The Evolving Library

From the library's dedication, William Munroe made provisions for the Library's eventual enlargement. In 1875, he had Snell and Gregerson draw up plans for extension, which called for two new wings off the rear of the building: an expansion of the circulating library area and an art museum. The spired tower was to be preserved. Munroe summoned the Corporation and Library Committee to a joint meeting on September 10, 1875. He presented the plans and turned them over to the Corporation for future reference. He died a year and a half later. In drawing up his will, Munroe acknowledged that “another half century of prosperity in New England” would necessitate a larger facility, and he provided financially for the eventuality. Others augmented the building fund that Munroe had established.

Although the library has not grown exactly as its founder proposed, it has undergone multiple additions and renovations over the years. It was altered in 1889 (when a school building from Sudbury Road was annexed to the back); in 1917 (when the tower came down to permit the construction of stacks); in the early 1930s (a renovation by Frohman, Robb & Little, who both enlarged the building and radically changed the style of its exterior from Victorian Gothic to Georgian); in 1938; 1968; 1986 to 1991 (a renovation designed by Perry, Dean, Stahl, and Rogers); 2003 to 2005 (under J. Stewart Roberts & Associates) - a largely systems-driven project that modernized and restored elegance to 129 Main Street; and 2020-2023 (an expansion to annex the historic Heywood-Benjamin house further down Main Street). In addition, a separate facility for the West Concord Branch was dedicated in 1930.

As its building has grown and evolved over the years, Concord’s library has changed in other ways, too. The collections and the staff size are now approximately twenty-five times what they were when it first opened in 1873. Separate departments have evolved to handle administration, technical services, reference services, the particular needs of the children and young people of the town, and the research demands of those who seek information on Concord history, life, landscape, literature, and people. Automation and the Web have radically changed the way the staff functions and information is accessed. Even as the library has changed, there has been a continuing recommitment to the high standards of its founder and the idealistic aims that informed its establishment.

1933 Renovation

It was evident to us at the very first that the interior of the old Delivery Room...should be retained, with as little change in character as possible...It was associated with our Concord traditions and town life, and we felt that it should be retained as the heart of the library and the new work grouped around it. The new interiors, while distinctly different in detail are all in harmony with the old room, and it is our hope that the coming generations will think of this library as one harmonious unit, and not realize it was built at several periods. -1933 Library Report

During the renovation, the staff worked in temporary quarters in the north end of the old High School building, situated across Sudbury Road where the parking lot is currently located. The addition gave the Library much of its current footprint, creating a Reference Room, Children's Room, an Adult Reading Room, a new Librarian's office and workspace, home for the Tolman collection of Native American artifacts,a room for the card catalog, a second floor Art Gallery, and a storage room. While the functions of the rooms have changed, they retain the character imbued during 1933.

As to the exterior, the problem was quite different. We had no compunction about changing its style entirely if possible. It was a question of designing the new parts to harmonize with the rather forbidding mass of the old Delivery Room. The arch-headed windows in this room were the starting point to set the style of the new building. We carried out the whole exterior in a formal Georgian character which seemed suitable to its environment, and in large enough scale to be in proportion to the central mass of the Delivery Room...We feel that we now have a beautiful building, inside and outside, well designed, well built, ample for our needs, with a quiet dignity worthy of its setting at the junction of two of Concord's principal streets. - 1933 Library Report

1968 Renovation

When the Library was remodeled in 1933, the population of Concord was 7,723. In 1965, just before the next major remodel of the Library, the population had grown to 14,516. Additional space would be necessary to adequately serve the larger number of people using the Library, in particular, the young adults and children. Additional shelving was necessary to accommodate all of the new Library materials. In 1963, it had been necessary to withdraw six percent of the total number of books in the Library due to overcrowding and new additions. In 1965, the capacity was 115,000 books. The 1968 addition gave a total capacity of 224,000 books.

The addition also updated the heating plan for the Library because the coal stokers and boilers were original to the 1873 building. Two new boilers were installed along with an elevator that could hold a book cart and three people. The Library remained open during the renovation with partitions and safety barriers to protect the public and staff. The new addition added stacks in the basement as well as on the newly constructed second and third floors. The first floor housed a large Children's Room and office space for the Children's Librarian. The previous Children's Room, now the Thoreau Room, was turned into a space for books on art and music as well as housing the Library's record collections, which got a “rock” upgrade to appeal to young adults.

1986-1991 Renovation

At the 1985 Town Meeting, residents of Concord voted to appropriate $550,000 to build a vault to house Special Collections and the Town’s historic documents. The Library Corporation had already raised over $830,000 in a capital campaign, which would fund automation, the addition, and renovation of the current building. The addition would allow for an archives vault to house Special Collections and the Town Archives as well as an expanded Children’s Room above it.

