You might know that the Lynnfield Library is a beloved old building on the Lynnfield Common, with lights in the windows in December, and flowers out front in the summer. Maybe you come in to borrow the best sellers, to read the Lynnfield Item, or to see the Art in Bloom displays in April. You may find yourself wondering why Lynnfield needs a new library building, or struggling to explain why to your friends. Well, we’re happy to tell you what a new library can do for Lynnfield residents. We’re running a series of informative weekly blog posts called The Lynnfield Library, DID YOU KNOW?
This Week, DID YOU KNOW, Children’s Room edition!!
The Present Lynnfield Library Children’s Room:
- Was built in 1856 as a school house.
- Has a comfortable seating capacity of about 25 people.
- Has a fieldstone foundation with a dirt floor that often has pest problems.
- Has no dedicated storytime space, programming space, or quiet areas.
- Has no computers available for homework projects or playing games, as it does not have enough electrical outlets to support them or a place to put them.
The Proposed Lynnfield Library building:
- Will have a story time room that will be able to accommodate the 40-70 people who attend story time every week. This room will also be available as a play space!
- Will have a comfort room for nursing mothers, or people experiencing sensory dysregulation.
- Will have separate areas for tutoring, group work, and quiet reading.
- Will have a large capacity meeting room, so that large programs can be hosted in inclement weather without having to reserve space from the Lynnfield Historical Commission, the middle school, or Marketstreet.
DID YOU KNOW
- 64,789 people walked through the doors of the Lynnfield Library between July 2023 and January 2024?
- There are 5,564 Lynnfield residents with library cards?
- There were 127 live programs held for kids under age 12 at the Lynnfield Library from July 2022 to June of 2023, with a total attendance of 2850.
Lynnfield is a vibrant and thriving community, and Lynnfield residents deserve a twenty-first century library. If you are interested in the proposed library building project, please consider joining one of our building tours, attending a Select Board, Planning Board, or Finance Committee meeting about the project (see our calendar for the dates!), or attending the special Town Meeting on March 18 at 7 PM. If you have any questions, please ask Library Director Abigail Porter, by emailing aporter@noblenet.org or calling 781-334-5411.