Joslin Memorial Library in Waitsfield, Vermont

In 1913, just two years after the dedication of the renowned New York Public Library building in Manhattan (see my earlier post), the small town of Waitsfield, Vermont laid the cornerstone of the Joslin Memorial Library.   It was a gift of Waitsfield native, George Alfred Joslin who had made his fortune in the newspaper business.  He dedicated the library as a memorial to his grandfather, Joseph Joslin.

Like the donors who helped to build New York's great library, George A. Joslin was part of a  "Golden Age" of library construction in the U.S. which saw the country's successful entrepreneurs embark upon thousands of public library projects.  You'll find a fuller history of the Waitsfield library at this website: http://www.central-vt.com/towns/library/Waitsfld.htm.

From what I could tell, the library's footprint has not changed since its construction- almost 100 years ago.  The lower level of the building still houses municipal offices as it has since the beginning.  The last major change took place in the 1970's when a children's area was set up in the room to the right of the entrance, a room which had housed the town post office until 1966.   During the post office years, the librarian also served as postmaster and janitor!  

 Given the fact that the library is occupying a building designed early in the previous century, the Joslin Library has had to be very creative about how to fit a 21st century service into what is essentially a 19th century structure.

I'll start by pointing out some of the striking original features of the building.  In the library's vestibule (above), note the decorative floor tiles, the marble wall, and the oak doors.



 This window above the main entrance has been described as a "starburst" design.  I believe that you can see this feature in other libraries built around this era.




In the handsomely detailed ceiling there is a stained glass skylight, which was described by the architect as an "art glass panel".
















The light fixtures are still original to the building.

 

Book shelves have been added as the library has grown.  The metal shelving shown at right is softened by the use of wood panels at the end of each bank.  Grooved wooden book supports mounted on the panels are very effective in displaying materials. 

Here you can see part of what was originally a massive oak circulation station.











Part of that was removed and replaced by what is essentially a more space-saving office desk.  Librarian Joy Worland told me that the library had just finished automating.  Note that laptops are used, once again because they save space. 

This view from the desk gives you an excellent idea of this historic library's  gracious interior.

Because the library has no dedicated program space, programs are held within the library itself.  Stacking chairs are tucked in along the walls and brought out when the library hosts a speaker.

Like other libraries, the Joslin Memorial has found that the availability of current information on the Internet has allowed them to downsize the reference collection.  The library is taking advantage of this trend to create an area for young adult materials in the main section of the library.  As you can see from the photo on right, this is a project that is now underway.

With our back to the circulation desk, we are now looking down the corridor toward the children's area, with it's inviting blue rug.

The children's collection is housed in a cozy and inviting room. They have made the best of their space shortage by the use of plexiglass book display holders (on right in photo) which allow books to be attractively displayed on windowsills while still permitting light to come through.

On the wall opposite the windows pictured above, the bulletin board cleverly placed above the bank of shelves offers space for signs and appealing displays without a loss of wall or floor space.

Even with little or no extra space, the library staff has made the most of what they have.  Plastic bins and baskets keep things tidy and attractive; appealing displays make children want to pick up a featured book.

With very little storage space, I asked about how the library managed its book sale.  Their solution is an "ongoing" book sale, tucked into a shelf in the marble-walled vestibule - a very effective solution. 











Finally, public internet stations (to right of photo) are  located near the main entrance.   You'll notice as you look toward the back of the room how all available wall space is being used and while the shelves are crowded, there is still a feeling of spaciousness.

I would like to thank librarian Joy Worland for her great work and for her willingness to take the time show me through this historic library. As the Joslin library approaches its centennial, it will be looking to expand upon the existing century-old space and to make the library handicap accessible.  It will be exciting to see their progress!  For more information, check out the Joslin Memorial Library's website at: http://www.joslinmemoriallibrary.com/