Reality of Dun Laoghaire Library

crushproof

RainyDay wrote: »

It was open over the weekend for the Mountains to Sea event.

It was open to people who had tickets for the Book Festival but there no entry for the general public. Please don't dispute this as I walked by on Saturday afternoon and was not allowed enter without having a festival ticket.

I understand it would take some time to fill the new library due to it's size but I cannot fathom the reason for closing the old library for such a long period of time. In comparison to many other libraries it's quite small and it would not take that long to catalogue the books that are currently on the shelves (but shouldn't they already have them all catalogued?!)
Yes I am not a qualified librarian but I've worked on archiving a massive corporate collect of files, documents etc. and this certainly did not take 3 - 4 months.

josip

crushproof wrote: »

... but I cannot fathom the reason for closing the old library for such a long period of time. In comparison to many other libraries it's quite small and it would not take that long to catalogue the books that are currently on the shelves (but shouldn't they already have them all catalogued?!)...

Are you familar with the term "Work Practices"?

RainyDay

crushproof wrote: »

It was open to people who had tickets for the Book Festival but there no entry for the general public. Please don't dispute this as I walked by on Saturday afternoon and was not allowed enter without having a festival ticket.

100% correct.

crushproof wrote: »

I understand it would take some time to fill the new library due to it's size but I cannot fathom the reason for closing the old library for such a long period of time. In comparison to many other libraries it's quite small and it would not take that long to catalogue the books that are currently on the shelves (but shouldn't they already have them all catalogued?!)
Yes I am not a qualified librarian but I've worked on archiving a massive corporate collect of files, documents etc. and this certainly did not take 3 - 4 months.

Yeah, I don't understand it either. Just like there are lots of parts of your job that I don't understand, and lots of parts of my job that you don't understand. If I was going to criticise someone, I'd make sure it was something that I knew something about, rather than criticising someone for something I knew nothing about.

If anyone is really interested, they could give the librarian a call, or submit an FOI request, or get a Councillor to submit a question. But I guess it's easier to take cheap shots on an internet forum.

wowy

A quick Google of "how long to relocate a library collection" came up with this:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/Library_Bulletin/Apr1999/Cronenwett.html?mswitch-redir=classic

A manuscripts and old books collection containing 6.5 million manuscripts, 500,000 photographs, and 95,000 rare books was relocated in 1999. This would be substantially larger than the DLR library collection. The old library closed on 1st October and new library reopened on 15th December (2 weeks later than planned).

If that could be done in 2.5 months, it's reasonable for people to question why DLR library is going to take 4 months.

RainyDay

wowy wrote: »

If that could be done in 2.5 months, it's reasonable for people to question why DLR library is going to take 4 months.

I've absolutely no difficulty with anyone questioning this, or any other action by DLR. I strongly encourage people to question it by contacting the librarian, or a Councillor, or whoever. I strongly discourage snide accusations made by folks who know nothing about the area.

uch

wowy wrote: »

A quick Google of "how long to relocate a library collection" came up with this:

http://www.dartmouth.edu/~library/Library_Bulletin/Apr1999/Cronenwett.html?mswitch-redir=classic

If that could be done in 2.5 months, it's reasonable for people to question why DLR library is going to take 4 months.

From that link: however, required significant effort including 2,910 staff hours of planning and preparation time, 3,120 staff hours moving materials, and 3,470 hours of National Library Relocation, Inc., time moving materials.

That's a total of 9500 staff hours, so you'd need to know how many staff are involved in the DL move before judging with this.

Bits_n_Bobs

RainyDay wrote: »

I've absolutely no difficulty with anyone questioning this, or any other action by DLR. I strongly encourage people to question it by contacting the librarian, or a Councillor, or whoever. I strongly discourage snide accusations made by folks who know nothing about the area.

Absolutely agree - can we keep the snide accusations reserved for the butt ugliness of the building and efficiently utilise our county councils time by questioning them directly on how it takes 4 months to open a piddling little library. It's only by demanding high levels of transparency such as this that we can be sure they won't have any other bright ideas....such as building hideous overpriced storage units for antiquated data storage....

Tabnabs

dlr LexIcon

Sunday 19 October, 12.00pm – 3.00pm

The dlr LexIcon will offer a new model of library service to the community. The extended role of the library as a facilitator for all sorts of community, educational and cultural events has inevitably shaped new ways of thinking about the design of the buildings and space they require. This building exemplifies these spatial requirements. The project also includes a park and knits into existing routes from town to harbour. The centre is nearing completion with a planned opening to the public scheduled for December.

First-come basis: Just turn up and look out for Open House Dublin volunteers. Closest Dart/Rail: Dún Laoghaire. Photography is not allowed on this tour.

