Welcome to the discussion group for, "Trading Spaces: Reinventing the Library Environment." This project, was an initial creation of the South Jersey Regional Library Cooperative and the New Jersey State Library. It grew from the seed of a very simple idea: Space matters. Environment matters.

The goal of the project was to reinvent a library environment through use of retail merchandising practices. The $45,000 budget for the project was a three-way split from the State Library, SJRLC, and the Mount Laurel Library.

SJRLC used additional funds to retain the services of Dave Genesy, Director of the Redwood City (CA) Public Library and the premier library merchandising consultant in the US, as consultant to the project. In addition, the Mount Laurel Library redirected local funds for new collections and services to support the project.

This group exists to further the goals of the project and help New Jersey libraries implement merchandising principles, as demonstrated at the Mount Laurel Library.

In merchandising the collection, library staff, at all points on the change-oriented and traditional scale, can thrive in a library where the collection and services star. Customers can see the difference when they walk in the door and they love it!

For more information, see: http://www.sjrlc.org/tradingspaces