568 North Hampton Public Library and Cultural Center, North Hampton, New Hampshire

 

This is the first library I've visited that has "Cultural Center" right in its name, though of course any public library is by its nature a center of culture in a community. I like the crisp lines of the new building, with the broad curve of the walk that serves as a ramp for accessibility.

I believe that flag etiquette calls for the flag to be flown only in daylight unless it is lighted. The small solar power generator attached to the flagpole will, I expect, allow the flag to be flown day and night.

The unpainted wooden entrance reminds me of a library I visited in Montana a few years ago. I'm sure that if I put them side by side the resemblance would be less, but I found it striking.

This memorial bench anchors one end of a long patio. My guess is that other furnishings will join it when the weather warms a bit. Well, warms a bit more consistently; the day I was here was the first T-shirt day of the season!

Keep your books out too long? Don't worry; put the amount you consider appropriate in the "Conscience Jar." Keep your DVDs too long? That's a different story!

The workroom is visible through interior windows. I like this for its transparency and for staff's ability to keep an eye on the rest of the library.

Here we go into the long, light children's room.

These chunky, many-colored blocks look just right for the youngest visitors. It's good to see the manipulatives coming back into use after their banishment during the Covid-19 days. Let's hope they can stay out.

Thomas the Train Engine is ready with an elaborate layout for imaginative play.

 

The bins on the far shelves hold thematic picture books with labels designating the theme. Portable bins are a nice idea if a kid wants to see a bunch of books about, say, cats. Go through the books in the bin (perhaps on the floor), make selections, put the bin back. That's one way it could work. In my experience, the "putting back" doesn't always go quite as planned.

Boy, did I have this one wrong when I first published this post! Fortunately, the library Director read this and sent me a message. I had said that the desk below is a minimalist workstation for the youth librarian. In hindsight, that was silly. I wish more readers would set me straight. Here, I'll let the Director tell you herself:  "One thing that wasn't exactly accurate is that the desk you saw in the children's room wasn't the office desk for the youth librarian. That was the circulation desk where work can also be done by staff working in the children's areas. The youth librarian's workspace is in the workroom and looks into the children's area through the open door to the work room. She has a work space all set up in there along with workspaces for 2 other staff members. We love our new library!"

Note that she said "one thing" was not entirely accurate. I cringe to imagine what other errors may be lurking in this post and the other 566! Well, ten years (almost) since I started this, and I never aimed for perfection.

I used to see these "big books" frequently. When I saw this one, I realized that they are pretty rare now. If you're going to have big books, you need a rack like the one shown here to hold the book while you read.

Here in North Hampton we're not far from the Atlantic Ocean, thus the ocean theme which you may have spotted in other places as well as here.

I don't think I've seen a three-lobed table like this, though I've seen many tables of varied designs. And I like the design of the wooden chairs, too. Elements like these are not only practical, but they also help kids broaden their understanding of concepts, like "what is a chair?"

These shelves hold a variety of toys and games. I was told that families will sometimes come in for extended visits and use these for a family playtime.

I took a picture of this sign because I did not know: I'm guessing that it means the little jelly beans, like Jelly Bellies, not the larger ones that were standard in my youth.

Leaving the children's area we come to the focal point fireplace, a standard in almost every library. I like the combination of tradition (fireplace, chairs) with modern (design of the fireplace and chairs).

This is one view of the Teen's room. Once again, interesting chairs.

Signs often make me wonder whether they indicate a problem that needed a solution.

I didn't keep track of how many meeting rooms are available, but this is not the only one.

And what caught my eye here in the staff break room? Easy chairs! Definitely upscale from any library where I have worked!

This counter is one-half of the available space for laptops.

As always, I applaud natural light and outside views. 

One corner holds the "library of things," which includes a ukulele, a sewing machine, and materials to get started on knitting or bird watching.

 

   

The largest space available is a program room for up to 65 persons.

Finally, a sign that really tickled my funny bone.  Libraries that have puzzles for library use or to check out usually have many, many puzzles, bursting from shelves. But not here. "If you LEAVE puzzles you must TAKE puzzles. We DO NOT have room for more puzzles."

3/18/2022