for example or, more and more often, an audio-visual library. This is basically for ease of management. I know, of course, that some people argue for a multi-media classification, but let's not deceive ourselves all the same. In the Pompidou Centre library, records are classified under 780, which is music. There may be a few in other places - records of birdsong under Zoology for instance - but there are very few like that. But we shouldn't be talking about the Pompidou Centre library. It doesn't lend and is really more of a documentation centre than a library. At Cambrai, which is organized along similar lines, I don't think the multi-media classification has fundamentally changed things.
MFB: I agree absolutely. I'd like to add one thing, though. In the guideline programmes proposed by the Direction du Livre there are indeed these three sections, but no-one has ever said they should be separated or compartmentalized. In point of fact in most cases they are, but this has never been a point of doctrine or in any way compulsory. On the contrary, I have often put up a fight on the problem of the adults, section, to get rid of this paralysing separation between lending and reading.
But while there is no doctrine, there is a certain logic. To bring the adults' library, the children's library and the record library together in the same area, you have to spend a lot on the acoustics and sound absorption devices (ceilings, flooring and wall coverings). If you just slap on a coat of paint, you create a vast echo-chamber and you head straight for disaster. Personally, rather than have all three sections in a single area I think you should create a visual unity between them. You should create a building that is very easy to interpret and consider the signposting question in detail. This is because the different readers have their own different ways of using the library.
Free access v. reserve stacks
BBF: What is clear from your two books is that free access is now the key concept where public libraries are concerned. Could you give us your views on what type of organization of free access follows logically from your approach? To begin with, do you think there is a quantitative limit to free access?
JG: I am sure there is. It isn't possible to have free access to everything. You have to watch how many books and how much other material you offer the public, how relevant they are and how you can help the readers to find their way. That, incidentally, is why I am not against setting up young people's sections which would have lively easily-accessible books certain to attract them. When you provide free access to your collections you have to provide a certain number of reference-points. And once free access reaches a certain scale, it becomes necessary to distinguish different levels of accessibility. At the Pompidou Centre, new publications are all together in a separate 'Salle d'actualité'; the Part-Dieu library in Lyon does the same, though its selection is different. Big English libraries I have visited are often split up into departments given over to one subject or a group of related subjects. I have also seen paperback corners there, and what are called the near stacks - a store-room open to the public where less frequently-consulted books are kept. Different levels of access, then, and not an undifferentiated mass of books, which some readers would find baffling.
MFB: I am not sure there is an upper limit to the amount of reading matter you can have freely available. I think it is more a question of architecture and interior layout and design. Within the free-access area there must be varied zones and areas and they must be clearly signposted. I have always been struck by the poor presentation of the collections in English libraries I have visited. They have an enormous amount of material, but they really are like walk-in warehouses - miserable places.
BBF: So how do you see periodicals and information services being handled?
JG: No magazine room! I'm against that.
MFB: So am I. I've never seen them as necessary.
BBF: What do you do with periodicals then?
Newspapers, journals, magazines, etc.?
JG: To put it simply, let's say there are three categories of periodicals. There are the dailies, which are a way of bringing people into a library. Then there are the magazines, which I would include under the lending section, and then you have the scientific journals, etc. Not to mention the children's comics. This doesn't all necessarily have to be in the same place.
MFB: Yes, that's true. You have to look carefully at the different kinds of periodicals. The daily press and light magazines I would tend to put at the library entrance. The more serious periodicals, on the other hand, can be kept with the books under the same subject. In my view, the information service ought also to be near the entrance, but that said, I think a distinction must be made between quick-reference material - telephone directories, railway timetables, etc. - and access to reference books like bibliographies, dictionaries of all kinds, catalogues, etc. An appropriate location also has to be found for old stock and specialized reference material.
JG: I think in fact you have to make an assessment of the different kinds of reading matter and find a point of balance where they intersect. Documentary research requires a modicum of quiet, the information service is by definition noisier and more animated, and the reserve stacks where press files and a variety of instalment publications are kept are different again. In fact there is an increasing tendency for libraries to become documentation centres which search periodicals and build up files. This was an aspect that was barely taken into account at all before the early 1970s. In my opinion, it is no coincidence that in 1975, the Direction du Livre had to re-assess the amount of room allotted to the stacks in its suggested library plans, and that amount will have to be increased again!
