American River College, March 16

 Next stop:  American River College Library in Sacramento, where my hosts were Librarian Linda Shoemake and Technical Services Librarian Kathy Champion.  Like Santa Rosa, this is a very large campus that serves 40,000 students.  The library was a recently expanded and renovated.  I was shown where quake joints delineate the old and new sections. 

The curvilinear addition was designed to break up the "boxy" feel of the old building, and succeeds in making the entrance inviting.

The student lab space is packed to the gills nearly every hour the building is open, I was told.  The group study rooms also receive heavy use.

Many of the libraries I've seen incorporate atriums, patios or other outdoor/semi-outdoor spaces for rest, relaxation and the inevitable laptops and iPads.  I was told that the temperature is pleasant here even when the sun is beating down.  The ARC circulation desk offers laptops for those who need them (in-house only, but the wireless network is campuswide, of course).

A view from behind the busy Reference Desk.

Below, students studying and relaxing in the front atrium.  No on-site espresso cart, but coffee is available from a close-by cafeteria.

The great view from the second floor, even on a rainy day.

Thanks to Linda, Kathy, Dan Crump and all the ARC librarians for their tours and networking about CCC libraries.