Cumberland Public Library, Cumberland, Rhode Island

Some libraries really catch us by surprise. The Cumberland Public Library in Cumberland, Rhode Island, is a perfect example. We were so surprised that we visited twice! On the first visit, Greg was on his own. He was so impressed that he arranged another visit with Rachael a few weeks later.

Cumberland is a modest city of 36,000 people located in northeastern Rhode Island. William Blackstone, the first European to settle in the town, arrived in 1635. The town was incorporated in 1746. In 1900, a group of Trappist monks from Nova Scotia established Our Lady of the Valley on the grounds that are now home to the library.

In 1950, a fire destroyed much of the monastery, and the monks moved to a new home in Sterling, Massachusetts. After the fire, the Franciscan Friars of Graymoor operated a college on the site between 1950 and 1968, when the city began acquiring the property. (A detailed history of the monastery is available.) In 1976, Cumberland consolidated three branches into a single library. The “new” library is from 2000 and is in fantastic condition.

Pulling into the library campus - and yes, it is a campus - is the Gatekeepers Lodge. The monks quarried the stone on site. This was once the liminal space between the monastery and the world. Travelers could stop and stay as long as they needed. The library property also includes the Hayden Center and the Mayor’s Office of Children, Youth & Learning. It's a real community hub.

As we wandered the grounds, we saw so many sculptures and plantings. It's unlike any other library property we've visited over the years. An old set of steps led to the ruins of the church that burned in 1950. One statue that caught our eye was a large granite orb. Isidro Batista made it, and it celebrates Cumberland's connection to Penalva do Castelo, its sister city in Portugal.

Finally entering the library proper, we found an interesting take on use of space. The service desk is there, but the materials are characterized as Entertainment. There were lots of DVDs - movies and TV series - as well as video games. The TV programs were grouped by “channels” based on show type. It was an interesting approach and hinted at what we would find.

Heading upstairs to the main collection, we were immediately struck by the colorful spine labels. They made walking through the stacks like strolling along a rainbow. We learned this was part of the library’s novel cataloging system, but we'd hear more about that later.

The space was large, with plenty of seating and many study areas. It also had a load of public computers and technology. One cool part of the collection is its vinyl. This is new, and it's thanks to the director's fondness for the format. We really love seeing librarians bringing their interests to their work.

In many ways, a library's work is dictated by what the community needs. Cumberland has done a lot to make the library indispensable to its patrons, like passport and notary services. Add to that a full plate of programs, and you have a recipe for people to come back again and again.

This floor also houses new materials, teens, and the local history room. A few cafe tables and a coffee/snack area make it a good place for folks to wait or take a little break. Refreshingly, local history is open to the public. It is always interesting to review yearbooks, see maps, and, in this case, learn more about the monastic period.

On the first visit, Greg sat down with the Head of Reference, Melissa. They chatted about so many things. Melissa is the person responsible for creating the library's cataloging system. As she explained, the Browse method she devised improves browsability, increases circulation, and makes cataloging far simpler. It makes a lot of sense.

Greg also saw their program room on this visit. It was a large, low room with stained-glass windows and a low, arched ceiling. It still feels monastic. Kinda cool.

As he prepared to leave, Greg stopped by the Children’s Room. Holy Cow! It was September, Library Card Sign-up Month, and they had gone ALL OUT. They had chosen an Alice in Wonderland theme, and it was zany. The space had a path leading to different themed spots throughout the section. It was so engaging and well done. Just outstanding.

The very last stop was a quick pop-in at the Friend's bookstore. The store was closed, but the Friend’s treasurer was there and explained that since the bookstore opened in 2006, it has raised more than $400,000 and had already raised $70,000 so far this year. That struck us as amazing.

Greg left the library agog. He recognized Rachael had to visit, and they planned to come again in early October.

On our next visit, we started in Children's. As we explored the stacks, we came across Miss. Liz, who turned out to be the Head of Children's. She was also an online friend of Rachael's.They had only met once before, and this was the kind of happy coincidence we love about traveling through library land.

Miss. Liz is the creator of F*cked Up Fairytales, a NSFW take on classic fairy tales that started during COVID. She carries that creativity (in a more chaste form) to her work in Cumberland. We sat with her and talked about the library.

She told us her favorite part of the library was all the spooky spaces it has. Especially a little alcove along the wall near the ruined church. Raising future citizens is the main impact, Miss. Liz believes her work has. How cool is that? When we asked what she wished patrons understood about the library, she said folks ought to recognize that everyone needs their library at some point. Her one wish for the library is a bookmobile. We can empathize with that. Libraries need to keep working to engage with their communities, and the ol’ bookmobile is a real crowd-pleaser.

Next, we went to the second floor, but first noted the library’s partnership with Feed Rhode Island. This nonprofit aims to ensure that all Rhode Islanders have access to nutritious food. Another example of the library’s connection to the community.

Upstairs, Greg showed Rachael some of the highlights he'd noted on his first visit. Then, they ran into Jillian, the Head of Teen Services. Greg hadn’t been able to explore this section on the first visit, but this time? Oh, yeah!

Teens is interesting here. There is the collection, and then there is the teen room. They are adjacent, and Jillian, or her assistant Erin, is seated right between them. On Greg's first visit, Erin told him that romance and manga are what circulate the most. Jillian took him and Rachael into the teen room itself. It's a large and comfortable space with couches, beanbags, multiple consoles, a crafting table, and just the right amount of at-arm's-length supervision.

While we chatted, she told us about the Haunted Monastery, a program that takes kids over 14 on an after-hours ghost hunt through the monastery. It's a night of darkness, flashlights, creepy places, and jump scares. She asked if we'd like to see the space. Needless to say, we “jumped” at the opportunity!

Jillian led us up the stairs to the attic. As regular readers know, we love these hidden spaces, but this one was special. The monastery's third floor housed the infirmary and morgue. Little remains of those uses, save the white tile wall in what was the morgue. This library has plenty of storage space. That's such a big constraint for so many libraries, but not here.

As in many libraries, there were all sorts up there. Plenty of skeletons, a strange cage, and even a coffin! No wonder they were doing the Haunted Monastery program up here. Jillian also gave us some frightful details to really drive the point home. For example, because it was a monastery, many people had died on the site. The bodies of the deceased monks were moved to the monastery's new digs in Sterling, MA, but one remains: that of the gardener.

This talk of the monastery prompted questions and speculation from Greg. This was a silent order; were the masses silent, did they sing? How many people died? How did they die? Jillian couldn’t tell us everything, but she did share details about the deaths over the years. Thankfully, no one has died there in 60 years.

Back on the second floor, Jillian showed us the stairs leading to the bell tower. This drew us like moths to a flame, but she told us it was well and truly off limits. We accepted this and looked up longingly.

As we made our way down and out of the library, we reflected on what we’d seen: a large, diverse collection; passionate, engaging staff; tons of programs; so many work and meeting spaces; and a commitment to the community in so many forms. This was a super library, and we loved every minute of both visits. If you're in northeast Rhode Island, you need to visit this library!