Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, April 1923

Item Information

Title:
Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, April 1923
Description:
"Dedicated on Saturday afternoon, April 14th, 1923, the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library was referred to in the Wakefield Daily Item as a new building "of which the citizens of Wakefield are justly proud and which for many generations to come they will use profitably and enjoy." Library patrons entered the building through a low vestibule into a larger "delivery room" where the delivery desk was located. Behind the desk was "a large opening showing the several tiers of stacks for the books and inviting the visitor to enter and browse around." The stockroom was designed "in such a manner that the stacks may be extended at a future day should the present capacity prove to be in adequate." On either side of the stockroom were working rooms for the staff, while the second floor held the "lounging room for the staff, complete with kitchenette facilities" and the Trustees room. The ceiling was "richly coffered, while in the center was a skylight to give greater light." To the immediate left and right of the vestibule entrance were two small rooms, one used as a conversation room and the other as a newspaper room. The staircase to the left led to the children's reading room while the small stairs to the right lead to the main reading room with its fireplace and bookcases around the entire room. Above the entrance to the reading room was a medallion of the Crusades. There were 14 smaller medallions in the reading room that were designed and created by Summerville sculptor Bernadette Chippolini, each carefully researched and selected as "the 14 most representative men of letters known to history." The delivery room medallions were the largest, each 42" in diameter. The card catalog was at the bottom of the stairs, complete with a poster indicating how to find a book. The building was expanded with an addition in 1969 and a more extensive addition and renovation was undertaken in the 1990s, concluding with a rededication in March 1998." -- Text from calendar by Jayne M. D'Onofrio. Image from the Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department annual calendar, 2020 Photo courtesy of the Lucius Beebe Memorial Library.
Contributor:
Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department (Wakefield, Mass.)
Contributor:
D'Onofrio, Jayne M.
Date:
April 1923
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Lucius Beebe Memorial Library
Collection (local):
Wakefield Municipal Gas and Light Department calendars
Subjects:
Lucius Beebe Memorial Library (Wakefield, Mass.)
Places:
Massachusetts > Middlesex (county) > Wakefield
Link to Item:
https://omeka-s.noblenet.org/s/wakefield/item/18660
Terms of Use:
Rights status not evaluated.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Wakefield, Mass. : Wakefield Municipal Gas & Light Department
Notes:
Information about this item was supplied by NOBLE Digital Heritage.