Levi Heywood Memorial Library, Gardner, Massachusetts

It was a bright Spring day as we drove north to visit libraries along Route 2. Our first stop was the Levi Heywood Memorial Library in Gardner, Massachusetts. More than 200 years ago, Gardner became a center for lumber and furniture manufacturing, hence its moniker, Chair City. Now it is a city of 21,000, and we were excited to see how the library reflected and supported the community.

The current library building, opened in 2006, is large with two stories and entrances on both the front and back. There was plenty of parking when we arrived, as well as lots of street parking. We parked in a lot at the back of the building, and the door brought us to the second floor. We were a little surprised there was no service desk at the entrance, but we could see staffed desks in both the Children's section to our left and the Adult section to our right.

We decided to start on the first floor, so we walked down the staircase in front of us. The stained glass on the stairs was very nice. There wasn’t much else to see on those stairs, but opening the door on the ground floor, we entered a library wonderland!

What does a library wonderland look like? The first floor is an enormous open space with a great big skylight two stories above. It made the space just full of light. It was really striking. The adult collection, which we’d seen when we entered the building, was essentially on a mezzanine accessible via a curving staircase or an elevator.

As we looked around, we noticed striking similarities with Wellesley - the railings, the stacks, the furniture. The likeness was difficult to ignore. However, we subsequently discovered that a different architect designed each. It made us think about design trends we’ve seen in libraries of different periods. Perhaps the similarities were simply that both are early-90s-vintage public buildings.

On the first floor, you'll find adult fiction, media, teens, staff offices, the circulation desk, and so many amazing seating areas. The collection - including media - seems large and comprehensive. As we browsed through adult fiction, we came across some of the library’s public art, which was pretty nice. The floor also houses a large meeting room.

Teens is a carveout on the floor that was quiet during our visit. The library as a whole was busy. Busy, but also quite quiet. Perhaps the design, with lots of soft seating and the tall ceiling, helped?

To get to the second floor, we took the curving staircase. Looking down, we got a different perspective and appreciation of the space. Wandering around the floor, we took in the extensive nonfiction collection, saw plenty of public computers, TWO microfilm readers, and additional seating areas.

We spoke with a reference librarian, who was polite and professional. She was also kind enough to show us the local history room. There were lots of chair materials in there, that was for sure! We also got to see a nice, small meeting room, which was on the other side of the stained glass window we saw coming in.

Our last stop was Children’s. It’s large, bright, colorful, and has its very own skylight. The chair themery was strong in this space. 

This was a very enjoyable visit, and we were mighty impressed. We love seeing libraries reflect the history and character of a community. Whether that’s chairs here or trains in Palmer, it helps strengthen community cohesion, and that’s a good thing.