The Week in Library Land: January 19 to January 25
Back to a more casual pace this week, it seems, just three libraries. All are ones we’ve seen before, but each of which we experienced in different ways during these visits.
The Melrose See Library gives us hope that spring will come!
The first library, on Tuesday, was the Melrose Public Library. What was different about this visit? Well, it was Adam visiting solo. We were there together back in January of ‘19 and found it to be a really marvelous place, the trustees’ room and great grandfather’s clock were standout elements of the library. Library Land Score: 4.18.
On Thursday, we were in for a real treat. We’re often asked for thoughts and observations about what we’ve seen and learned traveling around Library Land. We base our comments and what we share not on random assumptions but on observations and conversations we have as we travel along. On this day, we had the opportunity to sit down with Bonnie Roalsen and Rebecca Meehan - the director and assistant director of the Woburn Public Library, respectively.
Visiting in Woburn.
Anyone who's spent time reading Library Land or who follows us on Facebook or Instagram knows how much we love the Woburn Public Library. When it reopened, newly expanded and renovated, back in March of 2019, we were totally blown away. The huge crowd waiting to get into the new library on opening day was one of the most memorable things we’ve seen in Library Land. It really spoke to the place of the library in the hearts of the citizens of Woburn.
This was an opportunity, though, not to talk about the physical space, but about the thinking that is going into making Woburn a welcoming and inclusive place for all patrons. Even beyond that, it was a conversation about the ways forward-thinking librarians are striving to meet the needs of their communities.
A lot of the focus of the conversation was on the idea of relevance, and how to make an institution more meaningful to more people. Both Bonnie and Rebecca were big fans of Nina Simon’s book, “The Art of Relevance.” We also talked about the idea of inclusion, diversity, access, and accessibility. These are huge issues, and we came away from the conversation with some new ways to think about the topics.
Bonnie and Rebecca are thinking really broadly about the Woburn Public Library, not just as a library but as a cultural institution more broadly. The kind of questions they are asking - how do we encourage greater diversity, how do we take an asset-based approach to inclusion, how do we create programs that reflect the needs of the community - are so important. It was a great conversation and even further proof that Woburn is one of the really outstanding libraries we’ve had the chance to visit. Library Land Score: 4.91.
A little orange warmth in Wayland.
On Friday, I needed to get some writing done. I also had some errands to run so I took the opportunity to settle down at the Wayland Free Public Library to work. This is such a lovely little library! Sadly, “little,” is the operative word in some respects. The town is growing, but voters blocked plans that would have allowed the library to keep pace with that growth. It’s something we see from time-to-time, a community that doesn’t recognize (or feel the need to invest in) the key role libraries can play. That’s not to say the Wayland library is deficient in some way, far from it. I was able to settle into a comfortable chair in the round front reading room and got a ton done. It’s such a charming and cozy space! Library Land Score: 4.27.
Until next time, we’ll see you in Library Land!