E is for Easton
Ames Free Library
This is the first library, on my library visiting tour, that I had actually already been to. Easton borders my home town of Mansfield. This library trip was special as I had two people join me - my husband Carl, and my brother Dan, or Danny as we still call him.
If you have ever driven through the little downtown area of Easton you WILL notice the the town hall and library buildings. They were built by the famous American architect, Henry Hobson Richardson back in 1877.
As we've found with previous libraries we've visited, a wealthy businessman / philanthropist donated the funds to build the library. In this case, Oliver Ames Jr donated $50,000 to start the library. His family owned the Ames Shovel Shop, the largest manufacturer of shovels in the USA at that time. That is why you may hear Easton referred to as, "shovel town."
The current main entrance to the library was once the basement. One of the women working the front desk told us that when she was a child, the only reason to visit that level was for the bathroom, and it was scary!! Now it houses CD's, DVD's, adult fiction, a teen hang out space, and yes, the bathrooms are still there.
All checkouts are done on this floor, by a librarian or the convenient self check out. The librarians on this level said that "Tea and Tarot" is a popular club at the library. What started as a teenage activity also became a favorite club for adults. I think its pretty cool when parents copy their kids. On the original brick wall there are pictures of the library before and after the basement was renovated.
Jaw dropping ambience once you walk up the stairs to the second floor landing. What was once the entire library is laid out before you in all its 1800's century glory. Everywhere you look there is amazing, cozy, detailed woodwork to look at.
Coming up the main stairway, you come to the librarians desk. Behind the librarians desk, you can see the original main entrance. While no longer used, it is still impressive to look at. The librarian's desk is positioned between two large rooms - the library room itself, and a reading room.
The library room is what really catches your eye. It has arched ceilings, a second floor balcony, huge windows, a large chandelier, intricate woodwork, work spaces, and plenty of books. Megan explained that in the early days there was a gate across the library room where the librarian was stationed. A card catalogue was available for the public to choose a book from, or they could ask the librarian for assistance. Since the librarian was the only one with access to the stacks of books, she would get the book for them. No browsing in the old days.
Today, this room contains two low, wide, regal looking leather reading chairs that look perfect for settling in to. These unique wooden reading chairs that were designed by the architect, Henry Hobson Richardson in both rooms. Mr. Richardson made sure that everyone had enough space to get comfy with their books.
After getting their reading material from the library room, users could then check out, or get comfy in the reading room with their choice.
The reading room is across from the library room. It has workspace for groups and individual patrons. The focal point of this room is the impressive floor to ceiling, etched stone fireplace!
Those two rooms, divided by the librarians desk and a small computer area for patrons, have been living their original purpose since the library was built. Megan, the welcoming and informative librarian, commented that she feels lucky to come to work each day and enjoy the view from her desk.
In 1870, Mary Lavinia Lamprey, at the age of 21 became the librarian at the Ames free library. She had an easy commute as she lived in the apartment on the third floor of the library. The town officials thought the library important enough that it was one of the first places in Easton to get a telephone! Apparently Mary did her fair share of running down those stairs on off hours to answer the phone! Like the current librarian, she must have liked her job. Her career spanned over five decades. Mary retired in 1945.
A beautiful children's library room was created when addition was added in 1931. The added space is as regal and impressive as the original building, in my opinion.
We learned (from Megan) that it is more expensive for the library to acquire E-books than traditional books. Where a new physical book may cost $18 dollars, the cost of an E book is anywhere between $27 to $90, and sometimes over $100. For that price, the library gets to lend out the E book to one reader at a time for the contract period (which may be a time period, like a year, or a finite number of lends).
One of the current most requested book is The Women, by Kristin Hannah, a book I am looking forward to reading. The longest wait list for a book was Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens. The hold list was over 1,200! For weeks the list kept growing, making it necessary to order more copies for weeks on end.
Just when we thought our tour was at its conclusion, we learned that we had another entire building to experience! Ten years ago the library purchased a gorgeous home. The home was built in 1854 and is located next to the library. The Queset House provides a beautiful, comfortable space for community library events and study spaces. You can learn how to create a professional pod cast, use the media room, play video games, and attend presentations. This relaxing study/work space comes without the expectation of buying something, like you would at a coffee shop.
Not surprising that the grounds of the library are stunning. There are a couple of charming statues of children at play, a bocce court, an archway and frog pond. There is even a cute, wooden little free library. Carl, Danny and I were blown away by the friendliness of the staff, the architecture of both buildings and the services offered.
We thought we earned a treat, and lucky for us we were one mile away from the local brew pub , "Shovel Town." We ended our afternoon with really good beer, soda and delicious pizza:) We definitely recommend this spot!
Danny's book recommendation: Red Storm Rising, by Tom Clancy
Danny's pizza recommendation: Pizza Margherita :)
Carl's beer recommendation: Tweed
Miles traveled: 22
"F" will take us to Franklin.
