RUMFORD — The new circulation desk at the Rumford Public Library is a “godsend” for the staff, Circulation Supervisor Christy Bates said Tuesday.

“It helps us serve the public faster and more efficiently, absolutely more efficiently,” she said. “It was just a godsend,” she said.

With thousands of materials from all over the state of Maine to be processed at the desk, the new one is key to keeping the library organized, she said. “It’s chaos if you don’t have organization.”

The new one was made by Maine Made furniture of Wilton and installed in November.

The old desk required Adult Services Librarian Mary Ann Fournier to work from a table with no drawers. Now, she has six drawers, one for each department she manages.

“I can run my six departments and I can have it clean and organized,” Fournier said. “The best thing is that we’re not bumping into each other. We used to be so tightly compacted that we were hitting each other by accident.”

Another key feature of the new desk is that it is handicapped-accessible. It includes space for four library staff members to work and has two exits.

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Rumford Public Library Circulation Supervisor Christy Bates, right, lends library materials to Dianna Houghton of Rumford on Tuesday. A new circulation desk was installed in November, enabling the staff to serve the public faster and more efficiently, Bates said. (Rumford Falls Times photo by Marianne Hutchinson)

Rumford Public Library Circulation Supervisor Christy Bates works at the new circulation desk installed in November. The desk allows Bates and Adult Services Librarian Mary Ann Fournier, seated behind Bates, to be more organized and to avoid safety hazards. (Rumford Falls Times photo by Marianne Hutchinson)