563 Gilman Library, Alton, New Hampshire

 I arrived in Alton just fifteen minutes before the library would close, so I had to move quickly. I took one quick picture of the stately exterior before dashing in. This is my "just in case" picture: just in case I forget to take an exterior picture before I leave. Yes, it's happened.

Once I was inside and had explained my mission and received permission for pictures. I turned to the right and found this elegant fireplace and a picture of a gentleman I assume to be Mr. Gilman.

Nearby is a chair with a throw that I'm going to guess is from a 1996 bicentennial celebration.

Moving to the next area we find a variety of seating and a bright space with loads of natural light.

I've been seeing lots of puzzles on library shelves, but it's been a while since I've seen one in progress. The lamp is a nice touch and will be very handy as people work to complete the dark center of the picture.

I'm not sure what's going on here, and I wasn't taking notes because of my time constraints...but I like the table and chairs.

Decorative touches are on the tops of many shelves, and some seasonal sparkle draws the eye to this set of shelves.

This free-standing bookcase holds a matched set of classic titles. Three authors I spotted are O'Neill, Thoreau, and Twain. As you can see, there are many more.

If memory serves, these are additional classic titles.

The checkered box on the right  holds greeting cards; the basket, currently empty, is intended for coupons. I assume the cards are for swapping? I know that I have a stack of my own that were bought for a particular occasion and then never got sent. I'm guessing these are for swapping because I've seen such things in libraries the midwest.

I came around a corner in the stacks and this delightful sight had me fooled for a second. I'd love for them to be real; I haven't seen a library cat in a long time.

"What will we do with the grandfather clock that's been in the family forever?"  "I know, let's give it to the library!" And so it has happened from coast to coast. I expect that each clock has a story to tell.

Manipulatives have been put away during the pandemic, but they are starting to reappear. I believe that is a light table with letters and shapes to arrange at will.

There is a shelf similar to this in the Shoreview, Minnesota library. This one displays toys that are available for play. 

      

    

Shelves of junior fiction stay within reach of kids, with the top shelf used to display more toys,
mostly stuffies.

A display in the children's area showcased writing by members of a sixth grade English Language Arts class. I read a couple of them and I was really impressed with the quality of the writing! I wonder if Mrs. Roberge is related to neighbors I had growing up in Nashua?

This is a nice way to recognize the work of classroom writers.

The large windows are great, and something about this arrangement of seating says this is the...

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If there's one thing I've come to expect in a Teen Zone, it's a tall table and chairs.
Really, they're everywhere.

A puzzle of a different sort: What is the long object? It's partly purple and it has a turtle draw on it. It looks perhaps Australian? Maybe Maori? Is there a story?

More stuffies! Are they called that here? I picked that up in Canada.

I believe this corner is referred to as the Whimsies. It must be something new, because I saw a note asking parents what they think of it. I think it's pretty neat.

This cat figure has six coat hooks for small coats. It's very cute; someone's project, perhaps?

The Library of Things is ready to go.

      

Puzzles and games are standing by.

There...I gave short shrift to the adult area, but I captured a lot. Here are the exterior pictures I took on my way back to the car.

You can just barely see it in this picture, but the weathervane on the cupola is featured in a book, Weathervanes of New England. Go to the library's website, or google gilman library weathervane to read all about it.

Something that I find interesting about blogging in the time of Covid is the variety of approaches to safety. The last three libraries I've visited have all had different policies: 

* Masks required
* Masks welcomed but not required

* Masks not required

In all cases, I believe staff wore masks, at least when dealing with patrons or visitors.

Toys and manipulatives are also subject to different policies:

* No toys, or just a few that are easy to clean

* A specific area, like a table, for small projects

* Plenty of things to play with, back to normal

2/12/2022