562 Oscar Foss Memorial Library, Barnstead, New Hampshire

 My gps refused to recognize the library address, so I stopped at the Mobil station for directions. Sometimes asking directions to the library results in a blank stare and a shrug, but this time a young woman readily got me on my way: "Turn right at the light, then it's across from the fire department." The distances were a bit more than I expected, but the results were spot-on.

I found an ample parking lot around the back, then walked partially around the library to check out a location where I could get outside pictures and to see if there was a front way in. Pictures, yes. Entry,  back to the well-sanded parking lot 

The bench will be more inviting in a few months. By the way, someone has left a tool of some sort on the seat.

Here's the handsome front of the library. The steps are cleared, but the big step from the street to the sidewalk was more than I could handle without my trekking poles. No matter, there is an alternative.

Here's the alternative, with a super set of stairs and a railing. Beyond the stairs to the right is a ramp for accessibility.

The first thing to greet me inside was this carefully chalked ode to libraries. I don't recall seeing this before, but it's great.

I decided to visit the children's area first, partly because the doorway was so seasonally inviting. 

The short hallway from the service desk to the children's area holds periodicals on one side, audio books on the other.

         

The fireplace marks the end of the original building which dates from 1917. At that time, the library shared the space with the Town offices. In 1979 the Town offices moved,  the library was expanded, and the original space became the children's library.

When I first spotted this structure, I thought it was a dollhouse. Instead I found that it is a reading nook, with a cushioned seat and book storage spaces to the sides and below. Very clever.

The large windows fill the space with natural light.

Librarians find many ways to identify the various types and levels of children's books. And before I leave this area, my "something I've never seen" for this visit is the series of "books before" programs. Most people reading this are probably familiar with "1000 Books Before Kindergarten." This is the first place I've seen "500 Books before Middle School" (for kids in grades K through 5) and "100 Books before High School" (grades 6 through 8). In all cases there are rewards at various levels. I'm so impressed with this!

I've come out of the children's area and realized that I'm now just inside the front door. A small vestibule is outfitted with a couple of chairs, and each chair has a sign, "Please No Sitting." These signs are artifacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, of course. I was told that the staff are not draconian about it.

There is an extensive collection of children's classics, here on a free-standing bookcase and under a nearby window.

The junior series collections start off with large arrays of The Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.

I asked about the safe in one corner of the children's area; had the library once been a bank? No, the safe is from the building's days housing the Town offices. It's now repurposed for the library book sale. Seeing the safe sent me hunting in my older blog posts, where I found Glendive, Montana where the bank safe is now the repository for genealogical material and Delano, Minnesota where the door to the very large safe has been made so that it cannot close, and it is now the teen area. There's one other, a former bank in Minnesota, an entry that I've been unable to track down but it has two safes; one holds town records, the other holds ceremonial rifles and other gear for the VFW.

A librarian opened the safe (yes, it has to be opened with a combination!) so I could get a picture of the inside. These materials are waiting for the next sale.

Here's a display for kids working toward "1000 Before Kindergarten." I didn't see displays for the older kids, but it's quite likely that they would rather not be up on the walls. 

This very nice table is ready and waiting for the days when the toys and trains will be allowed out again.

I didn't get their names, but the library has two guinea pig residents. See if you can spot one of them. The second one is out of view. Perhaps someone will put a comment on here to remind me of the names.

This collection box near the service desk is ready for donations.

I'm afraid the adult part of the library gets short shrift because I spent so much time in the kids' area. And I have one more library to visit before it closes. The centerpiece for adults is this handsome sitting room for reading and visiting.

The same space from a different angle. There is another large plant at the other end of the couch. Plants and natural light are always wonderful in libraries.

A station is set up for making Valentine greetings

      

This hall leads past restrooms and meeting rooms, to the back entrance where I came in.

This book drop built into the bricks makes me think of the book drop in the Spencer, Iowa library where someone left the kitten that grew up to be the famous library cat, Dewey Readmore Books.

2/12/2022