BBF: In a word, what is happening is a rehabilitation of the stacks?
JG: Yes, of course. That's how history works! In the 1970s we started off with such a catastrophic situation for the public libraries that we had to proclaim the free-access principle loud and clear. Many of the libraries opened at that time had no reserve stacks, or only very small ones. Since then they have increased their collections and filled all the shelves in their public-access areas. It's only now that the question of bringing the free-access stocks up to date is becoming acute - hence the resurgence of interest in reserve stacks. For my own part, I think there is a future for intermediate-access 'near stacks' - even if very few have been scheduled to date - and for reserve stacks in general!
MBF: Yes. In the 1970s it was essential to change the image of the library and you have to remember that in the preceding period it was not unusual to schedule a stack capacity of 400,000 books, not including old stock, for a town with a population of 50,000! Obviously, there has been quite an abrupt change of course!
Taking the long view, a library clearly cannot be geared purely to consumption, like the Pompidou Centre where the collections are disposed of after five or six years. On the other hand, so long as there is no concerted national or regional policy on disposal and conservation, the libraries at the bottom of the system still have to face the problem in its entirety. It must not be forgotten that their tasks nevertheless include conservation.
BBF: The corollary to free access is often theft. Do you think anti-theft arrangements must be provided for right from the planning stage of a new library?
MBF: We never make it compulsory. We inform the decision-makers - the local authorities - and they are the ones who decide. This type of decision does have to be taken very early on. A surveillance system affects the whole organization of the areas open to the public and means they have to converge on one point near the entrance. One thing must be said. When detection systems began to be discussed a few years ago, librarians were quite against the idea. They thought the introduction of these systems could only tarnish the image of their libraries, which was based on attractiveness, openness and the welcome extended to the public. Now, with anti-theft systems a commonplace in many shops and stores, I think these objections only come up occasionally. You can mention the idea of installing these systems now without the idea being rejected.
JG: Personally I don't think anti-theft systems are very effective, although I have at times recommended them. I think they only have a limited effect, on a few irresponsible people. I doubt if they ever stopped any real thief.
MFB: That's a bit sweeping! These systems must be effective to some extent; the best proof of that is how widespread they are. And after all there are fewer determined thieves than you think!
JG: They exist, though... and for them there are a thousand and one ways of getting round these systems! Personally I have great faith in the compulsory cloakroom on the way in, where bags must be left. There are other possible dissuasive measures, it seems to me, such as having a photocopier available to the public; having the toilets accessible only from the entrance hall and not from the reading rooms - a position which can make it easier to cut books up. In any case, with or without a detection system, theft prevention is quite a complex issue and must be considered right from the planning stage. In addition, that is the stage at which it could get subsidies!
The shift towards a variety of purposes.
BBF: Along with free access, the other feature that has come out on top is organized activities, with a whole range of areas given over to them: multipurpose rooms, rooms for group work, auditoriums, children's areas, entrance halls, etc. But this multiplicity of areas perhaps hides a degree of uncertainty as to their use, especially where the multipurpose rooms are concerned, which are far less multipurpose than their name suggests if we are to believe Jacqueline Gascuel.
JG: The organization of areas for wider activities depends first and foremost on the size of the building. That said, I don't have much faith trying to house a varied range of activities such as lectures, film shows, exhibitions, music and drama in the same area. They all have different technical requirements in terms of natural or artificial lighting, acoustics and equipment, not to mention arrangements to allow for movements of the public. Furthermore, when there is a lecture and an exhibition, they often happen at the same time on the same topic. They can hardly be accommodated in the same area, however multipurpose it may be. Whenever I discuss variety of purpose with a colleague I am aware of the problems it raises. The outcome is that multipurpose rooms are under-used or else converted to one specific use. This applies to the group-work rooms as well. They are included in the plans because they are in the Direction du Livre programmes, but once the building is up, nobody knows what to do with them. I know of a number of cases where rooms have been converted to other uses.
MBF: Converted from what to what?
