573 Hebron Library, Hebron, New Hampshire

My gps had a mind of its own today. I carefully put in the address, 8 Church Lane, and headed out for a beautiful drive. The gps was sure that I meant a different location, number 8 on some other street. (I've forgotten its name.) I got back on the road and drove a short way to a cluster of classic white buildings. One of them housed a store, and I asked for directions. Well Doh! The clerk walked me to the door and pointed to the left; to the library, "Where all those cars are." [She did this very nicely, without making me feel like an idiot.]

It is said that good things come in small packages. This is not the smallest library I've visited, but it fits the category. If you look closely at the sign, you will see that the book club is meeting on April 20. My visit? April 20. I walked in and found the book club members seated around a table. This is a first for me. [Though I do recall visiting the Dunbarton, NH, library several years ago and being strongly recruited for a book club meeting that was supposed to start in about 15 minutes. Only one member was there. Someone reported that a second member had been reached by phone and was in her PJs. But she would get dressed and be right over! Though the brownies were tempting, I begged off because my sister was waiting for me. One more way that sisters can be handy.]

The librarian greeted me and detached herself from the club members in order to learn what I was up to and point out a few features. Then she went back to the club and let me roam.

What she wanted to be sure I saw was the newly renovated children's room, which honors the memory of Isobel Blodget, a former school teacher and librarian. The room now features a delightful mural, shown here. 

My impression that the children's room is well-used is based largely on information that the artist, Phyllis Rockwell, plans to add a mural to the facing wall--after the spring break for the schools. It is a small space, and would not accommodate an artist and a bunch of kids. 

There is a good collection of books for kids of various ages, and the Hebron library participates in a state-wide Inter-library Loan program which makes the collections of libraries across the state available for loan.

Hebron is located on the north end of Newfound Lake, and I drove pretty much the whole length of the lake to get here. This gave me a good chance to see that there are many family camps and kids' summer camps. So it makes sense that the children's room theme is camping. The table top and the rug are two examples...

...and even the window valance picks up the theme.

The book club was still meeting, so I quietly took a few pictures of the adult area of the library, on the side away from the meeting. This unusual couch is waiting for a reader. And someone has a canvas bag just like one of mine!

Shelves are labeled and hold various mementoes on the top.

This chair caught my eye--how could it not? 

Curtains at the window give the library a cozy, home-like appeal.

The top shelves hold historic volumes that are available when needed and decorative when not.

The screened door was propped open. It's a real classic, with a heavy-duty spring. It brought me memories of running out the kitchen door in summertime with my mother's voice calling "Don't slam the door..." But of course, with that spring, how could one not slam it?

Every bit of space is used. Here's a reading corner near the doorway, with a quilt on the back wall.

Although the library is small, safety is respected, as seen in this Fire Exit Safety Plan. It's very rare that I've seen something like this, especially in a small library.

Since the librarian was busy with the book club, I took my chance to get a picture of her "office," clearly the work space of a busy person. 

 And I don't want to end this without mentioning that the library website has a very detailed policy for acquiring and weeding material. And the library has two computers for patron use, as well as wifi for those with laptops.

4/21/2022