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Trading
Spaces One Year Anniversary Event
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 4, 2005 MOUNT LAUREL LIBRARY CELEBRATES ANNIVERSARY OF TRADING SPACES PROJECT It's been a year since a magical transformation took place at the Mount Laurel Library. On Wednesday March 23, 2005, the Library invites the public to enjoy a full day of activities to help celebrate the one-year anniversary of their nationally recognized Trading Spaces: Reinventing the Library Environment project. The goal of the project was to reinvent a library environment using retail merchandising practices. Books, DVDs, and CDs are showcased using colorful, enticing displays that allow customers to easily browse the collection. An Internet Café, free wireless Internet, and a newly designed Teen Zone, Family Room, and Living Room with comfortable seating add excitement to the library experience. Since its debut, the transformed library has attracted thousands of library customers and over 1,000 members of the library profession from throughout the United States who have either visited, been to presentations about the Project or browsed the project website at www.sjrlc.org/tradingspaces. The most impressive result of the Project was a circulation increase of 42%, the highest circulation figure in the Library's 30-year history. The Trading Spaces Project was the brainchild of New Jersey State Librarian, Norma Blake, and Karen Hyman, Executive Director of the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative. The $45,000 project budget was split among the New Jersey State Library, the SJRLC, and the Mount Laurel Library. According to Hyman, "The Mount Laurel Library has succeeded beyond our wildest dreams with the Trading Spaces Project. We are eager to see the full impact on use and satisfaction of their customers and transformation of more libraries in New Jersey". Blake echoes Hyman's enthusiasm. "The Mount Laurel Library is to be commended for their innovation and success in the Trading Spaces Project. The library has become a model for other libraries in New Jersey and the country." On Wednesday March 23, 2005, the Library invites the public to enjoy a full day of activities to help celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Project. The schedule of events includes the following:
Joan Bernstein, Director of the Mount Laurel
Library, with Project Manager/Assistant Director Kathy Schalk-Greene, led
the Library's staff through the entire project and encourages the entire
community to attend the day-long event.
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