JG: In one case a group-work room was converted into an office, in another into a periodicals store-room, although that meant using the storeroom for group work! I have also seen children's workshops turned into offices. Many changes occur which we do not know about. There really ought to be some surveys carried out to assess the use of new library buildings after five years.
BBF: One thing is striking there. The conversions you describe were to meet the library's internal needs. Is that symbolic in some way?
MBF: Of course these changes of use should be studied more closely, but I'd like to stress one obvious but little-noticed basic point. Given the time lag between the planning of a building and its public opening - four or five years at least - it is rare for the same team to follow the operation through from start to finish. Only too often there is no librarian at all involved in the first phase, the planning and design. Hence the hesitations, misunderstandings and inadequate discussion and dialogue at this stage. In the final stage, the team then in place assesses what has been done. Inevitably, it has different ideas as regards organization of work, office layout, activities policy. And imagine how things are when there's a change of team at the town hall!
JG: That observation has far-reaching implications. When a new team takes over a building, it wants to make its mark. Every change in management means a change in use patterns.
MBF: A partial change, I hope! But there is another point I would like to emphasize. Libraries are often planned by local authorities with completely unrealistic estimates of the staff numbers required to run them. Completely unrealistic. To mention just one example. One day I was told that things had been done on too big a scale in building an 850 m² branch library for a district of 20,000 people. I then discovered, however, that there were only three people to run the branch whereas at least twice that number were really needed. In cases like that, even if there was no planning error at the outset, assessment errors can only lead to poor functioning - especially in those departments the local authority has least understood: record library, multipurpose rooms, children's activity rooms, etc.
JG: I am even more pessimistic. I think that of all local authority amenities, the library is the one the most acutely understaffed. I often notice that small communes manage by some miracle to find the money for community activities organizers, but never for librarians!
BBF: Perhaps that's symbolic too...
JG: Yes, no doubt it is. It has to be admitted that the librarian is a distributor first, an activities organizer only second. We generally have no training in organizing collective activities. We do not have the time and we are not always attracted by it. This is certainly another reason for the under-use of areas allocated for activities. The first thing to do is to organize activities jointly with other teams in the cultural field, break out of the isolation of the library and create integrated cultural centres.
Isolation in integration
BBF: In that case, a solution to the problem is on its way, since a quarter of new libraries are already installed in integrated facilities. You can find arrangements of all kinds: facilities simply sited next to each other; juxtaposition, with the different facilities opening off a common entrance hall; or certain shared and jointly run areas. In your view, what degree of integration is most desirable? Should a brake be put on the fashion for integration or should it be encouraged?
MBF: It's true, there is a lot of talk about integrated facilities and a large number are being created. As a rule this means a cultural centre with library, theatre, exhibition halls, a museum, and perhaps even a music school or workshops. You can also find examples of integration with administrative offices or shopping centres. At the end of the day, I suspect each facility is in fact run more or less autonomously. There are no doubt opportunities to exchange halls or organize exhibitions jointly, but I don't think there is any systematic organization, several times a year, of major collective events.
On the other hand, integration with a school seems to me a far more difficult issue. Whether it involves working more closely with a middle school library or the documentation/information centre of a technical school or high school, it's generally the public library that loses out. Unfortunately there have been a number of examples where, bit by bit, one lot of readers has driven out the other until the library has become completely integrated into the running of the school and is closed to the public during school hours.
JG: Yes, integration with schools can lead to problems. You just have to think of the experiment at Yerres, for example. That said, I'm still in favour of integration. First of all, it is a way of resolving the under-use of collective activity areas. Secondly, collaboration with other facilities is necessary if you want to renew and diversify the libraries' clientèle. Some people claim that every major organized event brings a new and different clientèle to the library and that's quite possible, after all.
Certainly integration poses a human problem since it's much easier to manage your own establishment in your own corner than to take part in collective management. One of the effects of decentralization on schemes for the provision of facilities might in fact be to create the conditions for collective debate about what constitutes cultural policy, and to foster innovative experiments. In fact, the success of integration very largely depends on local government policy and the personality of the person in charge - who must not at the same time be the director of any of the facilities concerned,- so not the librarian. Collective management on a day-to-day basis can be difficult to live with. Plans and schedules have to be drawn up far in advance to avoid conflicts. And of course the library and the music school will both need the shared auditorium at the same time - on Saturdays, in the evening, or on Wednesdays if you are working with children. It's true there have not been many convincingly successful experiments.
