The Week in Library Land: March 1 to March 7
Another week from the recent past that feels like it was a million years ago. There were some really super visits over the course of the week - including what could have been one of the best pranks ever.
Monday started with a visit to the Medway Library. The weather was warm and I decided to ride over on my Piaggio scooter. It took less than two minutes - “Born to be Wild” (or more like “Born to be Mild” in this case . . .). That’s pretty quick and I’m looking forward to making the ride many times when things get back to normal(ish).
Later that day, with my scooter parked at home, I headed to the Millis Public Library in the afternoon. I sat at one of their window-side study spaces and went to work. It was a super productive visit. Just as I was about to leave, though, I decided to check out a metal-detector from their library of things collection.
When I was a boy, I thought these were just about the coolest things out there. I imagined finding buried treasure out in the woods near my house - but never did get one or find any treasure.
With a metal-detector for two weeks, I had some work to do. I’ve long given up the idea of finding any treasure - but what if I could plant a treasure and have someone else find it? Now, that would be a pretty nifty prank!
My wife and I recently moved into a house built in 1880, so I thought a coin from that period would be the perfect item to plant. I found a three-cent coin from 1874 at a shop in Boston and set to work. It was going to be perfect and I knew just whom to trick - Adam!
Unfortunately, coronavirus came along and foiled my plan (and our lives, in general)!
On Wednesday, I made a long-overdue visit to the Wayland Free Library. Overdue is probably the wrong term since I have visited the library a number of times. This was the first time I was able to meet with Sandy Raymond, the library’s director - and it was a really wonderful time.
A cool clock in Wayland.
If you’ve never been to the Wayland Library, it has one of the most beautiful reading rooms around. Very comfortable, classic, and a fine place to spend time working, reading - or just relaxing.
What are a few of the other things to love about this library? The second level, with its walkway and grandfather clock. The weird local history cage. The fact that they used their 3D printers to make awesome signage for the different sections of the collection. And, of course, the commitment of the staff to each other and the community.
One thing I discussed with Sandy was the fact that Wayland had hoped to fund a new library to meet the needs of the growing town. These hopes were dashed (for now) when the measure failed to pass at the ballot. We talked about the library’s unfortunate role as a cautionary tale. It’s an issue that’s likely to play out in other communities in the future - especially in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
Here in Massachusetts, as in much of the country, libraries are funded locally. For the most part, that’s a good thing since it helps a library reflect the needs of its community. As local revenues drop, however, we fear library budgets will be under threat.
As was the case following the recession of 2008, demand for library services will likely go up as more people turn to their library for access to everything from books, to programming for kids, to high-speed internet. It’s going to be hard to meet increased demands with fewer resources. Those of us who love libraries - and recognize their special place - need to do all we can to support them in the coming months and years.
There’s always a comfortable spot to work in Lincoln.
After Wayland, I met up with Adam at the Lincoln Library. Well, maybe “met up” is the wrong term. I got their first and set up in my favorite writing room and went to work. Adam arrived a little later and settled into one of the comfortable reading rooms. We worked together but apart - texting occasionally, or on Google Docs. It was effective, funny and fun in its own right, as well as a bit of foreshadowing.
The next day was a Dover Town Library day for me. It’s so strange to look back at that as I draft this (more than a month later). It seems so long ago. It was, as they have all been, a wonderful day. I spent most of it in the kids’ section, putting together bags of books for different age groups. Well, Nancy, the children’s librarian, actually selects the books. I just help by tagging them on the computer.
This seven string bass was really amazing!
One thing that was super fun during this shift was a Trinidad Carnivale Celebration featuring the PanNeubean Steel band. Although I was in the basement for much of their show, I did come up to see and hear some of their music - and it was awesome. My favorite part of the night? Checking out their crazy seven-string bass!
Our last stop for the week was the Weston Arts and Innovation Center, which is part of the Weston Public Library. The Center is housed in the old Weston Library building in the town center - and it’s quite a place. We’ve seen plenty of makerspaces, but this one was an order of magnitude fancier than most.
We believe that every community deserves an awesome library and we’ve seen libraries of every size and shape, with budgets large and small doing amazing things. Visiting the Weston AIC is a case study on how a wealthy community is able to provide services that less-affluent towns could typically only hope to offer.
On the first floor, there is a meeting room, a function room, and an expansive makerspace. The meeting rooms and function room are slick and state of the art (including glass walls that can be “fogged” for privacy) while still retaining the historic character of the building. The makerspace on this floor is used for amazing activities: 3D printing, photography, and the like. The space is wide open and comfortable.
The old-school printer at the Weston AIC.
Descending from the main floor to the basement - via the stairs or an elevator - brings you to a second workshop area. This is used for the somewhat noisier and messier activities. There are laser cutters and label makers and an amazing old-school printing press. It’s a pretty impressive space, a cool set of equipment, and offers an array of classes and creative services.
One thing that was a little odd about the visit (which lasted a couple of hours) was that we didn’t see anyone coming in to use the space. Most of it is accessible only during classes or open studio times. This makes sense, I suppose, but it would be great to know that these terrific resources were being used regularly and well. One note about access: The Conference Room that we used may be rented at the rate of $50.00 per time block. Again, the community is probably OK with this setup, but it makes us wonder about access and equity across libraries.
Also in the basement is Weston’s community access TV studio. They have a nice space too and were in the process of painting one wall to serve as a green screen.
That’s it for the week. Only a little more to come in our backlog of visits. So sad about this. Be well, dear readers.