Connecticut's Library Heritage

Cornwall Free Library

Cornwall Free Library

Located in the northwest corner of Connecticut, Cornwall is known for its covered bridge over the Housatonic River. Now we may be known for our new library.
From 1908 until 2002 the library and the town hall shared space in a unique stone building, which over the years became increasingly crowded. Selectmen used the stage of the town hall as their office, and the fiction collection was shelved along the walls to leave the meeting space open. A smaller room continued to serve as the circulation area of the library and held non-fiction and A/V materials. A narrow enclosed porch held the children's books.
By 1997, the trustees of the library had concluded that major action was required. Enlarging the stone building so that both town and library could be satisfied was impossible. So, committees were formed, architects were interviewed, mission statements and strategic plans were drafted, space needs were estimated, and grant applications were written. A capital fundraising committee and a program committee began work in earnest.
Because this is an association library, the town did not have to vote on the project, but since the town was gaining the space the library would vacate, the town did vote to give the library $250,000. With events, parties, and appeals, the fundraising campaign collected $1,138,000. The program committee was challenged to communicate to the architect the various requirements of library function, and his challenge was to accommodate these in a structure compatible with the existing village buildings. Finally, groundbreaking took place on Memorial Day, 2001. Moving day was May 12, 2002, and on May 22, the first users borrowed books from the new library.
The Cornwall Library was established in 1869 as an association with dues and fees to borrow books. Over the years the collection and usage grew, and in 1945 the trustees voted to cease charging fees and added "Free" to the name. The readership, which included long-term weekenders and summer people, indicated that the collection should contain a balance of good, well-written fiction and non-fiction that informed but did not instruct, and that all selections should be of lasting value.
When it was determined to build a new library, the program took into consideration the size and growth rate of the collection, and also the patrons and their wishes for uses in the expanded space. The architect asked the building committee to list all the proposed uses and assign proximity requirements to each: the circulation desk needed to be near the entrance and the librarian at the desk should be able to oversee all the other areas of the building from that point; the videos should be where people talking together and would not disturb someone taking notes from a reference book; a parent browsing the new books should be able to be aware of children in the children's room; the computers should be where the librarian could occasionally help a user but the user could have quiet to focus on the screen; etc. We needed space with comfortable seating where friends could talk and where others could retreat to read. In addition, a community meeting room was planned, and a gallery wall was added for the traditional monthly art show. And, new for the librarians, an office, complete with work counters, sink, shelving, desk and computer, was placed near the circulation desk.
The architect surveyed the other structures in the village and found a mix of white colonial houses, two traditional churches, four big barns, the stone town hall, a brick mansion, and a couple of ranch houses. He decided to combine big white colonial with big barn. He signaled that this was a welcoming public building by placing the main door in the large central section with tall windows. The north and south wings would house the children's room and the stacks. A wing to the east would house the meeting room with its own entrance off the rear parking lot. The main area would be given prominence with open post-and-beam construction and lots of light from the high windows and up-focused chandeliers.
Because this construction was considered relatively small, we found that we could make fairly personal decisions about certain things. Casle handled the contracts for the construction. The architect made recommendations for the interior color plan. Then the librarians, with the support of the building committee, made furniture choices. Most of the shelving was a gift. The end panels and the circulation desk were built locally. We tried to create an attractive, functional spaces that would be distinctly a library for Cornwall.
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