599 Dunbar Free Library, Grantham, New Hampshire

 Second visit for the day is at the Dunbar Free Library which is located in Grantham.

The entrance is full of information. I noted the yellow sign which prompted me to dash back to the car and get a mask. The table here by the entrance held a couple of bags waiting to be picked up by patrons who were reluctant to enter. At least, I think that's what they held.

It's always good to be appreciated, so I was glad to be masked. 

Wow, look at this wizardly chair! There must be some major Harry Potter fans in the area!

This early childhood space looks like a nice environment for the smallest patrons. I imagine that the classic rocker is pressed into service for story times.

If you look very closely at the top of the picture you'll see that the white doll is actually a marionette. See her controls?

Here is an array of kids' books, and just a peek at a stack of small, colorful chairs.

What caught my eye here is the scalloped edge above the top shelf. And somewhere here there is a small foreign language collection. Languages I spotted are Spanish, German, French, Italian, Hebrew, and Japanese. Just one or a few  titles in each language. When I lived in Minnesota and visited small town libraries there, I might see whole shelves of books in the languages of the many immigrants. Until I saw the collection here, it hadn't occurred to me that I haven't seen anything but English in New Hampshire. Perhaps when I get to the larger cities, like Manchester and Nashua, that will change.

The rabbit reading chair is very cute. Look closely at the chair back to see what the rabbit wants to eat!

The Dunbar Library is participating in the New Hampshire version of 1000 Books Before Kindergarten...the tote bag with the fawn is one tip-off, and of course the hundred-markers to show progress. 

Periodicals, a computer, and I think that is the media collection in the background.

It looks like a bear came to the library for Halloween and decided not to leave. If the bear cares to read a newspaper, he has a choice of national (Wall Street Journal) or local (Valley New).

If I were going to work on a jigsaw puzzle, I would want a set of these nesting boxes to help with sorting pieces. But my cats and I have different ideas about puzzles; the cats won.

When I started the blog a little over ten years ago the smallest libraries had at least one computer for patron use. Some large libraries, like Minneapolis, had many dozens. The computers each had a big, blocky box for the CPU and such, plus a full-sized keyboard and stand-alone monitor. Over the decade librarians made room in the building and in the budget for more and more computers. Now the tide seems to have turned: Want to use a computer? Ask for the laptop!

11/7/2022

598 Newbury Public Library, Newbury, New Hampshire

A beautiful day for a drive, so I set out to visit a couple of libraries. First stop: Newbury.

If you've been following the blog, you know by now that I like and appreciate benches. I can't read the sign, but I recall that this bench is provided by a bank. Thank you!

First, I walked down to the street to get a good picture of the sign and a look at two figures hanging out on picnic tables by the fence.  Just a couple of guys reminiscing about Halloween, I think. [Hint: They are stuffed.]

I couldn't resist a photo of that amazing three-trunk tree. [Try saying that three times, fast.]

From the parking lot I first looked left and saw an addition,

t

then the welcoming porch...

and then the entrance.

Inside, I introduced myself and the project. In this case, staff told me they've seen the blog! [No kidding, that made my day!]

The first space I came to is this attractive sitting room with large windows. A wonderful place to sit and visit or read.

The theme of the next area is a whole wall of reader's guidance. I have never seen such a large array of reading suggestions. Readers are invited to take a slip for any author who interests them. Take it as a bookmark; you don't even have to take notes! A lot of work must have gone into creating this display, and there must also be effort in maintaining it.

       

Of course there is a telescope; this is a New Hampshire library! And I'm sure it's just by chance that it is facing the Town Hall!

This visit was in November 2022. At this point many Covid-19 precautions are no longer in use, but these signs serve as reminders of good practices. The upper sign recalls the days of quarantining books and the lower one is a reminder of social distancing. 

This corner room seems to be set up for any program or meeting.

This library is entering the era of "the library of things," starting with these arts and crafts kits. There are about a dozen in these bags that make it easy to see what you are getting. 

This cozy area seems to be an homage to someone whose name I failed to write down.

I did, however, capture this sign: "Chairs donated by the Women's Helpful Organization." What intrigued me is the name of the group that made the donation; not a generic group or club but a Helpful Organization.

The right-hand corner of that last area holds an assortment of Newbury historical documents and such.

Other areas are identified with large signs up by the ceiling; this one is especially amusing.

