A week ago Friday, the State Library of Kansas Board met in the newly renovated State Library of Kansas in the capitol. I represent school librarians on that board and was excited to see the changes in the building since I last visited. Fortunately I stopped trying to impress anybody with my unflappable cool years ago because I pretty much wandered around with my mouth open.
Parking is vastly improved with an underground garage that is easy to find, easy to drive into, and easy to drive out of. To enter the capitol, one walks through an underground passageway that I would describe as Kansas Gothic. Jo Budler, State Librarian, told me that the Kansas Historical Society, with some assistance from the State Library, will be putting together displays for the entrance passage on the history of the building. I hope they don't polish it up too much down there because I really kind of like it just the way it is.
Once visitors climb the stairs into the main building, everything changes in a hurry. I spent quite a bit of time just looking at the ceiling. The attention to architectural detail and the obvious care the renovators took is astonishing.
Welcome to the State Library of Kansas
upstairs stacks
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