Monson Free Library, Monson, Massachusetts

The Monson Free Library in Monson, Massachusetts, provides a neat blend of the old and new. Featuring a nice antique building that was built in 1882, and a more recent addition built in 1990. It serves 8500 residents and is right in the heart of town.

We visited on a clear and sunny winter day, and the library was beautiful there in the snow. We were able to grab a parking space with no problem. As we walked to the front door, we detoured to look at the facade of the original building. It was really nice - complete with a clock tower we hoped to explore.

As you enter the building, the service desk is right there, which is something we like. It’s so strange to visit a library where there is no service desk or visible staff presence. We spoke to Sarah, who gave us some background on the community, the library, and its collection. She also dashed our hopes of climbing up into the tower. In fact, the antique building was used primarily as a program space and wasn’t open for casual exploration. That was disappointing, but it was OK - there was a lot to see in the main building.

One of the things Sarah pointed out was the library’s cake pan collection, which is said to be the largest in the state. We can’t confirm that, but we can say it’s pretty darn big. Library of Things collections are something Greg especially enjoys, given his time developing the Library of Things at the Wellesley Free Library. 

The collection seemed appropriate for the size of the community, and it was expanded through the availability of InterLibrary Loan. There were a few things of note: a ton of games and puzzles, a display of resources focused on dementia and Alzheimer's, and a pretty large manga and graphic novels section.

The real highlight was the reading room. It is an octagonal space that is perhaps 20 feet tall and filled with sunny natural light. The room includes a fireplace, some of the library’s art, and maybe the coolest of all, a listening station. This is a turntable, an LP collection, and headphones. We’ve seen this kind of thing at a handful of libraries - including the one at Woods Hole. 

We saw a lot of evidence of the library’s connection to its community. One was a display and items from the Monson Museum of Art. This is not a large town and it’s cool that they have a museum in the first place, but even cooler that the library and museum are in cahoots. Another is the fact that the library is a community health partner, providing resources and materials.

The children's section is housed in the basement of the old building. It’s a modest space but crammed with the kinds of things kids dig: a load of books (of course), as well as toys, teeny tables and chairs, and most diggable of all - a dinosaur footprint!

The library had a steady flow of patrons. We observed lots of friendly interactions between librarians and the people coming in. That’s something we always enjoy - just being flies on the wall to witness these interactions. 

The Monson Free Library is a nice one. We enjoyed talking with Sarah and wandering around. There was a lot to discover. Taking the time to look closely at libraries like Monson can be fun and rewarding. This was a fun visit that we totally enjoyed.T