570 Converse Free Library, Lyme, New Hampshire

The first thing to like about the Converse Free Library is its location across the street from a K-8 school. I guessed, and my guess was confirmed by the librarian, that school kids use the library as an extension of their school library. Now that Covid-19 is less threatening, classes again make visits to the library. It also has after-school programs.

The library started out in the school back in 1908. By 1936, the library had outgrown its space in the  school and the town built a separate library building across the street in memory of Sidney Converse. An addition was added to the building in the early 1980s. 

The entrance in use today is not as classically elegant as the front door, but does provide shelter from the weather and a ramp for accessibility.

After speaking briefly to the librarian I turned immediately to the children's area, where this sign caught my eye. There are many ways to identify books for early readers; EZ tells us very plainly what we have here.

Here for story time? Take your choice of sitting on the floor, with a backrest, or on a chair or bench. I like those backrests, but I do my best to avoid the floor; it's too hard to get up!

I was glad to see that a globe is close by, along with other objects that are best kept out of reach, to be used with supervision.

Kids can recommend books to each other. This board is partially erased, but I see that Percy Jackson is still a favorite.

When I saw this display of kids' periodicals, I realized that I haven't seen magazines for kids in quite a while. Probably since Covid-19 caused many changes. And this made me wonder: what happened to all the subscriptions? Did libraries maintain them for the duration, or cancel?

Once upon a time the multi-drawer card catalog was ubiquitous. Most libraries seem to consider them classics to be kept and used for other purposes. For example, these 15 drawers are supporting their replacement, the digital catalog.

Turn a corner and suddenly I'm in the older part of the building with a classic reading room. At one time that fireplace would have been the source of heat. Now it's an attractive focal point and goes well with furniture that is probably original.

One thing that is not original is the coffee service and the water. [Some years ago "my" library was debating whether to have a coffee shop. One issue that bothered a lot of people was that "coffee might be spilled." It was finally settled, in favor of the shop, when the point was made that "we let people take the books home and they can certainly spill there!"]

      

This plaque above the fireplace is Dedicated to the memory of Lyme boys who made the supreme sacrifice for their country * World War II   Verne Gray   Roger O'Brien     James Young

Here is another attractive corner, complete with a reading lamp and a large plant, for a solitary reader.

A bit of doggerel I remember from who-knows-when is "Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without." It is a World War Two slogan; I always understood it to be a New England adage. So...perhaps you've noticed that this library has a lot of white-painted woodwork. And here a wooden file cabinet has been painting white to blend in, providing a place for local papers without requiring a new piece of furniture.

Another place to have a seat and read or just rest. (See that white woodwork?)

A long view past the service desk, into the newer part of the building.

This is too much to make legible here, so I suggest that you quickly Google "Library Bill of Rights" and give it a quick read. You might find it interesting.

Remember the white-painted file cabinet? This is even more interesting, to me. It's a four-drawer chest, and the top drawer, shown here, holds emergency supplies, like a flashlight, plus tools, tacks, and tape. Everything labeled and located centrally.

Here's the main door in the original building. The stack of chairs suggests that programs are well-attended.

The library has had three directors and currently has its fourth.

There is no shortage of places to sit for a while!

I enjoyed the visit the Converse Library, which is in Lyme. Now I'm off to the Hanover Town Library which is not in Hanover but in Etna. New Hampshire geography can get a bit challenging!

4/4/2022