555 Wilton Public and Gregg Free Library, Wilton, New Hampshire

 

Last Wednesday I set out to visit three libraries. The town of Wilton had a nice writeup in the Sunday paper; the other two were geographically convenient. Which, as we shall see, really wasn't relevant. I arrived, as I often do, at the "not in use" front door, but that was fine because I got pictures from three sides. Here's the 110-year-old (give or take a year) original front of the library.

Curving sidewalks go up  to the library from both sides. There are some lights to guide a walker after dark. Those white bundles on the right are not, as I thought, more lights. They are posts that will blossom forth with pages for Story Walks next Spring.

We're getting close to the back door, which is the active door. This appears to be an area for children's programs.  

On the grounds of the big Free Library we find a Little Free Library. A very attractive one. More than one person has suggested that Little Free Libraries are competition for public libraries. Not an issue, folks. I see more and more Little libraries on the grounds of Big libraries, or nearby. (Hill, New Hampshire, is just one example. See those steps? That's where we're headed next. 

This is when I realized that I was arriving backwards. There is a parking lot up here, and the bridge on the left provides accessible access.

Now we're approaching the active door with a sign reminding us to mask up if we plan to go in and browse.

Now is the time to admit that I had no idea what would greet me inside. And I didn't do it justice, because I was rather slow to catch on to what I had discovered. Here we go. Let's go in and get permission for picture-taking.

Permission granted, and I set out to look at the various rooms. This one, with new books on display and various graphics above the top shelf is very attractive. I often see rooms like this in libraries of a certain age.

But wow! I do not often see tiled floors like this.

Above the tiles, the room is painted with panels and pictures like these. All the way around. In retrospect, this is when I should have discovered the brochure available for a self-guided tour. I may need to return to Wilton and do the tour...and then update this entry. And that is something very rare for me.

If you look closely at the window seat and at the window, you'll notice the curve. Mr. Gregg, the original benefactor, I was told, made his fortune by figuring out how to make curved glass for windows. 

This fireplace is in the room that was the original children's room. Let's take a closer look.

Aren't these tiles neat? 

One of my rules is that I should always look up when visiting a library. And I did here, sort of. I somehow missed the brightly lighted oculus. I really do need a do-over for this visit.

The handsome table and chair look like they might be original furniture.

I stepped briefly into an entry from the real front door and found this handsome staircase. No, I wasn't tempted to go up.

Another fireplace, plain and beautiful.

The giant Teddy bear is a nice touch, but what really caught my eye was the "book cushions" beneath the seat. You can't tell from the picture, but they represent six of the Harry Potter volumes. Chalk these up to the "something I've not seen in any other library."

Handsome curved shelves and more of those curved windows.

Here's another "never before seen" -- A hot water radiator suspended from the ceiling!

Here's the heart of the children's library, where Miss Boo reads to her youngest visitors. Love the rug!

Picture books, nice and low, and some decoration painted on the walls.

More picture books. The pillow on the couch exhorts us to "STOP AND READ."

And then, my camera quit. I don't generally have to charge it; it gets charged whenever I plug it in to download pictures. But I hadn't been doing much of that lately. So it just quit on me. Well, I guess it tried to get my attention, but I wasn't looking in the right place.

So I really think I have to return to Wilton. And then there's the little matter of the other two libraries that had been on my agenda for the day. That settles it, I will return. When? I have no idea. Some nice day. And I'll start with a fully-charged camera and a self-guided tour!

554 Olivia Rodham Memorial Library, Nelson, New Hampshire

I've been planning to visit the library in Nelson, NH, for almost as long as I've been blogging about libraries. Why? Well, in the 1970s and '80s I was a fan of May Sarton's writing, especially her memoirs. And I knew that she lived in Nelson for a while, starting in 1956. So this visit was sort of a pilgrimage for me.

Here's the library on the town square, with its crisp lines and welcoming benches.

The library is attached to the town hall.

This welcoming space with its sofa, plants, wall hangings and other art, is as nice as any I've seen.

This reminds me of the ceiling in the Gilmanton Corner library that I visited recently. Remember my watchword: always look up!

This handsome ship model is on loan from Michael Cornog. I failed to note the name of the ship; maybe someone will tell me so I can add it here? Just leave a comment on the blog post.

Many libraries across the country are serving as seed exchanges. This one stands out in two ways. First, I don't see a card catalog. Almost everyone uses a repurposed card catalog to hold seeds! And second, this looks as if it is actively used; many that I've seen appear to have been someone's good idea that has never quite taken hold.