BBF: There are the people, of course, but there are also the premises, and more and more integrated facilities are being built. It's time to express a point of view.
JG: Mine is quite clear. In spite of everything, I am still in favour of integrated solutions and I would add one very simple reason to those I have already put forward. An integrated facility often means a whole army of activity organizers with whom It Is Interesting to work. To quote just one example, the Pierre Bayle Cultural Centre in Besançon has created a whole documentation centre with searches of periodicals. If something like that could be put alongside the library, it would be of enormous value!
MFB: But you say 'put it alongside'. In fact, it's no longer a question of integration here but of juxtaposition, with, of course, the possibility of collaboration between departments. I have far more faith in that, finally, than in the physical integration of different areas. And in my opinion, being neighbours is all the more neighbourly if you can shut the door whenever you choose! Really and truly, the most effective collaboration does not necessarily stem from bringing the facilities together. It depends first and foremost on the personalities of those involved.
JG: Juxtaposition makes it possible to do without certain things such as the children's workshop. If there is an art and crafts workshop next to the children's book section, run by an activities organizer, that organizer will do much more effective work than a librarian could. Every time I take part in some group activity I have to acknowledge the activity organizer's technical skills - or, only too often, I have to regret that we have no activities organizer. Where organized activities are concerned, integration seems to me a good way of providing for the future.
Development: from theory to practice
BBF: Providing for the future when you are putting up a building also means ensuring a degree of flexibility, a real possibility of converting areas at a later date. After what we have already said, I think this is vital.
JG: But don't be misled - flexibility is never total. The Pompidou Centre library planned for absolute flexibility - but it's never really the case. Too much flexibility produces very unwelcoming areas of space. One can, however, plan for limited flexibility e.g. recovering part of the stack space if it is not self-contained, increasing or reducing the different sections by a unit here or there.
I have spoken of developments due to changes of team. There are also time-related developments. Collections grow, there are more shelves and more people working in the library, and so on. You have to bear that in mind and avoid setting up over-specialized areas that will make the library inflexible right from the planning stage. It seems to me this aspect has been grasped better in municipal cultural centres, where the facilities offer greater possibilities for adaptation.
MBF: I think we simply must go for maximum flexibility, but I also think this is only possible if you are building from scratch. Converting existing or old buildings raises a problem we have already seen and will see again, of libraries that cannot be adapted because two-thirds of their walls are load-bearing walls. It has to be realized that this kind of inflexibility is one of the main limitations on conversion schemes.
Sometimes there are other reasons why a conversion scheme cannot be carried out. For example, it may not be possible to convert the stacks to public-access space because it would mean making doors and windows and would create visibility problems. So there is a whole series of external restraints limiting the opportunities for development or extension. They are complex factors involving both 'internal' elements connected with the construction (layout, communications between floors, ceiling height, floor load, stacks) and external elements concerning the site (site configuration, town planning restrictions, the architectural choices made). All this needs to be closely examined from the start of the scheme.
BBF: Do you think systematic provision should be made for future extension?
MFB: I wouldn't put the question in those terms. Of course there are times when you plan a scheme in two stages, but the question seems to me to arise primarily in terms of land. It's rare, especially with central libraries, for there to be any real possibility of extending the site since libraries of this kind are sited in the busiest part of the town. There is also the architectural side; the architecture of some buildings does not allow of any extension.
I know few libraries which have been planned on a two-stage basis and still fewer in which the second stage has actually been carried out. There may be perfectly good reasons for this - demographic reasons for instance - but the basic question is a political one. The deciding factor is the political will in the town hall at the outset.
JG: There is another problem that has to be solved. Is it better to extend an existing library or, once a certain threshold has been reached, is it not better to build a new one somewhere else?
Library networks: myth and reality
BBF: Exactly. We would very much like your viewpoint on the library network, its organization and the role of branch libraries. Which service, in your view, should be closest to the public? How can a genuine network be created? At the present time there are many different kinds of branch library.
