576 Townsend Public Library, Townsend, Massachusetts

 

 When I visited this library, I thought it must be brand-new, perhaps dedicated last week. Wrong! The dedication was ten years ago! [There was a recent re-dedication, I believe.] This is not only a handsome building, but it is being used and maintained in like-new condition. I strongly suggest going to townsendlibrary.org and choosing "About Us" to read its very interesting history. The Sterilite Corporation has provided the town with the library, a Senior Center and a Community Center, all on a handsome campus with plenty of grass and mature trees. It is dedicated to Richard and Irene Collette.  While my sister parked the car, I looked for an angle that would let me get a picture of the building--without people. No luck! I think a program had just ended and foot traffic was heavy by the main door. OK, I made a mental note to get a picture before I left. And for once, I actually remembered!

The first display that caught my attention when I entered was this table full of the Library of Things. There is quite a collection, and I went to the library web site to get the full story. How about more than 500 board games? Equipment for spinning and knitting, including about 30 types of knitting needles. American Girl Dolls. Vinyl records and a turntable. And many, many other choices.

Here we see about half of the games collection. These appear to be for younger kids...

And these are for adults and older kids. What an amazing collection! I spotted a whole stack of different versions of Clue!

Many copies of this important reminder are posted. 

A puzzle from the collection has an early start.

Out in Minnesota, many, many libraries display quilts. Back here in the east, the common thread is grandfather clocks. As I visited more and more libraries, I realized that this is not as consistent as I first thought. New Englanders love their quilts and many large, elaborate clocks made the perilous trip to the central and western states.

Here's teen territory, looking ready for serious study. I like this kind of chair, which rocks (just a bit) to let out some excess energy.

There's a good-sized collection of books and media for the teens.

I can't tell whether the teens' computers are socially distanced or not.

DVDs and other media have their own displays set off by the free-standing shelving.

These are interesting magazine displays, with the current issue facing front on the right and back issues stacked in their own spaces on the left. 

There must be a story behind this mosaic table, but I didn't ask. Perhaps someone will share the story in the comments. Don't be fooled by the green grass; the table is inside, next to a window.

Coming up ahead are the stacks with their handsome wooden shelving.

Here's a way to display periodicals that I haven't seen before. At appropriate places in the stacks, a magazine related to the nearby subjects is displayed on a rack that is attached to the shelf, with other issues stacked behind.

The stacks go on and on and on...

Another "first time seen" is the moveable bookends. The books are held in place by a u-shaped metal bracket; the white plastic doo-hickey adjusts the lateral spacing. Very cool.

Looking the length of the library, under the vaulted ceiling. 

We're approaching the children's area, which is to the right as you enter the library. It's large and is closed off as a separate space, which is very nice for noisy programs. [The very best kind!] This display has something to do with voting for favorite book characters.

I think this is a great display for giving kids a sense of "what is one hundred?" When I volunteered in a kindergarten class a while back there came a time in the year when everyone brought in 100 somethings. It was always fun to see what they came up with.

There are clearly many activities and programs for youngsters here.

Several computers are designated for kids.

This sturdy table with storage beneath is ready for kids to make a fresh start with Legos...or whatever is in those bins.

We saw the long barrel ceiling out in the main library. Here we see circles again, but horizontally this time. 

A large array of windows brightens the program space.

The shelves are appropriately low, allowing adults good sight lines and plenty of room for colorful book displays.

Another angle...

I waited too long to write this post; now I'm not sure what this is. I'll take a guess. I think I saw a sign somewhere saying that food was not allowed but could be eaten in the café. I think this is the café. Let me know if I'm wrong, OK?

Heading back out to the parking lot, I spotted the unmistakable signs of a book walk. I didn't capture the cover or title page, but I can tell from this page that doing this story walk might get pretty loud!

There's the out-and-back walk stretching through this wonderful park with mature trees and lots of grass.

And finally I turned back and got a picture of the library without any people. It's been a long time since I've visited a library where getting pictures without people was difficult. That's good; it's a sign that things are getting back to normal.