A very wise man who knew the importance of libraries to society once wrote, “there is not such a cradle of democracy upon the earth as the Free Public Library, this republic of letters, where neither rank, office, nor wealth receives the slightest consideration.”
In one brief sentence, Andrew Carnegie, builder of libraries all over the United States, gives us the reasons libraries are so important. They are free (if you return your borrowed materials on time), they are open to people of all ages and all walks of life, and they make available to all the collected intelligence of the ages the essential ingredients of a free society and an enlightened community.
The Greenfield Public Library is such a place, but it has outgrown its environs and some far-sighted individuals have spent a great amount of time and energy working toward creating a new home for the library. Even though the current building is an architectural beauty and has served the needs of the community quite well, and while there is a sense of history in the building that lends a seriousness of purpose to a visit there, there is nonetheless only so much space in the current building to fill the needs of a changing community.
I have worked at the library as a volunteer, joined the Friends of the Greenfield Public Library, been a Friends’ board member, worked as a part-time assistant librarian and have always loved the building. But over the past year and a half as an employee, I have also become aware of its shortcomings. As in many older buildings, the heating system is balky; the elevator is functional but needs repair; there are computers but not enough to meet the needs of the many who use them; there are two meeting rooms, but they have limited seating; and there is not enough room for books, the library’s mainstay.
I don’t mean to paint a totally bleak picture. The Greenfield Public Library is a vibrant, dynamic place, thanks in part to the hard work of the director and her staff. It is open three nights a week and Saturday, as well as regular business hours. During those times, it is visited by many Franklin County residents. Between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015, 175,000 visits were recorded, not including staff. In the same period, over 300,000 items were checked in and out.
The Greenfield Public Library is also host to a rich variety of activities — writing groups for adults and young people, chess and game clubs, and many community groups who use the space for meetings and discussions. It is the home of wonderfully active and creative children’s programming, including Mother Goose on the Loose, after-school read-aloud and children’s theater performances. The First Wednesday Speaker Series brings interesting and informative experts to speak on their specialties. Every day, there is a steady flow of people who not only use computers, borrow books, DVDs and CDs, but meet with friends to chat and socialize.
The library is truly a most important community hub.
A new well-equipped library would continue and grow all of these programs and create opportunities for new uses. This thoughtful, carefully planned new building would have five meeting rooms, three small rooms for tutoring and other, more personal work, and two large rooms with outside access so they might be used after library hours. The computer/technology area will be state of the art and as always, open to all.
A new public library will continue to encourage cooperation with public schools and further the goals of literary knowledge and participation in the world. It will be truly cross-cultural and show the commitment of Greenfield to its citizens while remaining an important “anchor” on Main Street.
The work of the far-sighted individuals I mentioned earlier is in the planning stage. It is very important to understand this process and support the plan for a new library. The state is currently working with us, but if the town does not support the current plant, we will have to wait until 2022 to start over. While this seems a costly project, without it, the building will continue to age and many costs to update mechanicals and keep the building safe and sound will continue to accrue.
It is very important to include a new library in our vision of the future of Greenfield because libraries are the heart of the community, used by all citizens. Carl Sagan, of the brilliant program “Cosmos,” said, “the library connects us with the insight and knowledge of the greatest minds that ever were … the health of our civilization, and our concern for the future can all be tested by how well we support our libraries.”
Let’s not wait to prove him right. Let’s build a new library now.
Barry McColgan is a Greenfield resident.