Construction began in August 1986. The Library closed for the month of December to begin the painting, electrical and carpentry work without endangering patrons and staff. When the Library reopened in early 1987, the Circulation Department moved to their current home. In 1987, renovations began on the exterior of the Library, including painting, repairing and replacing roofs, and grounds maintenance. Asbestos was removed from both libraries in 1988.

The enlarged Children’s Room had space for a puppet theater and extra shelving. A Periodicals Room was added in the location of the current Teen Room. The building received updated wiring, electronic security, and a new Reference desk. The final piece of the renovation occurred when the climatecontrolled vault and updated reading room for Special Collections opened to the public in April 1991.

2003-2005 Renovation

In 1997, the Library Corporation undertook a comprehensive building survey to document the issues within the Main Library. Problems such as outdated heating and electrical systems, a lack of accessibility, and space allocation had been discussed by the staff for years. With the renovation at Fowler complete, the Trustees undertook a new campaign to update the major mechanical systems at the Main Branch. Special Collections kicked off the renovation with a move to a trailer on the grounds of the Fowler Branch Library in the summer of 2003. The Library was closed from spring 2004 through early 2005.

In April, the Main Library was closed, and many staff members worked out of multiple sites, including Fowler, the Umbrella Arts Center, and 105 Everett Street. The renovation updated the electrical and HVAC systems, created an accessible entrance on Sudbury Road, and added an elevator to the Art Gallery as well as one that accesses all levels of the Library. In addition, the Special Collections reading room doubled in size. Other additions included a Young Adults area, a lower level meeting room, an audiovisual area on the first floor, and a Periodicals Room on the second floor. Staff returned in early 2005, and the Library was officially reopened to the public on May 1, 2005.

2020-2022 Renovation

In 2013, an opportunity to purchase the Heywood-Benjamin House at 151 Main Street would give both the Library Corporation and the Library a chance to envision its future. Once the building was acquired, discussions began immediately about how to use the building to enhance Library operations. The initial plan was to use the Heywood-Benjamin House as a stand-alone building, but by late 2014, discussions had started on connecting the two buildings.

The new version would connect the original Library building to a new children’s wing and the Library House, which houses the makerspace and a writer-in-residence office space. The old Children’s Room would become a large programming space called the Goodwin Forum. Space across from Circulation was remodeled into a Teen Room. While the project’s original start date in Fall 2019 was delayed, the groundbreaking took place on October 14, 2020. The Library was closed to the public during the first seven months of the renovation due to Covid-19, not construction.

Special Collections, gaining a new workroom and vault extension, spent at least a year as an active construction site. Circulation dealt with the extensive renovation of both the Teen Room and the Forum. Children’s undertook a major move and coped with temporary shelving. The new wing was dedicated on May 21, 2022. The new spaces are regularly filled with Concord residents of all ages in a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere.

Circulation

What started out as the primary duty for the Librarian has become the largest department in the Library. From keeping track of what is on the shelves to who is checking out the material, the Circulation staff has to be detail-oriented in their management of the collection. In addition, they conduct promotional work to highlight new books and staff favorites. Circulation has been a critical operation of the Library since it opened, but only became a stand-alone department with a supervisor in 1973.

Circulation statistics are the most tangible measure of library use, but in relation to library services they must always be thought of as a pebble thrown into a pool of water. They create extensive ripples: more books to check out and check in, to shelve, to mend, to send overdue reminders and bills for, more reserves to process, more borrowers to register and provide with reference services. The custodians always know when library use goes up because of cleaning and discipline demands placed upon them. - 1978 Library Report

As the primary point of contact with the public, the Circulation staff, with a smile and good humor, are instrumental in maintaining the availability of materials in the collection to the community. During the Covid-19 pandemic, they provided particularly exceptional service with a curbside delivery program. From July of 2020 through May 2021, staff fulfilled over 24,000 hold requests and provided over 144,000 interlibrary loans.

Reference

From the beginning, the Library’s Reference Department was ”much visited...there difficult problems are solved.” With only one staff member until 1896, the Librarian had to handle all questions, directing patrons to the Reference area, where they could look at material in magazines, encyclopedias, and other resources to answer their inquiries.

Due to the Library’s location, the Reference Department handled extra requests from students at both the public schools on Stow Street and Concord Academy on Main Street. Following the remodel of 1933, a dedicated Reference Room was created in what is now the Trustees’ Room.

Reference became its own department in 1957, with the appointment of Dorothy Israel as Head of Reference. The current reference desk was placed in its current location in 1974, with a desk created from the old circulation desk. By 1985, there was often a line of people waiting to ask questions.

By 1994, the Reference staff was immersed in learning the Internet. They shared their newly acquired skills with patrons by teaching small classes on online resources. Today, Reference staff also helps to manage the collections through book selection and maintaining usage statistics on online databases. Reference staff provides service through many different methods, including phone, email, and in person. In addition, the staff helps coordinate a wide variety of adult programs including book clubs, author talks, and virtual poetry sessions.

