Physical Facilities:
The library was dedicated and opened for service in September
1963 with 14,500 square feet of floor space. A semi-basement
of 4,600 square feet housed mechanical equipment and storage
space for two mobile units. Betty Lou Townley was the first
branch manager. The library was remodeled in 1988/1989 with
meeting rooms added in the basement, a stage in the children’s
room and a separate storytime room. The library was remodeled
again in the fall of 2000 and all new furnishings were added,
plus some major changes. The two-level building now has 18,848
gross square feet of which 15, 078 square feet is for public
service. There are 87 parking spaces plus 4 handicapped and
a seating capacity of 89. This includes 24 in the children’s
room and 5 in the Young Adult area. We have three fee-based
meeting rooms.
Community
in General:
Since
Belle Isle Library has such a centralized and easily accessed
location it draws customers from all over the metropolitan
area. Teachers, business professionals, students and adults
of all ages seek educational recreational and business resources.
We also serve customers from a variety of cultures for whom
English is their second language. The use by minority groups
such as Vietnamese, Afro-American; Spanish and Middle Eastern
continues to increase. We enjoy class visits from the public
schools and day cares in the area. We also have mentally
challenged adults from group homes, private schools and
home-schoolers, all which use the library weekly. We also
serve many senior citizens and others who just want recreational
reading. Due to our close proximity to some major businesses,
we have many business people who use the library as a getaway
for lunch. We provide free access to the Internet to non-library
cardholders. With our closeness to two major freeways, several
colleges and universities, and major medical facilities
we are a convenience for out of town and foreign visitors.
Materials
Collection:
Total
collection is 100,668 based on the July 2002 inventory.
This includes 85,412 books, 7,283 periodicals, 2,389 cassettes,
3,750 video recordings and 1,834 CD-ROM’s. We also
have vertical file cabinets, which contain clippings and
pamphlets on various subjects that include maps and pictures.
We also provide materials from all over the United States
through interlibrary loan. This includes genealogy materials
on microfilm. We have a microfiche/film reader printer.
Specialized
Resources:
We have
indexed Belle Isle’s collection of Plays and Songs
and put them in computer files for easy access. We have
bibliographies of materials in various foreign languages,
basic readers and toddler books. We have separate sections
in the reference area for business, consumer information
and financial information. There is also a separate section
for popular test books for easier customer access.
Facts
and Points of Interest:
In April 1971, on the south side of the library grounds,
a monument was erected that cites the 50th anniversary of
field tests, which confirmed the validity of the reflection
seismograph method of prospecting for oil. These tests were
conducted in June 1921, near the present site of May Avenue
and Northwest Expressway—not far from the library
location. The monument, made of granite and limestone, was
built by the Capitol Hill Monument Works and paid for by
the Geophysical Society of Oklahoma City.
The Belle I
Staff:
Belle
Isle has a staff of 30 that includes a Library Manager,
Assistant Manager and four full time and two half time librarians,
including one who specializes in Adult and Senior Adult
services are available to provide professional assistance
to customers. We are also blessed with 2 Associate Librarians,
one full time who specializes in children’s and Young
Adult services and one three-fourths time who is available
to provide assistance to customers. Belle Isle has four
full time, one three-fourths time and two half-time circulation
clerks. At least two are available to handle customer’s
needs whenever the library is open. The library has one
half-time technology assistant who is available 20 hours
a week to help customers with their computer needs. We depend
on eleven people working part time as pages to keep the
books shelved and the library looking good. Since we are
open seven days a week we try to have at least three during
each morning, afternoon and evening shifts.
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