I like the wooden shelves: neat, solid, and classic. And it looks as if they are adjustable.

     

This corner makes the most of natural light on a sunny day.

Puppets are standing by, waiting to be used in the blue stage. Notice the shelves in the background on the right. We'll see them again.

The bright light doesn't help, but see if you can spot both marionettes.

There is a reading contest going on in November and December. What a great idea! Who says reading programs should be confined to the summer weeks?

"Look up" is good advice here, too. 

Remember a few pictures back when I pointed out some shelves? When I was in the children's area, the librarian asked if I had found the "secret shelves." Well no, I hadn't. And I couldn't. So he showed me the trick. These are tilting shelves of the sort usually used for periodicals. Here, they hold books on the sloping side...and "surprises" when you tilt them back. I was not surprised to learn that these are a favorite of kids!

One more corner for books and study space.

 Did you sense anything missing? My age is showing, because I'd expected to see something making reference to May Sarton. There wasn't a single title of hers on the fiction shelves, as best I could tell. I didn't look for the memoirs and poetry. But when I count up the decades, I realize that she lived in Nelson about 65 years ago. And I enjoyed her books 40 years ago. Time does move on.

11/3/2021

553 Dublin Public Library, Dublin, New Hampshire

I used to drive through Dublin, NH, every year or so on trips between Ohio and New Hampshire. I recall it particularly for a near miss on a foggy night of a flagpole in the middle of the road. The flagpoles are still there, but this week's trip was in sunshine. The stone building is quite eye-catching, but I hadn't noticed it on the earlier trips.

Libraries and literary societies have been part of Dublin since 1793. The cornerstone was laid for this building in 1900. One claim to fame is the establishment of the first free public library in America: The Dublin Juvenile Library. Various "firsts" are claimed by libraries; note the word "Juvenile" in the name, which gives Dublin its unique status. Books in the initial collection were kept in a room at Chamberlain's Tavern, not the sort of location you'll find these days for a children's collection.

Note the card catalog; like many of its ilk, it is now serving as a seed library. 

There is a variety of fireplaces reminiscent of the times when they would be the only source of heat. This one is the focal point of a dignified "living room" for readers.

The ubiquitous "please don't reshelf books" sign shares space with a reminder that this area is for quiet reading only.

This is the title page of one volume of American history published by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. There appears to be a complete set on the non-fiction shelves.

Here's that history book in situ with its companions.

Another fireplace; This one is  is centrally located between two rooms.

I meant to ask about this way of shelving fiction. I tried standing one book up and it seems that the shelves are just a bit too short to hold modern hardbacks upright.

A small selection of the periodicals available. There are more.

Each fireplace has its unique look. In this picture you can spot unique doors with curved tops and some detailing up by the ceiling.

Here are the computers for public use. The stone wall tells us that we are in the newer portion of the building, with the original stone and windows adding character to the new space.

My visit was shortly after Halloween. These are clearly the results of a seasonal project.

The puppet theater is a signal that we're approaching the children's area.

I could not find anything specific about Mr. Von Stade's role in the library, but a little gentle probing of the Internet mentions Harvard and polo.

Just about every library has a "story time chair," and this one stands ready.

I'm sure that this table, and probably these chairs, date to the early days of the library.

Some reference works are unlikely to ever be digitized, but they have a place on the shelves of most libraries.

Tucked in one corner of the children's area, a table with some craft materials ready for use.

That large box, right in the middle, represents a STEM kit of some sort. More and more I'm seeing libraries that loan materials for science, technology, electronics, and math.

I did ask about this array. Most of the figures are dinosaurs, but they are not for prehistoric play. They've been created on a 3-D printer by a library patron. I understand that he is planning to do a program at the library, showing kids (and maybe adults?) how to design and print such objects.

I'm no longer surprised by seeing telescopes ready to be checked out of New Hampshire libraries. They are provided by the New Hampshire Astronomy Society. The NHAS provides some training, and patrons can take a telescope home for a week. The best we had when I was a kid in Nashua was a large collection of stereopticon viewers and slides...and we couldn't take them home. Miss Manning would have had a fit if we tried!

I would have missed this totally, but I chanced to look back as I was leaving. I assume this is by a local artist, and I believe the mountain must be Mt. Monadnock.

A small rack in the entrance holds books and postcards for sale. Now I shall see if I can avoid hitting a flagpole on my way out of town.

11/3/2021