Special Collections

During the first decades following the establishment of the Concord Free Public Library, the collections increased dramatically through the generosity of many donors. The Library’s annual reports for the years immediately following the Library dedication document impressive donations of books, pamphlets, periodicals, manuscripts, personal and family papers, organizational records, paintings, sculptures, and even coins. These early donations began what would develop into the Concord Free Public Library's William Munroe Special Collections.

Requests to use the material were primarily handled by the Reference Department, with a staff member managing the Special Collections area. However, working with researchers became more pressing with the Bicentennial of the Concord Fight in 1975. Special Collections was first called a department in 1975, and the head of Reference, Marcia Everson Moss, was named the first Curator of Special Collections in 1977. Joyce Woodman was hired in 1978 as the Special Collections Assistant. A permanent home for Special Collections was created upon the agreement in the mid-1980s between the Town of Concord and the Corporation to fund a vault to house both the Town's historical records and the Special Collections materials. The vault and the Special Collections reading room were opened to the public in 1991.

The Concord Free Public Library Corporation owns the William Munroe Special Collections. The mission of Special Collections is to provide an understanding and appreciation of Concord's history and culture through developing, preserving, interpreting, sharing, and promoting the Collections. A primary purpose of Special Collections is to maintain its holdings for use by the public. This includes a wide range of researchers at all levels, including local residents, students, businesses, organizations, and producers of documentary films. Special Collections also provides unique programming to highlight the collections through lectures, articles, and exhibitions.

Technical Services

Technical Services maintains the Library's computer workstations as well as all the activities that surround the addition and withdrawal of books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, and digital items. Technical Services also houses the conservation studio where books are repaired by a trained conservator. While cataloging, accession, and selection of the books in the Library has always been a part of staff duties, the first full-time cataloger was not added to the staff until 1944. In 1965, all activities related to putting books on the shelves were done on-site by the Technical Services staff after previously outsourcing the acquisitioning, cataloging, and processing to the Alanar Processing Center in Pennsylvania.

Technical Services staff maintained two card catalogs—a subject index and one for authors and titles. In 1982, they began to do a full inventory of all Library materials in preparation for the Library’s integration with Minuteman Library Network. It would take three full years to barcode the entire collection. While the Library went online with Minuteman in 1986, staff continued cataloging older books and maintaining the card catalog until 1990. Today, Technical Services helps to maintain the website, all technology within the Library, and the full scope of processing new books that arrive on the shelves.

The Workshop

As various proposals for the use of the Heywood-Benjamin House arose upon the Trustees’ purchase in 2013, one of the earliest requests was for a creative space for Concord residents. A makerspace with collaborative areas, access to equipment, and time to learn new skills was deemed essential to the vision for the Library’s future.

As various plans for the space evolved, eventually, the first floor of what is now known as the Library House would be primarily used for makerspace activities. Equipment was ordered, and a Makerspace Coordinator, Christiana Urbano, was hired. The opening of the Workshop was the final piece of the most recent renovation, with its grand opening on June 10, 2023. The Eagle Room in the Workshop hosts 3-D printers as well as a large collaborative space for classes and projects. The Workshop is a collaborative work place with tools and equipment designed to help the community explore, learn, and make together. The Workshop is an all-ages makerspace designed to encourage intergenerational learning, and classes and events cater to a wide range of ages and abilities.

The Workshop has a wide array of tools, from knitting needles, embroidery hoops, and crochet hooks, to 3-D printers and laser cutters. These tools can be used during the Open Maker hours each week, and special classes are available each month. Recent classes included soap making, glass etching, laser-cut jewelry, and a regular knitters’ workshop. The Workshop also hosts Sustainable Makes which focuses on environmentally friendly DIY projects.

Youth Services

Children's

In 1873, when the Library opened, the rules for usage made no mention of children. Books for juveniles were integrated into the collection and, along with fiction, made up a sizable majority of the Library’s circulation. Area students used the Library regularly. However, there was no place children could gather away from the adults.

Calls for a dedicated children’s room began in 1909 to “relieve the reading room for the adults from the presence of the young people.” When the 1917 stack wing addition opened, children’s books were available behind the delivery desk and children could read at the tables in the alcove. By 1924, the Library report noted that “our buildings are much used by the school children at all hours, even at recess.”

The Children’s Room opened in 1933 following the renovation. Many of the Library’s expansions have come from the need for more space for children and their collections. In 1968, the Children’s Department moved into its new space where the old stacks used to be, with the old Children’s Room becoming the Thoreau Room. Following the move, sixty percent of all Library circulation came from the Children’s Department.