I believe that we are now entering the youth area of the library. I like this sign; I'd never thought of things just that way but it's certainly true.

More for youth. I'm intrigued by those shelves in the far right, the ones that seem to be related to Jack's Beanstalk. Up and up and up...

The children's area bursts with color and light.

The children's library of things includes several microscopes that can be checked out. As I've mentioned in other posts, in my childhood we were lucky if Miss Manning put out the stereopticon viewers and cards! I'd have loved to have access to a microscope!

I like this table and the nicely painted chairs. There's a second table in the background, suggesting children's activities that accommodate quite a few kids.

Another example of color and light. I believe this corner has some connection with Tomie dePaola.

A great ocean mural, with a narrow display shelf above.

Kids are encouraged to take a "hand" from a folder, decorate it any way they wish, and have a staff person add it to the wall.

A motivational poster for readers (of any age, I think).

"Save a Turkey" struck me as an unusual Thanksgiving display. By the way, my favorite book for the holiday is "Duck for Turkey Day" by Jacqueline Jules. A little girl believe that everyone must eat turkey for T-Day and her family does not. Afterwards she discovers that her classmates had a wide variety of main dishes, including vegetarian.

Sit-upons of linking foam squares are tucked away in their own cubbies. [Yes, I have some background with Girl Scouts. What tipped you off?

The youth librarian has a corner designated as her office, with a sign asking that we not touch things.

As I came back into the adult area of the library I found the public computers.

 I'm including this just because it amuses me. 

11/7/22

597 Stephenson Memorial Library, Greenfield, New Hampshire

 

Wrapping up an afternoon of library visits, I've reached Greenfield.

It appears that the front door, which leads to the older part of the library, is no longer used. The sign to the left of the door points out quite sternly that deliveries are to be made to the side door. A similar sign at the side door, along with a very large plastic bin where packages can be left, emphasizes the directive.

A ramp leads past a corner of the newer library, with a cornerstone dated 2003.

I went back down the ramp to get a long view of the new library. The old and new parts have been very well blended.

I meant to ask about "Ella's Childhood Favorites." I saw another collection of "Ella's" books. Since I didn't ask, we'll have to rely on someone leaving a clarifying note, (it happens once in a while) or we will just have to use our imaginations. Who is Ella?

The AUTHOR chair is occupied by either an upcoming visiting author or reader--or perhaps a large, furry gorilla!

Shelves are low enough to allow a good dose of natural light.

I've seen bookends with this design a few times, but not often. They always catch my eye, for their color, their design, and their functionality.

Here's a "something new" item for my (mental) list: a wheeled cart for a moveable feast of books.

These days it would be very unusual to not have a tech center in a library.

This strikes me as a very useful sign. As I've mentioned before, just about every library in New Hampshire now has a telescope that can be borrowed. But I'll hazard a guess that many people don't know that it can be checked out "just like a book"

Here's a bright corner. The white shelves are a great contrast with the book spines.

It's not surprising that the original part of the library is more formal than the more recent part. I'm sure some of the furnishings here are antique, perhaps from the earliest days of the library.

I don't recall seeing a grandfather clock, but there's a nice mantle clock and a fireplace. This space provides quiet and a bit of formality.

I try to remember my "rule" to always look up before leaving a library. I'm glad I did so this time, or I would have missed the interior of the dome.

Here's another angle. I didn't see the dome from outside at all!

I used to have a set of small wooden tables just like these. We sometimes called them "TV trays" because they could be set up near the TV if we "needed" to watch a show at supper time. I'm sure the convenience of an occasional extra table is welcome here.

We're back near the entrance where a puzzle is underway; The wooden board with a raised lip is great for keeping pieces under control, and would even allow for moving the puzzle to another table when necessary.

I spotted a Story Walk a short distance away. They have become very popular. According to the sign this is 

"SMLS Story Walk est. 2022, Girl Scout Troop Number 52925."

 

I have some Girl Scouting in my past, and I'm always happy to see evidence of good Girl Scout programming. The sentence at the bottom was a first for me. I'm not surprised to see it, but once having seen it I wonder why I haven't seen it before. Perhaps the troop leader is a lawyer?

 

I walked to the first few stations, including the title.

Coming back up the hill from the Story Walk I got a picture from another angle. I still don't see that dome!

10/6/2022