MBF: Because they have all been planned according to their context. There are cases like Charleville-Mézières where functions normally carried out by the central library, such as the mobile library service, the technical management of the collections, and the storage of some of the old stock, were devolved to the Ronde-Couture branch, although in the initial plan this was intended as a temporary arrangement due to the present operating conditions at the central library.
JG: That is a perfectly satisfactory type of arrangement. It's the Grenoble pattern, and it seems to me an excellent one when the central library premises are old or unsuitable but are well-sited and have a certain prestige. Personally I do not see any drawback to running the mobile library or organizing purchasing away from the town centre.
MBF: Yes,, it is possible, but that doubling up can have considerable repercussions! I am thinking in particular of the book processing sequence choice, ordering, recording, cataloguing, indexing, distribution - it is far more economical and rational to centralize all these operations in one place. Bringing all these technical jobs together is vital when you are organizing a network and is one of the prime reasons for doing so. Which does not mean that the branch library staff should have no say in the technical jobs.
JG: Yes, you're right in an absolute sense. But in practice, centralized purchasing is something of a trap. At the present time it is far easier, and can be cheaper, to go and buy the current best seller from your local bookshop and make out a quick card for it than to fill in order forms, check in different files whether it has not already been ordered, purchased or catalogued elsewhere, and then wait for the group purchase and processing to go through. I think the service to the public benefits by local purchase and is more reliable at the end of the day. Of course, I am looking at things only from the point of view of day-to-day purchases, not of establishing a starting stock and still less of real-time automated management. In the future, such management should be able to change things.
MFB: It certainly will change things. I'm thinking particularly of the possibility of sharing cataloguing jobs among different points in the network. But in the immediate future, the autonomy you speak of can still only lead to wate. I'm against it.
JG: But I think centralization right across the board is a bit of an illusion; not can I see very clearly how it could work for the very large networks.
BBF: What about the service to the public? Which aspects should be given priority? Do you see branch libraries mainly as distribution points, meeting places or places for organized activities? Or must they provide all the services a central library provides, but on a neighbourhood scale?
MFB: I would say all three. There is no reason for restricting a branch library to lending activities. It should offer reading space, a record library and even a multipurpose room. In a word, a branch library should be a small version of a central library, on the same scale as its local community.
JG: In my view, this depends primarily on the neighbourhood, the town plans and cultural policy. You cannot have a theory about this.
BBF: But there is a theory! It's reflected in the Direction du Livre standards, even if these are not compulsory. We have already said that the two principles of the library network are decentralization of services to the public and centralization of technical tasks. The whole problem is to identify which of the library's functions should be closest to the public: lending of books, lending of records, an information service, or organized activities? Also, for example, many new branch libraries are much smaller than the models suggested in the standards. In Grenoble and Paris, the children's and adults' departments are separate. Fully independent record libraries have been built.
JG: Personally I am not against setting up small branch libraries of 100 or 150 m² focusing on book lending and organized activities. It is also quite feasible to have a branch for children only. Obviously it is not a very good idea to isolate the children's service, as the librarians in charge will complain they are being kept in a ghetto. But, in spite of everything, it may be the best solution for neighbourhood branches in some cases. Children up to about ten have only very limited autonomy and mobility.
MFB: I'm rather against both solutions myself! If both adults and children are being accommodated in a very small branch library, there is inevitably competition between them and neither is satisfied. Sooner or later a second branch has to be opened, and this dispersal leads to staff wastage and too restricted a choice of books in both branches.
The bookshop model: emulate or avoid?
BBF: Let's consider what the public have to say. The survey on the image of municipal libraries in France(2) shows that 32 per cent of those asked thought the ideal library should be laid out like a bookshop, 26 per cent thought it should be laid out as a place for study and 39 per cent as a place to relax in. What is your view? What is the image you would most like to see projected?
MFB: I don't really know. The basic thing to my mind Is that it should be welcoming, and simultaneously but separately a place to relax in. But you have to provide different areas to suit the different users, motivations: study, information seeking, leisure, recreation, discussion.
In any case, a bookshop design is not what I would think of first! That suggests either the traditional bookshop, which is worse than a nineteenth century reference library, or some very big modern bookstores like FNAC where books and people alike are so crowded it is impossible to find anything without asking a sales assistant, and there are practically no sales assistants. In a word, sheer chaos!
