Ribbon Cutting at the Reuben Hoar Public Library, Littleton, Massachusetts

Is there anything better than a library ribbon cutting on a crisp autumn day? The opening of a new library is such a special occasion and we love to be on hand when those doors swing open to welcome the community! We recently had the opportunity to visit the Reuben Hoar Public Library in Littleton, Massachusetts, and wanted to share a bit about their special day. Big thanks to Adam’s friend Margot Bloomstein for the heads up on this opportunity. 

The festivities took place on November 5. It was a blustery day with temperatures just in the 40s - but that didn’t stop approximately 200 people from coming together to celebrate. The outdoor portion of the event featured Kathy Krystofik, the board chair of the Friends of the Reuben Hoar Public Library; Joe Albanese, the president and CEO of Commodore Builders, which did the construction; Paul Glavey, the vice-chair of the town’s Select Board; Karen Traub from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners; Katrina Wilcox Hagberg of the Board of Library Trustees; Immaculate Nyaigoti of State Senator Jamie Eldridge’s office; and Sam Alverez, the library director. The proceedings were emceed by Anthony Ansaldi, the town administrator.

Members of the team that worked on the new Reuben Hoar.

The speakers offered their thanks to all involved in the project, leaders at the state and local level, and the community as a whole. Krystofik told the crowd that the Friends had raised more than a million dollars to help defray the town’s portion of the library’s cost - an impressive number. Albanese talked about the “chill” he gets when working on a project like this one - that serves a larger purpose. I particularly liked Wilcox Hagberg’s description of the library as “the living room” for the community.

Speeches are nice, but the library was clearly the star attraction!

The building was designed by Johnson Roberts Associates and features the large, long open spaces we associate with the firm. Entering on the street level (behind the town offices that housed the previous library), the first thing you notice are the huge windows. They reach from floor to high ceiling and let in a ton of natural light. But it’s more than light - there are also amazing views into conservation land behind the library. The effect is quite wonderful and welcoming

There are lots of lovely places to sit, read, and relax.

The first floor features adult fiction and nonfiction, reference, CDs and DVDs, the administrative offices, a permanent book sale room, and some absolutely amazing study rooms. There are all kinds of seating areas, all with plenty of plugs and USB ports for charging up. In the center of the main space is a really novel display. It’s an island shelf that tapers up. It’s really handsome and is home to new arrivals.

A few of the study rooms.

Down a flight of stairs, you find the lower level. Here, you will find the local history room, a large meeting room with top-notch AV equipment, a lovely children’s section (which has its own restrooms and programming space), the teen room, and a nice conference room. There’s also a really nice patio that overlooks the same conservation land mentioned above. For the opening, coffee and cookies were available on the patio, which was pretty sweet!

The ground floor hall.

I spent quite a while in the local history room, chatting with Jeffery Henry, a library assistant. He knows a ton about the library’s special collections. Like me, he is also pursuing his MLIS and it was fun talking with him about his program and experiences. Adam toured with Margot, and met with Children’s Librarian Diann Haduch.

After exploring the library, I sat down to collect my thoughts on the elements that we consider as we think about libraries. We’ve been talking a lot about them during our recent speaking tour of the Midwest and I used them in Littleton. 

Transit - This is a brand new library that shares a generous parking lot with the town offices. One especially nice transit feature (if you can call it that) is a path that leads from the nearby middle school, through conservation land, to the library. Very nice. 

Accessibility - During comments prior to the ribbon-cutting, they made a point of saying that the library was now accessible to everyone. At first glance, that seems to be true. I was a little surprised that there are no automatic doors for the bathrooms, but perhaps there will be upgrades in the future. 

Condition - It was opening day so everything was pristine and perfect. 

Restrooms - Again, it being day one, they were totally clean and lovely. Adam noticed that the air drier was super loud, but that’s probably fine with a closed door.

Spaces - There's a great mix of spaces. Multiple study rooms, a large meeting room, a conference room, a local history room, a book sale room, a teen room, and a children's room with a separate craft/programming room. There are also some really lovely places to simply sit and relax and enjoy the views  - including that large patio.

The teen room gets lots of great natural light.

Comfort -  This is a really comfortable library. There’s a great mix of furniture that recognizes how people will use the library, furniture with built-in power, for example. So much natural light! It was comfortable. Adam is evaluating furniture for his new house in Lancaster so I think he tried out every variety of chair in the building!

Sound - Given the number of different spaces, there were several discrete sonic environments as well. The study rooms on the main floor were quiet. Having youth services on the lower level also provides a bit of a buffer. Of course, this day was a celebration so there was chatter all throughout - but that is as it should be!

A nice custom bookcase.

Design - We’re fans of Johnson Roberts Associates’ work and this is a really nice example of it. We learned that they were also responsible for the interior design, fittings and furniture, the works. The way the building is situated in its environment - including the great windows and patio - is really outstanding.

People - It was opening day and everyone I spoke to was friendly, helpful, and excited to be sharing the library with the community.

Collection - The collection seemed broad and thanks to ILL, every library’s collection supplements every library’s collection. There is a seed library. 

Special Collections - The main thing to note is the library’s local history room. There is a microfilm machine tucked away in a closet. We also liked that they turned an old reference book into a “Visitors Book” with colorful pens nearby. Writing in a book? Sure, if it is a future addition to the collection!

Library of Things - The Reuben Hoar doesn’t have one yet, but that is in the works and the community has been asked to provide suggestions for items on a big whiteboard. The two items listed during our visit were an electric drill and a sewing machine. 

Programming - There were around 200 hundred people at the event. Hopefully, this bodes well for the connection between the library and the community. 

Outlets everywhere!

Technology - Wifi was fast and easy, no password or even terms to accept, just choose the network and voila! There are a number of public computers and printers, both in the reference area and in the teen room. There are also loaner laptops that can be used while in the library. The number of outlets is high, and that’s always a good thing.

Business - There were no evident formal business-specific services at the library, but there were plenty of spaces and resources for getting work done.

It’s always wonderful to watch people explore their new library, seeing the excitement and joy on their faces. The Reuben Hoar is a nifty new library and all involved have should be rightly proud. The people of Littleton have a beautiful new library and we hope it serves them well for many decades to come. We will return, and Adam will smile every time he wears his “I read past my bedtime” Hoar t-shirt.