I admit it’s easy to get a bit lost in the library. On our three floors we have so many different spaces and collections that it can be a challenge to figure out where you are and where you want to be. We took great care to make the layout of each floor as intuitive as possible but sometimes people need a little help getting oriented. The staff of the library will personally guide you to whatever book or room you need and are also happy to recommend some of our favorite spots. We also have many helpful signs throughout the building identifying different spaces and collections.
Having worked here for quite some time I really don’t notice the signs anymore. I’m usually focused on looking for a specific book or DVD for someone and tend to lose the big picture in the details. However, today I decided to really look at and count our signs. I found that we have far more than I initially predicted. A note on the counting: I did not count shelf-end signs identifying Dewey call number ranges or author names in Fiction. This would be a monumental task and I wanted to limit the scope to signs identifying spaces or entire collections. Besides, we have a wonderful tool in our catalog that will show you the location of any item that is not checked out. If you click “Map It” next to the Call Number for an available book, DVD or CD, a pop-up map will show you the exact set of shelves where you can find what you want. It’s pretty amazing.
Before we even start the tour I want to point out the very helpful Spaces section on our website. It can be found under Services on the top menu bar. The pages on Spaces give an impressive list of the amenities on the first, second, and third floors. If you want to know before you go I suggest taking this online tour of our facility.
On the outside of the library, we have six signs in total. Five of them identify us at the Princeton Public Library and the Sands Library Building. The last sign is for The Library Store, our gently used bookstore run by the The Friends of the Library.
Inside on the first floor, there are 28 signs identifying different public service desks, collections, and spaces such as the Terra Libri Cafe and our Community Room. Some of the signs hang from the ceiling but most of them are wall-mounted.
On our renovated second floor I counted 101 signs. This staggering number is due to all of the spaces we have (nine study rooms, the Princeton Room, the Newsroom, the Technology Center and more) and the signs for all of our nonfiction Neighborhoods.
The more recently renovated third floor closely resembles the signage on the first floor. I found 29 signs for areas such as their Teen Center, outdoor terrace, and Story Room.
Two signs of note: our largest sign is for our printer and copier in the Business Center on the second floor.
And our most-referred to signs are probably the restroom signs on all three floors.
Please let us know if you need any help finding anything in the library and keep an eye out for any of our 158 signs in the building. They should help guide you to where you want to be.
Photos courtesy of the author.