The Week in Library Land: January 26 to February 1
We’re beginning to venture more to the southeast part of Massachusetts. Maybe it’s because we’ve already visited so many libraries to the north and west of Boston, or maybe it’s because I’m now in Medway and a whole crop of libraries we’ve never seen are suddenly more accessible. Either way, it’s been fun exploring the area’s libraries.
On Monday, we headed to Cape Cod. Our trip had dual purposes. First (and, frankly, always foremost), we wanted to visit a few new libraries; and second, we were going to photograph some paintings by Adam’s mother, Harriet Zabusky-Zand, for her new website. On both counts, the trip was a smashing success, we managed to visit three libraries we hadn’t seen before, and photographed nearly 30 paintings!
Inside the Bourne Library.
Our first stop was at the Jonathan Bourne Library in Bourne. The library is housed in an old school building. Almost everything is on the first floor, including the circulation and reference desks, the teen and kids’ space, the collection, a meeting space, etc. The second floor is essentially a mezzanine, with a few study carrols, some random furniture, and another meeting room. Up a second, smaller, set of stairs, is the director's office.
Tragedy almost struck … As I descended the stairs back to the ground floor, I missed a step and stumbled. I kinda of sorta fell, but just to my knees and I didn’t even spill my coffee! The staff were there right away to ask if I was OK (I was) and later to fill out an incident report. It was a reminder that library staffs are responsible for more than checking out materials or managing collections or running programs. They also have to be prepared to deal with the inevitability of humanity; and the staff at the Bourne Library managed it with aplomb.
None the worse for wear, a librarian notes my fall . . .
The final thing regarding this library is something I’m ambivalent about. For a nominal fee, patrons can “rent” new items if they don’t want to wait. Part of me wonders if this creates two tiers of service. I’ve asked quite a few people about it since the visit and people seem to be of two minds. About half felt it might allow libraries to make more copies of an item available and to raise funds. About half thought that rental fees had no place in a public library.
In the case of Bourne, the rental collection was originally provided by the Friends of the Library. We’ve seen this in a few libraries and when the Friends do it I’m totally fine. Eventually, the Friend’s rental collection went away. Enter a patron who loved the model and wanted it back. This person not only requested the return of the rental collection but also provided the funding to get it restarted. It remains a popular element of the library’s service offering. While some might question it, providing a service that’s tailored to the community’s preferences makes sense. I’ll continue to think about this issue.
It was a short, but eventful, visit! Library Land Score: 4.09.
Wonderful Woods Hole.
From Bourne, we traveled south to Woods Hole Library. Part of the Falmouth Public Library system, this is an absolute gem. Sweet building, an interesting collection, fantastic people, captivating art, cool programs and fun fundraisers - the whole nine yards. We really loved it and wrote a whole review of the library that you can read here. Library Land Score: 4.64.
East Falmouth.
Our last library for the day was the East Falmouth Branch Library. East Falmouth is also part of the broader Falmouth system. The most striking thing about this library is its main reading room. The library had originally been a private home, but a very cool “future is now” mid-century home.
Much of the collection, along with the teen and children’s sections, are wings off the central space. It’s a big open space with tall windows and a nice view overlooking a pond. The main room is sunken and has a lovely stone fireplace to one side. You can imagine that it was probably the scene of some swell parties back in the day!
The main room at the East Falmouth Public Library.
There isn’t much by way of work space, a few tables and chairs sprinkled here and there, but it’s a cool place to check out. One especially nice feature - and one we haven’t seen elsewhere - is curbside service. For patrons with mobility issues, the staff will run materials out to a special parking area. It doesn’t get a ton of use, but it’s a nice example of a library finding another way to meet patron needs. Library Land Score: 4.27.
East Boston is a breathtaking branch.
On Tuesday, Adam did a solo visit to East Boston Branch of the Boston Public Library. This is a library we’ve been to a few times and it’s a nice example of some of the newer branches. One of the stand-out sights on this visit was RisingEMOTIONS, an exhibit on how rising sea levels would impact the local community. It wasn’t a pretty picture. Library Land Score: 4.09.
On Wednesday, Adam did another solo excursion ... this time to the Paul Pratt Memorial Library in Cohasset. It’s a large and comfortable town library. It has a dedicated periodicals room, as well as two nice study rooms. A large meeting room features several paintings by John Neidecker, a Hingham-based artist. There’s also a small area to meet with friends and have a cup of tea or coffee.
The Pratt Memorial Library in Cohasset.
During Adam’s visit, the main reading room featured displays of projects by Cohasset Middle Schoolers that depicted “hidden figures” the students felt should be more recognized today. All in all, a fine library. Library Land Score: 4.36.
On Thursday we decided to head south. The first stop was the Raynham Public Library. We had planned to get there earlier than we did, but when a giant milk bottle-shaped restaurant looms into view, well, suffice it to say we had to stop for some delicious lunch and all-day breakfast. The library was pretty sweet too.
The Raynham Public Library.
First, the staff were super friendly. Even though we arrived at closing time, they took the time to show us around. Granted, it’s not a giant space, but still, it’s always great to see people so happy to share the spaces they love. The only bummer about our visit was that the library’s WiFi was down (and had been since the previous day). Because of this, we can only provide a provisional ranking. Library Land Score: 3.73.
A clock and portrait of Andrew Carnegie at the Berley Public Library.
We next visited the Berkley Public Library. This is a nice little Carnegie library built in 1918. It’s definitely small, with a central entrance with stairs (no elevator) leading up into the main library and down into the children’s section. On the main floor, you’ll find the circulation desk, a small reference area with a table and chairs, as well as a couple of computers and a printer. These saw heavy use during our visit. On the other side of the main floor is the adult collection.
In addition to the children’s section, the basement also houses the funny little bathroom. You need to step up to get into the bathroom and the sink is outside the bathroom! It’s an odd configuration for sure, but it’s got a ton of character! Library Land Score: 3.91.
Franklin is fantastic!
On Friday, we split up to cover more territory. I went to Franklin and Adam to Woburn. I’ll tell you, having the Franklin Public Library ten minutes from home is wonderful. On past visits we’ve worked in the new section. Not this time! It was the old reading room all the way and it was fantastic. It was funny, earlier in the day I’d been talking with a friend about how awesome and inspirational libraries are for getting work done. He was skeptical but changed his tune when I sent photos of the reading room. It’s such a beautiful place. Library Land Score: 4.73.
At the Woburn Public Library.
Adam, as he is wont to do, visited a favorite and fantastic library himself that day, making a stop at the Woburn Public Library, five minutes from his yoga class. This library really has it all! Library Land Score: 4.91.
That’s it folks, a handful of libraries and a ton of fun. What else can you ask for?