567 Fremont Public Library, Fremont, New Hampshire

 

I'm wrapping up my three-library trip. It's kind of mind-bending that on Tuesday when I made this trip the ground was bare, mostly, and the temperature was close to 60.  Two days later the temperature was back in the teens and, where I live, the ground was covered with almost a foot of snow.

The building is interesting architecturally and I even got a decent picture!

I would not normally take a picture of a parking lot. The reason why I did so here is that for almost two years now library parking lots have been empty. First, libraries were closed. Then, as they began to be partially open, moving on from curbside delivery only, the rules would allow only two or three patrons at a time. So a parking lot with six or seven cars was a novelty I wanted to capture.

After the cluster of rectangles and triangles that form the library, the round colonnade at the entrance was an interesting surprise.

There's really no downside to having a library full of patrons--except that the "rules" are that I cannot take pictures with people in them. And on this day, all of those people constituted a lively book club and they were seated in the central area of the library, with a great array of windows. It sounded as if they were having a good time. There was nobody in the children's area, so we'll start there with a colorful array of books and a map of the United States.

Large windows in the children's area provide natural light and a view to a landscaped area. I discovered when I was leaving that there is an area below this level; you can see the rounded stone retaining wall that forms part of this area. For some reason I never spotted a "downstairs" or I would have taken a look.

These bears all have names and I believe they are hibernating. It's almost time to wake up, bears! There was a dragon nearby in honor of Chinese New Year, but the picture somehow vanished between my camera and my computer.

Puzzled? I was, until I lifted that wooden part in the middle. That exposed a collection of chalk, and I remembered seeing a table like this somewhere before. The gray surface is a well-used chalk board, with the chalk standing by.

This appears to be the heart of preschool territory, with chairs for adults to sit in and, I hope, read to kids. Again we have great windows and lots of light.

I walked quietly past the book club to the other side of the library. I'm sorry this isn't a better picture, but it's trying to show the two oldest library buildings at the upper left and the present building below.

I can't place this interior window wall, but I must have seen it, since I took the picture. I'm going to hazard a guess and say that it creates a space that allows programs that might be noisy. Please, someone leave a comment and tell me what it really is.

This is a display of February Features, books related to the programs in that month. I expect that this will be totally changed very soon.

This colorful shelf caught my eye; I want one! [No, Ellen, there is no place for one in the apartment.] If you look closely, you'll see that the corner posts are giant pencils.

I did follow my rule to "look up" before I leave a library, and this time I was rewarded with these interesting hanging lamps. I can't quite decide whether they look like classic fixtures from my elementary school, or retro spaceships. (How's that for an oxymoron?) Whatever, I like them.

Three libraries. Must be time to go home for lunch.

2.22.2022