Libraries

On a beautiful summer day, I drove North to check out a few libraries in New Hampshire. First stop: Peterborough.
 

Incorporated in 1833, the library claims the distinction of being the first tax supported library in the United States.
 

The Friends of the library have their own building, a former home, where they conduct their seasonal book sales.
 

Second on the list: Hancock, NH. Established in 1860, the library began with 297 books.
 

A gift by Adolphus C. Whitcomb allowed the town to create the original building. Alas, several renovations and expansions modernized the interior. This view of the children's room shows the front of the library.

Finally, the smallest library I've ever seen, located in Stoddard, NH.

The library began in 1892. The current building was constructed in 1949 with funds from a bequest from the late librarian Mrs. Louise E. Davis. The Davis Memorial Library consists of a whopping 2.5 rooms (2.75 if you count the broom closet).

Here's another view of the main room:

Despite the tiny dimensions, it still dedicates a separate area for kids and young adults.

Besides the two rooms there's a cramped nook for the librarian to conduct all her tasks. Outside is a screened tent where patrons can enjoy the free wifi without getting bitten by various flying bugs. There's also a portable toilet. That's right, the library is so small it doesn't even have plumbing!
 

I hope you enjoyed the mini tour as much as I did. You can view additional photos of the buildings by click here to the photo gallery.

The area of North Chelmsford has had a library since the late 19th century, then run by the North Library Corporation. The original building was on Gay Street and in 1906 hired an 18 year old local woman named Anna Campbell MacKay to be the librarian.
 

MacKay died tragically of kidney disease at age 35. Her brother Stewart MacKay donated the family home in North Chelmsford to the town in 1947 to be used as a library in honor of his sister.

 

Many details of the original home have been maintained over the years, including the stained glass window in the entry way and the parlor with its fireplace and beautiful mantle.
 

What I love about converted buildings is the reminders of their prior use. Imagine the days lived in the rooms where now books reside. There are nooks on the top floor where young Anna might have snuggled up with her own books. There are stairs and doors, locked to library patrons, that suggest secret passage ways to magical realms.

 

On the top floor is a toddlers room painted with whimsy. What games did Anna and Stewart play up under the eaves in their childhood?

 

Alas, the Anna C. MacKay Branch Library is under threat of budget cuts. In the minds of local bureaucrats, why not cut funding for branch libraries? There's the shiny main library that everyone can use. Let's save some money.
 

Never mind the historical relevance of this library. Never mind the convenience to those within walking distance, who can take a stroll with their children to enjoy story time. Never mind that branch libraries often provide different services, often more personable services, than the big main library building. Let's hope the MacKay branch survives.

 

Many thanks to librarian Bonnie Rankin for her time and the history of the library that she wrote. And many thanks to my colleague at TJ's, Stuart, who has reminded me for the past six months to go visit this library.

As a child, William Leys arrived in New Zealand from England with his family. He lived and worked in the Ponsonby district of Auckland, having a career as a bookbinder.

Upon his death, he made a bequest of £5,723 to establish a place organized along the lines of the Mechanics Institute. This was to "promote literary culture and technical education ... [and] advance in other ways the intellectual development and social welfare of the community."

His younger brother, Thomson Leys, took up the torch. Himself a successful businessman and co-owner of the Auckland Star, T.W. Leys convinced the town council to donate land while he would contribute half the cost of constructing the building. The Leys family involvement in the library would continue until the 1990's.

The building was completed in 1905 and described as "Edwardian Baroque and Renaissance Revival Style". A renovation in 1991 restored the exterior to the original terracotta color.

The Institute was composed of a reading room, a magazine and newspaper room, as well as a lecture hall. Fine details can be found everywhere inside, from the staircase to the plaster decorations.

T.W. Leys was a Creationist and as editor of the Auckland Star, composed many articles seeking to debunk Darwin's theories. Despite this, lectures at the Institute were barred from discussing religious or political topics. Knowledge and learning would be addressed beyond the lecture hall doors.

From the beginning, improving physical health of district residents was a goal. In 1906, the gymnasium wing was constructed, funded by a bequest by William Mason. While the facility was not open for photos, rumor has it that some of the equipment dates back to the opening of the wing.

Early on, a focus on children was also important. The collection of books for young readers in 1909 is claimed to be the first such in Australasia. Yet another addition would be finished in 1959. Sir Cecil Leys financed the Hilary Leys Memorial Wing in honor of his late wife, creating a separate room for children.

The library archives had a photo of the children's room from 1959. I was amazed to see that the world map and the mural of indigenous wildlife were unchanged and in beautiful condition after over fifty years.

The library was taken over by the Auckland Public Library system in 1964 as the Ponsonby branch. Over the years, local residents fought off efforts to close the branch for budgetary reasons. The dedication of the locals can be seen in murals that were added to the lobby. Designed by artist Murray Grimsdale, the walls depict scenes of the Ponsonby neighborhood where Mr. Grimsdale lived.

The trip to New Zealand was a wonderful opportunity, made all the more special by finding such gems as the Leys Institute amongst the volcanic hills and bustling cities.

Sources:
Urban Village: The Story of Ponsonby, Freemans Bay, and St. Mary's Bay by Jenny Carlyon and Diana Morrow, 2008.

One Man's Dream: The Leys Institute and the Family who Founded It By Coral Ridling, c. 2005.

Article, The New Zealand Herald, 9-2-1980.

Article, The Bay News, Jan - Feb 19080.

Article, Metro Magazine, Dec 1981.

The Doctrine of Evolution by T.W. Leys, 1888; Book Review and Analysis written by Lynnette Perrsons, c. 1987

The public library in Manchester, NH began in 1854 with a donation of books from the Manchester Athenaeum. The Carpenter Memorial building was dedicated in 1916. It has a foundation of New Hampshire Granite and was constructed with Vermont Marble.
 

Governor Samuel D. Felker spoke at the dedication of the building:
 

[Books] speak with a living voice and give use the best thoughts and bid us make the best of our lives. ... However dull one may sometimes find society, a well-selected library is never dull. Books will talk to you only when bidden, and whenever you confer with them they always have something to say.

The library has a beautiful rotunda whose dome has a skylight. The rotunda is certainly the most striking feature of the library.

 

Sources:
Dedication of the Carpenter Memorial Library
Manchester, New Hampshire 1916