Part 1: The Story
The new 24,000-square-foot Georgia T. Lord Library more than doubled the previous library facility, serving 142,000 patrons annually. Annual patrons are expected to increase to 175,000 in the Georgia T. Lord Library’s first year of operation.
Named after former Goodyear Mayor Georgia T. Lord, the library will include multiple study rooms, a destination treehouse-themed children’s area, a cafe, programming community rooms, and a dedicated team room. The library can double its collection of books on-site, addressing the community’s significant need for more materials.
We’re extremely excited to open the new Georgia T. Lord Library this summer as part of the Civic Square project,” said Nathan Torres, Goodyear Parks and Recreation director. “This project has been in the making for decades to create a center that brings
together city services in a large community library in one location, essentially creating the heart of Goodyear.
Part 2: The Solution
“The library touches the very heart of the community, families, young and old, and all ages, all abilities, all interests, it is the place
for our community to gather.” said Nathan. Public input from the community drove every aspect of the library’s design and use.
Selected to help bring the community’s vision to life, Jodi Giljum of Arizona Furnishings (AF) was selected to provide the library furnishings. AF is widely recognized as an industry leader for complete furnishings packages. AF’s complete understanding of the changing needs of today’s community spaces coupled with Aurora’s MJ Library Shelving product offerings allowed experts from both teams to implement a combination of fixed and moveable cantilevered library shelving to provide the community greater flexibility to rearrange library space for multiple community uses.
The Aurora MJ Library Shelving with casters can be easily reconfigured by the library staff to create open space for community events. This feature also allows the staff to reorganize the library layout to transform the space in ways that enhance community engagement in the digital age.
Another feature of the MJ Library Shelving is the front facing media display units. Aurora was also able to mount the periodical
display shelving on casters further maximizing the space flexibility for multi-function event planning.
Children’s Area Concept
The children’s space was designed around beloved characters from classic children’s books. The space is centered on a tree house theme and connects to the outdoor patio space. Characters and “critters” from those children’s classics can be found throughout the children’s area.
While future-facing libraries are pushing boundaries, the public still perceives libraries as being primarily about books. Flexibility in library planning using moveable furnishings, including shelving, are key alterations to existing library space that can refresh public perceptions.