Designed by: Carr Cotter Naessens Architects
Building Date: 2014
Location: Moran Park, Dún Laoghaire, Co.Dublin

http://openhousedublin.com/index.php/tour/dun-laoghaire-central-library-cultural-centre?utm_content=buffer62cfb&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer

zagmund

Wild guess on the location delay - public service recruitment embargos, lack of porters or whatever they are called these days, lots of books to pack, move, etc . . . I'm sure that one of the large moving companies could be paid to move the contents and to do it efficiently, but I imagine there's some glitch like the cost of that not being included in the budget and it having to be done by the librarians.

Ideally they would look for volunteers from the public or the CoCo to help with the move. I'm sure there would be people who would offer to help (from a civic good point of view).

z

Cookie_Monster

fits right in in that picture. church, library, hotel, apts, shopping centre, council building all of a similar height.

Yer Aul One

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

fits right in in that picture. church, library, hotel, apts, shopping centre, council building all of a similar height.

Matching height is a small factor. I whole heartedly disagree that the building fits "right" in the picture. I think it couldn't look any more out of place.

The architects: Carr, Cotter & Naessens should be very ashamed that they have disrespected the landscape of Dun Laoghaire for the rest of our lifetimes....at least

What a hideous monstrosity :eek:

zagmund

One of the aspects I just don't get is what looks like ventilation "things" on the roof. If they were going for some sort of nautical look they might at least have tried to make them look like funnels or something. Not that I know of any ships with 9 funnels mind you.

z

Yer Aul One

zagmund wrote: »

One of the aspects I just don't get is what looks like ventilation "things" on the roof. If they were going for some sort of nautical look they might at least have tried to make them look like funnels or something. Not that I know of any ships with 9 funnels mind you.

z

This has me totally baffled as well. If they are collecting rain water, why are they narrower at the top?
I wish a more eloquent boardie than me would email the architects and ask them to defend the design, you reckon we could get an answer from them?

ted1

Yer Aul One wrote: »

This has me totally baffled as well. If they are collecting rain water, why are they narrower at the top?
I wish a more eloquent boardie than me would email the architects and ask them to defend the design, you reckon we could get an answer from them?

Not for collecting rain water. To collect rain water you use the drain from the whole roof.

Yer Aul One

ted1 wrote: »

Not for collecting rain water. To collect rain water you use the drain from the whole roof.

Chimneys?

uch

Yer Aul One wrote: »

Matching height is a small factor. I whole heartedly disagree that the building fits "right" in the picture. I think it couldn't look any more out of place.

The architects: Carr, Cotter & Naessens should be very ashamed that they have disrespected the landscape of Dun Laoghaire for the rest of our lifetimes....at least

What a hideous monstrosity :eek:

We all have Opinions, personally I think it looks fine

Yer Aul One

uch wrote: »

We all have Opinions, personally I think it looks fine

The spectrum of response to the building:

Fine to disgusted.

I just wish it was a nice building. I love Dun Laoghaire. Not being dramatic but I do think it has negatively affected it!

Cunning Alias

I think it looks great. Reminds me of the Sandcrawler from Star Wars.

josip

Yer Aul One wrote: »

Chimneys?

The Birkenau factor

Yer Aul One

josip wrote: »

The Birkenau factor

Nobody ever leaves the Lexicon

Aard

Again, the main issue I see is not height, but massing and fenestration.

RainyDay

Bits_n_Bobs wrote: »

Absolutely agree - can we keep the snide accusations reserved for the butt ugliness of the building and efficiently utilise our county councils time by questioning them directly on how it takes 4 months to open a piddling little library.

If Lexicon is a 'piddling little library', what would be a medium or even a large library in your book?

Larbre34

Yer Aul One wrote: »

Chimneys?

The chimneys are air scrubbers/exchangers. I asked a lad passing the top of the site one time.

It uses some kind of fangled low energy air conditioning.

josip

RainyDay wrote: »

If Lexicon is a 'piddling little library', what would be a medium or even a large library in your book?

Books are in libraries, not libraries in books.

Yer Aul One

josip wrote: »

Books are in libraries, not libraries in books.

Deep, man!

Tabnabs

Tabnabs

Latest images, looks fairly finished.

Cookie_Monster

bit sterile inside isn't it?
Needs more dark heavy wood and green lamp shades

Bits_n_Bobs

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

bit sterile inside isn't it?
Needs more dark heavy wood and green lamp shades

I dunno - I like the fact that it's not too cluttered with, ya know, books

Larbre34

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

bit sterile inside isn't it?
Needs more dark heavy wood and green lamp shades

cells and interrogation suites.