JG: I don't agree with you. Of course you have to draw on all three models, but I think there is much to be learnt from bookshops including FNAC. FNAC's enormous stock is an invitation to be a consumer, and this is done with the simplest of means: dense but varied furniture, the general layout, with those compartments that successfully give a sense of being both open and private; lighting built into the shelving; good signposting. All these are points we should be thinking about. You say FNAC can't be a model for a library. Perhaps it can't, but many people regard it as an ideal place to read in. Crowds draw crowds. Look at the Pompidou Centre too!
MFB: Yes, of course you can pick up ideas like the compartmented structure, but really I don't think FNAC or any other bookshop can be seen as a model for any library! I would almost say it is a contradiction in terms!
JG: At any rate, there is food for thought there.
BBF: In practical terms, what lessons can you learn from it for interior design, signposting, furniture?
JG: A lot. The first is the relationship between furniture and lighting. The lighting system build into the bookshelves, in my view, is a wonderful asset. Obviously it's costly and reduces flexibility.
MFB: It's the only way of providing high lighting quality, though. There ought to be more of it.
JG: As regards interior design - signposting, lighting, colour-schemes, furniture - I think an interior designer counts for a lot. You can tell at once if a designer has worked on a building! In many libraries, the components that make up an interior are not all really under control. The whole thing needs to be thought about by the architectural team.
BBF: Should the choice of furniture be an interior designer's job then? Are there examples where furniture designed by the architect is a success from both aesthetic and functional points of view?
MFB: I don't think the interior designer should be given the job of designing the specific furniture. Obviously both architect and interior designer must be involved in the choice of furniture. They should be consulted repeatedly on all aspects of colour-scheme, flooring, wall coverings, lighting, etc., but you must not ignore the special library furniture that exists on the market and properly fulfils the functions it was designed for.
To have furniture (shelving, record racks, lending desks, filing cabinets) specially designed and made by an architect or interior designer seems to me both expensive - it works out at twice the cost - and dangerous. Incredible catastrophes have been concocted in the name of design harmony, not only on the functional level but aesthetically as well. I know architects who have literally ruined their own building designs with furniture they have designed themselves. I personally know of no example that has been a success both functionally and aesthetically.
JG: I do: the Joie par les livres library in Clamart. The furniture there is functional and well suited to the building. The whole thing forms an integrated whole. Clamart is an exception of course, but I'm convinced there is still work to be done on the furniture question. In children's libraries especially, research has produced results that are amusing but not very functional. Bookshops have furniture that is both.
MFB: Generally speaking, I think present-day library furniture is fairly well suited to its use. It is perhaps on the layout side that a revolution is needed.
Squaring the circle
BBF: Your opinions seem to diverge on that point. The standards recommend 3 metres between shelves, whereas Jacqueline Gascuel prefers 2.10 metres, for example. This is not just a question of centimetres. It also involves the kind of library that you are putting stress on - a place of relaxation on the one hand or the bookshop, model on the other. Could you tell me what you think about the relationship between the architectural layout and the working layout? I imagine floor area is affected first and foremost, since the basic working layout determines the architectural layout.
MFB: Not really. We decided on that spacing in order to have space at last to display our collections - it wasn't connected with the architectural layout. We started out from the principle that the book display we see in French free-access libraries is always cramped. We hoped to make possible an arrangement of space that would allow people to find what they were looking for without trampling on each other.
JG: I don't quite agree there. It is difficult to increase, and still less to double shelving density when you start with 3-metre spacing. But this is what happens sooner or later in all the buildings arranged in-that way, as I know very well. It is difficult when the placing of the light fittings, windows, gangways and pillars has been designed in terms of the shelving density decided at the outset, and this implies a poor use of floor space. It's a waste of floor space and volume which you have to try and put right afterwards.
MFB: But that has nothing to do with the layout. It's only a means of calculation.
JG: Even so, the positioning of the furniture has to take the pillars into account! St Quentin-en-Yvelines has quite a small hexagonal layout and a veritable forest of pillars. This required a whole research exercise, resulting in a very interesting star-shaped layout. The same thing with the Ronde-Couture branch library in Charleville-Mézières where things are arranged in a fan shape in harmony with the structure of the building. On the other hand, if you reproduce this kind of layout in a rectangular building you waste no end of space.
