The Week in Library Land: December 8 to December 14
Now this week was more like it! We saw several libraries, a few new ones and a couple of old favorites.
The week started with Adam visiting the Rowley Public Library. This is a serviceable, accommodating town library. Three large study rooms, a community meeting room and an extensive Library of Things were just a few of the stand out elements. There was added charm and fundraising smarts with decorations of the Holiday Basket Raffle run by the Friends group. We're also suckers for a good bird collection. In 1923, Charles Houghton donated his collection of mounted birds to the library. The complete collection totals over 130 with the balance seen at Rowley Town Hall. Library Land Score: 4.18.
The Rowley Public Library
On Tuesday, it was finally time to visit the Avon Public Library. This has been on the list of local(ish) libraries to visit for a while, but schedules just never worked. From the outside the library looks really neat - like a series of clapboard houses stuck together. On the inside, these seemingly separate buildings are, in reality, one large space with what the staff refers to as “coves.” It’s an interesting and functional approach.
One really neat thing the library was doing during our visit was a Christmas tree trimming competition. Patrons were invited to check out mini-trees, decorate them at home, and bring them in to display. There were probably two dozen trees and one could vote for their favorite. An interesting way to connect with the community. Library Land Score: 4.27.
Clocks are everywhere. This on is in Rowley.
After Avon, it was off to the Norton Public Library. This, too, has waited far too long for a visit. Built in 1991, this building is smaller on the inside than one might imagine. This is due to the fact that the second floor is currently not being used.
The result is a relatively large footprint single-story space. It does have multiple study rooms, which is nice. The children's room is separately from the main collection, which helps manage the noise. Speaking of which, the HVAC is quite loud.
The town’s original library - built at the end of the 19th century - is not far from the new one. The older one is a lovely red stone building that is reminiscent of some of the area’s Henry Richardson libraries (Easton comes to mind), but it is not. Library Land Score: 4.18.
The final library of the week was the Lincoln Public Library. This library is always such a treat to visit. Not only is it a super productive place, but the staff are always amazingly friendly. They exemplify the attribute of friendliness. I had a chance to catch up with both the director and the town/library archivist, which is always nice. Library Land Score: 4.55.
We’re getting to the home stretch for the year, it will be exciting to see how many libraries we were able to visit in 2019; and 2020 is going to be even better!