511 Pembroke Public Library, Pembroke, NH

Pembroke was a bonus library. My intent was to visit the library in Allenstown, then join my sisters for lunch. But the Allenstown visit was shorter than I'd scheduled, and on my way there I had passed Pembroke. Time to visit a second library? I could certainly try!

This is a rear view of the library, where I parked. The bow window is part of the children's area.

Here's the view from the street.

The handsome sign has the New Hampshire touch of granite posts. That white fence in the background also uses granite for posts.

Walking up from the front of the library, the repeated triangles have a New England look and also, by their repetition, pull together the parts of the building. In a way it reminds me of old houses like the one I once lived in, in Salisbury, NH, where the house led to the utility room, which led to the shed, which led to a real luxury, an "indoor" (almost) privy, unused when I lived there. I'm not that old!

After getting permission for interior pictures, I turned to start looking around--and the first thing I saw was this "book clock." Look closely at those covers....  Do they remind you of something I wrote about when I visited the library in Mercer, PA?

Natural light, plants, a place to sit, all good signs of a likable library! Those are the large print books on the right.

I've often commented on the frequency with which I see jigsaw puzzles being assembled in libraries. However, the blue sign on this table says "No puzzles please. There is a designated table." Stay with me and we'll find that table.

I took this picture through the door into the New Hampshire room. Notice the spinning wheel in back on the right side. Nice Windsor chairs, too.

This is a very busy corner of the library. We'll start with the name, "Knitting Nook." Saturday mornings, the knitters and crocheters come in to work on projects for charity. Currently they are working on lap blankets for a hospice.

The corner is not its usual orderly self, because it's also the place where things have been moved out of the way where a local artist is painting a mural. It's in the early stages; she started on Saturday, just three days before my visit. The design is of local pictures on "pages," "flying" out of a book.

A summer raffle prize for adults...

I think this is the first place where I've seen actual physical sign-up sheets for programs, including Craft Time, Story Time, and Family Night. I wonder if this prompts more follow-through than signing up on line would. It seems that writing your name on a paper would lead to more commitment. Maybe.

In many places I've seen "1000 Books Before Kindergarten," but this is the first place where I've seen a program for family reading during the summer. I assume these are longer books, not picture books. Document five books read aloud and you can enter for a prize. Very nice.

More signing up, this time for programs specifically related to the summer reading theme.

Ah, here it is...the table where you can work on jigsaw puzzles. 

Even on a rainy morning the window wall creates a welcoming area. This is the view from inside of the curved window we saw from outside.

One corner of the children's area is for home school support. I spotted books for parents about teaching and such, and a lot of textbooks and other non-fiction at many different levels.

This isn't a "first" but it is rare: a display of classic books, some sporting their much-used bindings. I think it's a great idea to have a special display of these books. I'm reminded of a library where they displayed books that had not circulated in a long time, with a sign encouraging patrons to read one of those books and save it from being weeded out of the collection.

My picture of the reading train was fuzzy, so librarian Tim kindly sent me a replacement. Isn't it marvelous? There's room enough for a couple of little kids to sit behind the engineer. Thanks, Tim!

LEGO club is for age six and up, after school on Tuesdays. It will be starting up again all too soon!

In keeping with the space theme, some kids have been decorating a space ship.

Two computers are available for kids to use, just their size.

Adults have computers too, of course.

I'm glad I made the spur-of-the-moment decision to stop here. Definitely a library worth visiting. [Well, really, they are all worth visiting.]

7/23/2019