MFB: There is one point I would like to make. Buildings whose layout is circular or polygonal (hexagonal, triangular or whatever) may be very interesting from an architectural standpoint but they call for a greater floor area than a square or rectangular building would need to provide the same amount of shelf space, seating and reception space.
JG: Do you think so? I would have thought the circle was the ideal form for storage space.
MFB: Oh no! It's obvious. A triangle by definition produces a mass of acute angles where you can put nothing but potted plants!
The library as a beacon
BBF: In any case, it's very fashionable. A whole field of architectural research has developed around libraries. There are ambitious, original buildings that really announce the library's presence in the town. What do you think of this trend? Should it continue or would it be better to integrate the library more into its environment? I think discussion is already going on this issue.
MFB: It must be said that for decades, libraries were never housed in purpose-designed buildings. They were set up in town halls, schools, former municipal baths, churches - never in buildings designed as libraries. Once you do begin to build libraries as such, it seems to me the building ought to have a certain style, it ought to play some kind of role as a cultural beacon. There is no reason to treat it shall we say in a common way, putting up a mere cube or a soap box. I get a real pleasure seeing libraries like Cholet or Belfort. They are buildings that provoke a reaction in everyone.
JG: Those are both libraries that I like too, but that doesn't stop me admiring a good renovation like Nevers. That said, while Nevers is very attractive, I am not sure it is completely functional. That will have to be assessed in a year or two.
MFB: I'm in favour of the beacon library, but on one precise condition. You must not have architecture for architecture's sake, regardless. Unfortunately I know several cases of new libraries which are very eye-catching indeed but have taken absolutely no account of the functions of a library, so that these have to be fitted as best one can into the shell of the building, split up between six floors or even more! Now, of course, I don't agree with that at all.
BBF: What can you do in a case like that, then? It must be fairly common for a local authority to give the architect free rein, with the librarian either absent or bypassed.
JG: Especially in small towns, I've often noticed. Now that the Director of the Bibliothèque centrale de prêt is able to provide subsidies, he can take advantage of this to give some advice as well. The regional authorities can also give advice.
MFB: Provided there is a competent librarian. Central government departments have often acted both as a driving force and as a restraining influence, and I think that, within the framework of decentralization, a study group on libraries ought to be kept at central State level.
JG: But the advisory role must at all costs be decentralized and made a reality. Libraries are being built in masses, with or without government aid.
MFB: Practically no big ones have been built without government aid over the past ten years.
A hazy future
BBF: Since you are both of the view that its architecture must confer a certain prestige on the library, I would like to know what you think of the Pompidou Centre, the most prestigious library of all? What do you think of the way that library is arranged?
MFB: To my mind the Pompidou Centre library plays a thoroughly ambiguous role in that it does not lend and its readers are 60 per cent university people. But oddly enough, local government representatives who visit it don't notice this ambiguity. They notice the free-access aspect, the audiovisuals, the masses of users. In all these spheres it has led the way, but its role is an ambiguous one.
JG: It has also contributed a great deal to upgrading the image of the public library, which until then had been seen as dim and boring. We should thank it for that!
BBF: But as regards the premises and the amenities it offers? It is surely a reference point - for good or ill - for the installation of video services and for a multimedia classification split up entirely among the different subjects.
JG: I'm not against multimedia classification myself. I just say it is not very different from the rest. If libraries want to go multimedia, let them do so. Why not? That won't prevent the Pompidou Centre from being the first to show how a library can fail!
BBF: That's a gloomy view!
JG: The books are never in the right order, it's impossible to find a place to sit and I believe the rate of disappearance for periodicals reaches 50 per cent after a few months. The only solutions to these problems are technological - microforms or videodisks, remote transmission, etc.
MFB: For my part I think that experiments with the new technologies will now be even more interesting and conclusive at the Media Library at La Villette.
BBF: Let's close on this question of new technology. In your view, what impact will the new technologies have on tomorrow's libraries, and how do you see the libraries of the future?
JG: Ask Nostradamus! Seriously, I think it is difficult to answer that question. In the very short term, obviously, library furniture will have to undergo some changes. I'm thinking of racks for compact disks, for example.
