The Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham, New Hampshire

The Wiggin Memorial Library.

Back in February of 2019, shortly before the launch of the Library Land Project, Adam and I, and our old pal Jeff Cutler met up at the Plaistow, New Hampshire public library. It was a real treat, for me especially, given that I spent my childhood in the town. On our visit, we met Scott Campbell, then the assistant director. 

We’ve stayed in touch with Scott since then, and he recently got in touch to ask if we’d be willing to come up to Stratham to see the Wiggin Memorial Library, where he’s the assistant director. He wondered if we’d be interested in coming up to look at the library, and share our thoughts with him and the library’s director, Lesley Kimball.

We didn’t need to be asked twice! Not only would it be nice to see Scott and meet Lesley, but it would also be an excellent opportunity to test our evaluation framework. Being able to do this more in-depth look at a library - and to share our thoughts in person - is the kind of thing we love to do.  

The library is a single-story brick building that currently houses both the library and the town offices. It was built in the late 1950s as a school. We’ll discuss the design in more detail below, but it’s worth noting that there have been a few additions and renovations over the years, but it’s still a pretty boxy brick and concrete block building.

Arriving at the library was fine, a little confusing due to multiple entrances to the parking lot, but nothing that impacted the experience. There is no public transportation in Stratham, but the library is a school bus stop, which is good. For both Adam and me, we were able to park and make our way into the library in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. Disabled access was marked well from the parking area too. 

As you enter the building, there’s a short hallway/vestibule. There, you’ll find a small selection of book sale books, curbside pickup items, and some neat craft kits for kids. Small bulletin boards offer details on events offered in the community and through the library.

Some nice take home craft kits.

Entering the library itself, there is a service point to the right. As I entered, a library worker greeted me and asked if they could help me find anything. Adam had the same experience at another service point near the teen and children’s area. It was a nice feeling of welcome.

Before you are nonfiction selections, a nice little library of things collection, as well as large print and media and a community puzzle. To your left, is adult fiction and seating areas. There is a fish tank. Children sure do love the tank. During our visit, kids kept walking to it, greeting the fish and saying hello.

The main service point.

Beyond the fiction area is the Hamel Children's Room. One feature we loved was a DIY catalog kiosk mounted to the wall that the library staff made using an iPad. It’s great when library teams find creative solutions to day-to-day problems. The teen room is also in this section of the library. It’s got fun diner-style booths and was well-trafficked during our visit.

Down a wide hallway to the left is a really nice programming room, a community room, and a quiet study room, as well as access to the town offices. All of these spaces were functional - if a tad utilitarian, but that goes with the territory in a building like this.

The Barbara Senko Reading Garden.

Another space that was really nice is the outdoor Barbara Senko Reading Garden, which was the Eagle Scout project of Ross Phillips in 1994. It has been improved by other Scouts and the town over the ensuing years. These kinds of spaces are really nice additions. We imagined it must be pretty sweet and relaxing during the spring and summer. In speaking with Lesley and Scott later we learned that it is still used - in the middle of winter - for outdoor programming. Why? Because kids love snow!

One of the nice things about the library being on a single floor - and having once been a school - is that it’s a pretty accessible space. Once again, though, there were no automatic buttons on the bathroom doors! This seems to be an obvious, but often missing, piece of the accessibility puzzle. 

Speaking of which, there’s just one public mixed-gender restroom in the library (there are others in the town offices). It feels a bit like the middle school bathroom it once was. It’s been upgraded to include a changing table in the stall. Nice lighting, not smelly (although having one switch for lights and fan could allow smell to linger), not bad.

Given the building is as old as it is, things are in really good condition. This is thanks to careful ongoing maintenance. This is helped by a combination of applying for and getting grants, and by being colocated with the rest of the town offices. The building and its spaces show their age, but few signs of disrepair.

We’ve described the layout and condition of the library. Let’s talk a little bit about design. 

Design is not this library's strongest suit. It started as a school in the 1950s and has been expanded on a number of occasions. If you want a design ethos, think mid-century modern meets utilitarian meets mediocrity. It's hard to imagine how these staple buildings of that era were viewed by the designers and the organizations employing them. Quick and inexpensive to build, but why just a box made of concrete blocks?

Working in the Wiggin.

It’s all functional but in a traditional use kind of way. The numerous stacks are tall and at right angles to the walls in the main part of the collection. That effectively cuts the library into two sections. Add to that the configuration in the children’s/teen area and you have a third island. Three distinct areas in one small library! That kind of separation isn’t great. 

The library has one smallish seating area by the fish tank and it was being used throughout our visit. People want places to sit and read, relax, or connect with others. Comfortable shared spaces are important in public libraries. Making spaces where people want to spend time creates opportunities to foster community. That’s a good thing.

Everyone loves a fish tank!

The good news is that Lesley and Scott - and the Trustees - are working to address the challenges that come with the building - and changing user expectations. They are working with architects/planners and asking patrons for help and insights too. We discussed potential configurations, including moving the main service point to a more central location and changing the height/orientation of the stacks. More modular, more flexible furniture and stacks can create spaces able to accommodate varied uses. 

As it is, it’s still a comfortable space to spend time. Utilitarian, yes, but not unpleasant. It’s also a surprisingly quiet library, even with the constant flow of people coming and going during our visit.

The collection seemed ample, and it is supplemented by interlibrary loan. But here’s something we often forget: all ILL is not created equal. Living in Massachusetts, we’re lucky to have a super-efficient system of moving books. You can get pretty much anything delivered to your local library in just a couple of days from anywhere else in the state. That isn’t the case everywhere - and it isn’t the case in New Hampshire, where items can sometimes take weeks to be received.

It was also nice to see a respectable library of things collection. Upcoming event posters in standing frames sat above the LoT shelves, providing a good browsing opportunity for those about to check out items nearby. 

The technology available at the library is fine. A few public computers, printers and copiers, a scanner and media conversion gear, etc. What was outstanding was the wifi - our favorite kind, no password - just select the network and you’re good to go. What a far cry this easy access is compared to the roadblocks in Wichita! Adam did note some minor issues on older sections of the website, which is feature-rich, well-organized, and good overall.

Finding and getting details on upcoming events was much easier on the website than looking at signage in the library. In-person programming is happening, both indoor and out. The dedicated program room mentioned above gets used, as does the community room. During our visit, there was a kids coding event happening in the space. Despite the disruptions to programming posed by Covid, there were a number of successful programs offered. Many will continue as hybrid sessions. The library has been pleasantly surprised to welcome participants from around the country to their online events. 

Patron relations - based on own experience and observations - were very positive. Aside from the greeting at the door - and again in the children’s area - Lesley was more than happy to discuss the library’s cool little collection of Netsuke, which had been given to the library by a patron. In observing connections with patrons, we noted a really wonderful conversation. It started with questions on digitizing images but quickly advanced to the tagging and metadata limitations of various image collection management tools. It ended with the recognition the library might not be able to help - he was referred to the historical society. 

No matter the topic, when you hear those kinds of connections happening, it’s a beautiful thing.

It was a good visit to a nice little library. But a library is more than a smiling face on a town or city street. The library needs to be a place where people of different backgrounds can meet. That means different things in different communities. As is true across much of southeastern New Hampshire, different backgrounds mean the depth of roots in a community - in a place where the term “newcomers” can apply for generations. The library understands this and is working on ways to bridge divides within the community. This kind of bridging work is increasingly urgent and libraries have a role to play. It’s something we’ll be addressing in more detail in the future. 

Until then, we’ll see you in Library Land.