Sherborn Library, Sherborn, Massachusetts

First, let me say the new and improved Sherborn Library is fantastic. It’s a library that has been reborn and expanded, one that has new services and spaces to use and explore, and one that will remain a beloved and supported place for generations to come. 
I have vague recollections of the library when my kids were young, so vague as to be meaningless. I have vivid and positive memories of visiting the library in its temporary location in the Sherborn Community Center. And now, having seen the library on opening day, my thoughts are happy ones for the library and the community.

The entrance to the Sherborn Library.

The entrance will be familiar to some, but stepping through the doors, it’s clear you are in an exciting new space. To the left is the circulation desk, directly ahead is the pass-through to the expansion, to the right - spread over two levels -  are the adult collection, reference, teens, study rooms, seating areas, and two really nice fireplaces. This main space is so open, so bright, so uplifting. Light woods, natural light, bright colors - it all made the room warm and inviting. Curious, I asked how one might describe its style. “Mid-century arts and crafts,” is what former director Elizabeth Johnston told me. I wasn’t familiar with the term but if this is it, I love it.

Walking through the space, the impression I had was, well, one of spaciousness. It isn’t just the soaring ceiling. The sightlines made it open horizontally, too. It’s a space you want to move through, that you want to see and experience from multiple perspectives. It was a real treat to be able to explore at my leisure. 

There’s a really impressive range of work/study spaces. On the first floor, there are public computers and a few seating areas. Up on the second floor, there are two study rooms that can be reserved, as well as a larger group study room. Additional nooks and crannies provide quiet spaces where one can sit and work. All of them seem comfortable (well, except maybe the one with coat pegs that hasn’t decided if it's a place to read or hang a jacket!).

The fireplaces are so nice. It’s something seen in more and more libraries as they attempt to make themselves more welcoming and comfortable. Obviously, library fireplaces are not new - in generations past they served the practical purpose of providing heat. While that need may have passed, the warm glow of flickering flames (gas in this case) adds a lot of character.

One of the things that was cool to see and experience was shadow as a design element. I can’t say whether it was conscious or not, but clearly, the sun and shadows splashing through the space aren’t there by mere chance.

Once I was finished looking around the original building, I passed through the connector into the expansion. The highlight is the Elissa Bradley-Clews Hickey Children’s Wing. It’s an interesting space. As you enter, there is a tall, peaked ceiling above you - with a glass apex. This floods the room with natural light. At the back, is the Nora’s Tree House programming space, which looks out over a copse of trees.

The stacks in this section are low and the walls are glass. The effect invites the outdoors in and that will only increase when a planned mural - a photo-realistic forest scene - appears on the back wall.

In the lower level is a large and completely kitted-out community room. It includes a kitchenette and state-of-the-art AV capabilities. Reachable through a separate entrance and with its own bathrooms, the lower level can be used outside of library hours. It’s always awesome to see these kinds of community spaces.

Speaking of restrooms, glad to see automatic doors. So many libraries lack them, and that can make a visit to the library less than awesome for people with mobility issues. Whether on crutches, in a wheelchair, or pushing a stroller, automatic doors are a real boon, and - thankfully - Sherborn has them.

There’s also a nice trustee’s room on this level. It was still in process on this visit but it will house some of the library’s local history resources and serve as an additional meeting space. The Friends have an area on this level for book sale items, and room for a makerspace is also available. The flexibility afforded by the expansion is really impressive.

Frankly, the whole visit was impressive. It was opening day, and there was excitement in the air. The library staff couldn’t wait to talk about the library, the trustee I met kept smiling, townsfolk who were looking around were thrilled, and local business people voiced their support for the new library. Everyone should find something to love in any public library, and that is clearly the case at the wonderful newly renovated and expanded Sherborn Library.