A Brief Tour of the Paso Robles Library in Photos

The Photo Tour of the Paso Robles Library Begins at the Entrance

The September theme for City Daily Photo Bloggers is Library, so I decided to take you on a photo tour of our city library. To get to the Paso Robles Library entrance, one must pass under this massive oak tree. ( Unless one uses the street entrance on the other side of the building.) Most library visitors park in the lot, though, and enter by the oak tree entrance.

Oak Tree Near Entrance to Paso Robles  Library, © B. Radisavljevic

Once through the doors, you find yourself in in a foyer that leads into the library, the city hall, the restrooms, the conference rooms, and one of the library bookstores. You can also see across to the other entrance. It looks out to the park where you can walk across to Farmers Market on Saturdays mornings and Tuesday afternoons. Most people don't use that as a library entrance because parking is harder to find there.

Paso Robles Library Foyer, © B. Radisavljevic

Behind these glass doors are the library and the staircase leading to City Hall. The table is used for sharing literature pertaining to city events.

Doors to  Library and City Hall Access, © B. Radisavljevic 

Inside the Library: The Children's Area

As you enter the Paso Robles Library and walk past the service desk, the first thing you really notice ahead is the display wall of the children's area of the library. Here is an overview. 

Children's Area of the Paso Robles Library, © B. Radisavljevic 

The row of reading tables runs through the center of the children's area. Here's another view. The children's periodicals are on display here. To the right of the display shelf is the picture book area. We will get a better view of it in the next photo.

Children's Area of the Paso Robles Library, © B. Radisavljevic 

Picture Book Area of the Paso Robles Library, © B. Radisavljevic

You can see the Highlights magazine we used to read when even I was a child is still around.

The aquarium below acts as a wall divider between the hallway and the children's area.

Aquarium which Divides the Hallway from the Children's Area,  © B. Radisavljevic

You can look through the water to see inside the picture book area.

Today's Library's Are Multi-Media

The library gives a wall for the display of local art. The exhibits change frequently.  If you continue down this hallway, you will find CD's and DVD's to borrow. You can see one of the cases at the left corner of the photo.

Art on Display at the Paso Robles Library, © B. Radisavljevic

A library would be nothing without real books. The Paso Robles has lots of them, though they now also let you check out digital books for your reading devices. I haven't tried it yet. The picture below shows the heart of the adult section. First you see the reference desk in the center where you can ask questions and get directions to what you need.

The Heart of the Library for Adults, © B. Radisavljevic

Beyond the reference desk are the stacks. On the left side you will find fiction. On the right you will see the first cases of the nonfiction stacks. You can also see the computers near the middle. Along the wall by the window are study tables and some cubicles. The windows look out on City Park  across the street. This next photo focuses on that area by the window a bit more.

In the photo above you can also see the row of upholstered chairs where people often sit to read periodicals or books. The homeless often catch a nap here. I often sit here and read on Smart Days when I want to stay cool outside the house.

Fiction, Graphics, and Reading / Study Areas for Adults, © B. Radisavljevic

The Paso Robles Library Has a Section for Graphic Novels

The label on the prominent case in the photo above reads Graphics. When I was a child, the books in this section did not exist. The closest thing we had to today's graphic novels were comic books. Libraries did not have comic books.

This form of literature has become important in the past few years. It became a book category in bookstores in 2001. Although these are called graphic novels, they are not all fiction. Many nonfiction graphic novels can be found in classrooms today. I used to sell them when I was selling educational books. They appealed to young people whose reading skills could not handle normal books at their grade level.

The first graphic novels I carried were the classic collections of Tin Tin books by Herge. Both my husband and son loved them. They were some of the few graphic novels you might find in a library in the 1980's. If your library doesn't have them, you can find them at Amazon.

 The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 1 (Tintin in America / Cigars of the Pharaoh / The Blue Lotus) The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 2: The Broken Ear / The Black Island / King Ottokar's Sceptre (3 Volumes in 1) The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 3: The Crab with the Golden Claws / The Shooting Star / The Secret of the Unicorn (3 Volumes in 1) The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 4: Red Rackham's Treasure / The Seven Crystal Balls / Prisoners of the Sun (3 Volumes in 1) The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 5: Land of Black Gold / Destination Moon / Explorers on the Moon (3 Volumes in 1) The Adventures of Tintin, Vol. 6: The Calculus Affair / The Red Sea Sharks / Tintin in Tibet (3 Volumes in 1)

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Here are some of the nonfiction graphic novels you can find at the Paso Robles Library.

Nonfiction Graphic Novels at Paso Robles Library, © B. Radisavljevic

The Library Helps Bring the Community Together. 

As you come through the library doors, the first thing you see on your right  is this table and bulletin board.  They explain volunteer opportunities in Paso Robles. Just past it are two other information displays -- one announcing community events, and another with hand-outs about community resources.

Volunteer Opportunity Announcements, © B. Radisavljevic

You will often see volunteer tutors with their students in the library, but I'm not supposed to take pictures of them. I didn't see any today anyway, but I often do  see them.

People  who don't have computers use those in the library.

Those who want to find cheap books to keep can find them in the library bookstores run by the Friends of the Library.

The City Council and other  groups hold meetings in the library conference room.

The library also has special programs for children to keep them interested in reading. These are often seasonal.

The Paso Robles Library is a vital service that helps every segment of our community.

How does your city's library compare? Does it offer much the same kinds of services? Does it have services we may not have?  What do you like best about your library?

If you'd like to see what other City Daily Photo bloggers around the world have shared about their libraries, check out the theme photo gallery.

To see my other posts about our library,  click one of the icons below. You will see details that I haven't included here.

 Paso Robles Library During the Holidays L is for Library

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