MFB: The day we can consult all the world's data banks from home, we will obviously no longer need libraries for information searches. But we shall still be reading novels, and we shall still need places to meet people and for organized activities. I like architecture and I hope there will always be libraries to inspire good architecture.
JG: In any event, architects will inevitably have to build the monuments of their time.
1. Marie-Françoise Bisbrouck, La Bibliothèque dans la Ville, Ed. Direction du Livre et de la Lecture, Paris. Editions du Moniteur, 1984, 294 pp.
Jacqueline Gascuel, Un Espace pour le Livre, Paris Cercle de la Librairie/Promodis, 1984, 332 pp.
2. Cf. 'L'expérience et l'image des bibliothèques municipales', in Bulletin des Bibliothèques de France Vol. 25, No. 6, 1980, pp. 265-299.
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Mrs Evans (Headteacher)
Mrs Evans joined the school in January 2006. She teaches Class 2 in the morning on Thursdays and Fridays.
We are a small class and I teach them English, Maths and Science. I also teach all the older children every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, and Class One on a Wednesday afternoon. That means she gets to teach all the children in the school which is lovely. The rest of Mrs Evans time is taken up with her role as headteacher. She says of her role "I love my job as no two days are ever the same and I work with some great people. It is a very happy school with a friendly family atmosphere".
Mrs Lancaster (School Administrator)
Marian joined Doddi as school Administrator in Jan 2005. She has over 20 years Personnel/HR and business experience at senior management level gained in large finance organisations. In addition to this Marian has had classroom experience having worked as a TA for two and a half years in a village school when she first moved to Devon five years ago. Marian has post graduate qualifications in Personnel Management and is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Mrs Peters (Teacher, Class 1) Mrs Peters joined the school in 2008 as a Newly Qualified Teacher. She teaches Class One which comprises of Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 children. She endeavors to make the children's learning playful, practical and purposeful in order to help them achieve. Mrs Peters is also a member of the Governing Body and a member of the Pre-School committee.
Mrs. McManus (Teacher, Class 3)
Mrs. McManus joined Doddi School in 1995 and enjoys teaching at the school so much that she has been there ever since! Currently, she teaches Class 3 five mornings a week. Class 3 is a small class made up of the Year 5 and 6 pupils at the school and during these morning sessions she teaches English, maths and science to the group, with French and PE on Fridays. She also teaches the whole of Key Stage 2 on three afternoons a week. During these sessions, she covers art, D and T, history, geography and PHSE.
Mrs. McManus is a lively person and takes the 'Awake and Shake' sessions for Key Stage 2 on two mornings a week. She also enjoys making lessons fun and interesting by using lots of different resources and organising trips out of school to bring lessons to life. Mrs. McManus also enjoys teaching the creative subjects and her pupils have had their artwork displayed in Exeter Cathedral and at the Phoenix Centre and have shown their dances on stage at the Bushell Theatre for 'Let's Dance' events.
Mrs Elworthy (Learning Assistant)
Helen had two sons at Doddi and is an ex pupil herself! Prior to joining the staff team as a Learning Assistant and Meal Time Assistant, Helen served on the Pre School Committee and she has been Friends Treasurer since 2006. Helen also assists with the teaching of French in school. Her previous work experience in customer services roles required her to use her language skills and we are fortunate to be able to make use of these in school.
Sarah Wylie (Learning Assistant)
Sarah joined the team as a Learning Support Assistant and Meal Time Assistant in September 2013. She initially worked with Key Stage 1 but now spends two afternoons each week and most Fridays with Key Stage 2.
Prior to becoming a mum of a toddler who attends Doddi Preschool, Sarah worked in PR and Marketing.
Jim (Caretaker)
Jim is our caretaker, he comes in every day at 4.00pm to clean our school and help with any repairs.


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Nothing new to report for today. We all had a very boring day, which is good... I guess. They determined the bacteria Gavin had in his blood and it was found to be the same bug he grew 3 weeks ago.
His counts took a smaller drop and we will check them again in the morning. Thanks for your questions -- I'll leave it open for another day and then I will be sure to answer them all.
Thanks again for all your prayers!