The Week in Library Land: October 13 to October 19
It was a quiet week in Library Land. This isn’t to say a lot didn’t happen, just that we didn’t visit a million libraries.
In fact, we didn’t visit our first library until a visit to the Cary Memorial Library in Lexington on Tuesday. It’s always a treat to visit and also a great place to get work done. It’s funny to us that we walked away from our first visit completely unimpressed. Once we visited again (and again and again) we came away with a deeper appreciation of this fine library. This week’s visit was no exception. Library Land Score: 4.45.
Our thoughts on the Belmont Library are complicated. We’ve visited a number of times and each time walked away scratching our heads. How is it possible that a well-heeled town - and a library that ranks 10th in the state in terms of circulation - has such a worn-out library? We’ve heard that people weren’t crazy about our ranking - and that’s understandable, but how could we ignore some pretty glaring issues?
It was with a touch of trepidation that we accepted an invitation to meet with the team working toward a new library for Belmont, which took place on Wednesday. It was quickly clear that all of us shared the same goal: that there be a new library in Belmont. We shared our thoughts on the current library, as well as things we’ve seen at other libraries the felt relevant. It’s really exciting to see people coming together to address a pressing community need and always a privilege to be invited into these kinds of discussions.
Thursday saw us each visiting a different library. For my part, I headed to the Morse Institute in Natick. It’s my town library so I use it a lot. It makes me happy to have such a great library right down the street! After working for a time I went to a coffee shop in town to meet with a library friend. Spending time in library land sure is fun! Library Land Score: 4.45.
The Cambridge Main Library, Adam’s shelter after the storm.
On Wednesday night a Nor'easter came through eastern Massachusetts. Tons of rain and wind. The storm didn’t impact me in Natick, but in Arlington, Adam was without Internet access. Libraries to the rescue! He headed to the fantastic Cambridge Main Library where he could hop right online! People don’t always appreciate the fact that their library almost always has power and a stable Internet connection. Again and again, we’ve heard of libraries serving this important purpose. Library Land Score: 4.73.
Working in the wonderful Woburn Library.
On Friday, we decided to head over to the Woburn Public Library, as we do so often. It was a really productive visit. While we were there we got a comment on Facebook from the library regarding its WiFi. It’s the one area that we’ve had issues with on our visits. They let us know that there are two networks, one open and unsecured and the other public, but with a password. What is interesting is that the open network was visible on our phones but not on our Chromebooks. I checked a Windows computer out of the laptop vending machine at the library and both networks were visible on it. It’s a little confusing but doesn’t diminish the awesomeness of a visit to the fantastic library. Library Land Score: 4.91.
There was also a lot of background work. We have so many exciting irons in the fire these days that it’s almost hard to keep track of everything!