Following the expansion of 1968, children’s programming expanded. Six story times for preschoolers happened weekly, and elementary school-age story time occurring once a month. Children’s reading continued at a high rate, with the 1978 Library Report stating that “for many children, the experience is a personal one, as they tell the librarians what they want or ask their advice on a good book.”

 

Children’s staff has always worked to be more accommodating to all of the young users. In 1976, new services were added for hearing impaired children. In 2002, the Library received an assistive technology grant that added adjustable tables and screen enlarging software.

Additional programs began including authors and illustrators of children’s books, with many coming from the Concord area. Talented local artists like Kristina Joyce would give regular workshops for children on a variety of artistic methods. Book discussion groups for 4th and 5th graders as well as for young adults were started. Today, teens and children are served by the Youth Services Department. The Concord Free Public Library welcomes children of all ages and strives to create a welcoming, fun, and safe environment for children to develop a love of books, reading, and libraries.

Teen Lounge

Young adults have always utilized the Library extensively. When the high school was just across Sudbury Road, the students would come over immediately after school ended for the day. Yet there was no place designated just for them in the building. Children’s got their own room in 1933, but young adults were caught in the middle. In 1955, Library director Fred Bloomhardt wrote in the annual report that “there needs to be a separate room...for the high school students...with its own collections...and its own Young People’s Librarian ‘who can talk their own language and yell just as loud.'

In the 1968 expansion, the original plan was that the previous Children’s Room (now the Thoreau Room) would serve as a haven for young adults. Instead, the room became a place for books on the fine, performing, and applied arts as well as the record collection. While a book collection for young adults was begun in 1968, as well as purchasing more rock and popular music records, the teens still had no space to call their own. The teen volunteer program was thriving in the early 1970s, including planning the annual summer program “Sunthing.” However, no room would be carved out for them until 2005, when the current large print area was made into a Teen Lounge.

More programming began for teens and tweens after the new space was created. In 2008, special finals study hours on Sundays were established. A Teen Advisory Board started advising the Library on programs and materials in 2013. In 2018, the first librarian with duties specific to young adults, Olivia Durant, was hired, bringing new programs, a newsletter, and updated collections. During discussions on the most recent renovation, a new lounge with doors as well as a full-time teen librarian were deemed must haves. So, in April of 2022, the Teen Lounge was opened along with the hiring of Teen Librarian Cary Stough. It has quickly become one of the busiest places in the Library!

Serving West Concord

From the start, Concord Center was well served by the Main Library, but residents of West Concord, then called Concord Junction, felt disconnected from the Library. Librarian Helen Kelley started a fledgling book delivery service across town in 1902. By 1917, people in West Concord were clamoring for their own branch library. In 1919, the West Concord schoolhouse gave up a room to be used as a library. In 1921, Concord Junction resident and general store owner Loring Nixon Fowler left a major bequest to build a memorial library in West Concord. The lot was purchased in 1929, and architect Harry Little was hired to design the building, which was dedicated on May 18, 1930. After opening, Library staff rotated weekly between the Main Library and Fowler Branch. 

Expansions and Renovations

Overcrowding quickly became an issue with the growth of West Concord as well as the collection. By 1941, a children’s room was needed, but the basement was already full of books. In 1960, Fowler’s fixtures and systems were refurbished, but no expansion occurred. Nearly every Library Report would mention the overcrowding at Fowler. In 1966, Fowler’s circulation was increasing more than the Main Library, leading to an increase in hours in 1968. During the Main Library’s 1986 remodel, Fowler served as the site of public library service when the Main Library was closed. 

While Fowler remained “The Coziest Library in Town,” a capital campaign to update and expand the Branch began in 1993. In 1996, following years of rising circulation and demand for more children’s services, Fowler had a major expansion that made the building fully accessible, updated all mechanical systems, and doubled the usable space on the main floor. The building remained open throughout the renovation, and staff shifted the collection twice during the process. 

With the expansion, Fowler got new places to study and read as well as updated technology, while retaining all the best parts of being a small neighborhood library. When the Main Library was closed for renovations from 2003 to 2004, many patrons who had previously never visited Fowler became regulars. Luckily, the staff and the public met the chaos with good humor. The Branch remained very busy and shelves were overflowing, and so planning for another expansion began as early as 2007.

After the Corporation raised the necessary funds, Fowler closed on May 1, 2010 for a ten month renovation, with staff working out of the basement of the Harvey Wheeler Center. The satellite library was known affectionately as the Fowler Express. A new Children's Room was added along with a large community meeting room, a Young Adult area, and storage for Special Collections. The expanded area allowed for more story times, craft programs, and book clubs at Fowler. 

Fowler Library Today

While Fowler has continued to expand both the building and its collections, the overall neighborhood feel of the branch continues to be its defining characteristic. The cheerful warmth of the Fowler Branch and its staff continues to attract Concordians of all ages through innovative programming and collaboration with the West Concord community.