This morning, Michelle, Renee, Margaret, Angelica, Barb, Adam and I checked in on the progress of the PAL islands at the studio of Jeffrey Pilotte (who is the fabricator). Maeryta and Scott from Gyroscope (the designers) also met us there.
Overall, I would say that the quality and workmanship of the PALs will be solid. (Jeffrey Pilotte is *very* talented). The colors will be amazing. The way in which the the PALs assemble (and disassemble) is ingenious. And overall, the PAL islands are done in "The Rancho Way".
But not to say that they are perfect. But I will leave this to the bloggers to give their opinions. And there should be photos of our visits as well.
RK
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One of the things that really struck me about the PALs is their presence. They really are physically imposing and will be noticed. These are not going to be like a toy in the corner or even a book shelf - they are strong visible pieces. In the case of the book wheel, perhaps a little too imposing, but we shall see. Remember - these are prototypes with which we are experimenting!
ReplyDeleteTo test the sturdiness of the table portion of the PAL, Jeff actually stood on top of it! I was impressed by the quality of the pieces that were shown. They had really nice moldings and craftsmanship.
ReplyDeleteThese things looked really sturdy even before Jeff stood on one of them. The wheels are also large and should roll over cobblestones in the courtyard then lock into a parked position. I really like the colors which keep to the color schemes in our buildings.
ReplyDeleteI was *very* impressed. I had no idea what to expect, what we would get to see, if it would match everything we wanted it to be.
ReplyDeleteIt did (thank goodness!)!
The first thing we did was try to compare what everything was supposed to be - everything we discussed, the drawings. It did!
The next thing was to check quality. Very sturdy - multiple laminated sheets of wood - beautiful, maple, I believe. All of the fixtures were well mounted solid metal.
Then - came safety. I felt like a bit of a party pooper, but I wanted to make sure to ask the important questions staff have brought up and that parents could potentially ask.
The professionals from Gyroscope walked us through the design concerns explaining why things were designed the way they were.
Some of the great safety features -
* All of the pal drawers and edges are rounded (some still in progress)
* The wood will all be treated either with stain, powder coating, or seal
* All of the drawers LOCK! (woohoo)
* All of the caster son items have brakes just like our book trucks
However - they are not perfect. Kids have the darndest way of hurting themselves. Whether it's pulling books onto themselves, running full steam into the reference desk, or jabbing themselves with a pencil – They can’t be left alone.
These PALS are meant to be a family learning station and so children should not be left unsupervised (as with everywhere else in our library).
To sum it all up in short – wow – that was cool!