It was a Friday afternoon on the 20th of June when two of my friends, my son Kaleb and I entered the Cerritos Public Library. As I held my son's hand and walked through the doors, we all breathed a sigh of relief at that first brush of cool air. It was a hot day, but the visit to this library really altered our moods. It had been years since I stepped foot in this library. It was before the remodeling my last visit took place, so it was a surprise to walk in and experience the brightness. The Cerritos Public Library had been a dark and gloomy atmosphere before!
The first thing you notice when you walk through the entrance is the 15,000 gallon salt water fish tank that can also be viewed in the children's section of the library. My son is a big fan of Thomas the Tank Engine, so we searched for a multitude of Thomas books. We then went up the escalator to the second floor, where we checked out our own private room. This was a major convenience, since my son is not the quietest child!
When I examined the library collection, I discovered that they had more than books available for check-out. These include DVDs, CDs and CD ROMS, atlases, and even e-books (which are expensive because you have to pay about $10 to check them out). Three services available at the library includes computer usage (internet), printing (which costs 15 cents per page and 50 cents to buy the print card), and private room check-out. The library also has significant lounge areas with a relaxing view, perfect for reading and studying. I caught a couple of people taking a nap there. The Cerritos Public Library uses the Library of Congress Classification system, arranged alphabetically by subject. The reference section consists of telephone books, encyclopedias, biography indexes, and several other lines of directories. There are numerous resources available right at the information center of the library, where all of the indexes are kept. The library provides several online resources, including Business & Company Resource Center, brought together by Infotrac, and Learning Express Library, a test preparation service.
What I liked best about the library is that it was built to be completely accessible by people with disabilities. There are products and services available to aid those with disabilities, and I felt that this was an enormous plus. All of the staff members are trained to understand the needs of the disabled patrons using the library. I also loved that the library offers six study rooms to card holders. The rooms can be checked-out or reservations can be made, and the rooms are available to use for two hours. Speaking of card holders, this is the only part that I did not like about the library. Non-residents interested in being a card holder must pay a one time fee of $100! Though it is understandable that non-residents almost always have to pay for the card when they decide to check out books from a library outside of their city, I felt that this was a rate that was unacceptable! Therefore I feel lucky to have a friend who lives in the city of Cerritos and is also a valued card holder. :)
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I really enjoyed the way you described your visit to the Cerritos library with your son. Very cool. I love to hear about students in the class that take their children to this library in particular. The kids section there is amazing! Did you check out the room where they read stories in the kids area?
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