Connecticut's Library Heritage
The Woodbridge Town Library was founded in 1927 and housed in the Center School building. The first annual report of the library, written in 1928, reported the library added 141 books to the collection, of which 34 were given by townspeople, 50 bought with town money, and 57 given by the state. The library circulated 719 books. The library was open throughout the year on Tuesday and Friday from 1:30 to 3:30 PM and on Sunday noon to 1 PM.
By 1939 the library was circulating 13, 591 volumes, had added 391 volumes that year, and the town allotted the library an annual budget of $650. In 1940 with a bequest from the Noyes D. Clark estate, the Town built its first library on the town green. A service of dedication was held May 11, 1940 in the Congregational Church. The audience then adjourned to the library building, where there was a reception, and the ladies of the Library Board served refreshments. The building was approximately 4500SF and the library was now open from 7 to 9 on Friday evenings.
In 1969, thanks to a generous gift from the estate of Mary B. Mitchell, an addition of 3500SF was added to the 1940 building. Circulation was up to 41,700 volumes a year, library hours were increased to 27 hours a week, and the annual budget was $28,850.
A public relations campaign began in 1985 after the Library Commission and library staff determined that space for future growth of the collection was nonexistent; no meeting room existed for programs, and the library could not accommodate new technology growth. A Library Long Range Planning Committee was appointed by the Library Commission, and this group sent out a community survey asking townspeople a variety of questions about the library building, the collection, services, and programs. Survey returns indicated library patrons wanted more of everything-books, videos, hours, programs, and computers.
Between 1988 and 1998, the following occurred: a Library Expansion Publicity/Public Relations Committee, a Capital Campaign Committee and a Library Building Committee were established. The Library Commission hired a professional fund raising firm to conduct a fund raising feasibility study. The Capital Campaign Committee held fundraising events and sent out two town-wide mailings to raise funds. Architects were hired, and the library received a State of Connecticut Economic Development Grant and a Public Library Construction Grant. The Friends of the Library generously gave us $5000 seed money to begin the campaign.
In June 1996, two referendums for a one-story new building located across the street from the present site failed to pass. It was back to the drawing board for the architects, who were charged by the Library Commission to design a library on the site of the original library. Opposition to a new library was organized, and a very negative campaign was run in the local papers and at all public forums held to discuss the new library.
In the fall of 1997, again, the voters were asked to vote for a $3.5 million bond proposal to renovate and to put an addition on the existing library. This proposal barely missed the two-thirds majority needed to approve the bonding. The library lost by 13 votes. A fourth referendum was held in 1997; this time the voters approved the library project in spite of negative letters in the local papers and pamphlets handed out at the voting site. We were finally on the way to building a new library.
On October 24, 1998, the long awaited groundbreaking ceremony took place. The entire town was invited to attend and bring their shovels. The library had to be relocated during the building project, with two-thirds of the collection stored in a warehouse. The library moved into the Center School, where the library had originated, and occupied four rooms and two corridors. Personnel from the children's library staffed the elementary school media center after school and on Saturdays. The children's room in the temporary library held materials primarily for pre-schoolers. All programs were held at Laurel Gardens of Woodbridge, an assisted living facility, or in the Senior Center cafeteria. We never cut hours and actually needed additional part-time staff hours to run the school media center.
On October 26, 1998, construction began and the 1969 addition was razed to the ground. By March 1999, the foundation was laid and the steel framework was installed. To celebrate the latter, a Topping Off Ceremony occurred whereby Turner Construction placed a fir tree on the uppermost steel beam along with an American flag. This ceremony originated in Northern Europe in the Middle Ages to bless projects and ward off evil spirits. On October 21, 1999 the new library opened. The library moved out of temporary quarters in mid-September and we were closed for five weeks.
Over 16,000 SF was added to the 1940 building and the library now has two and a half levels and a partial basement. The new addition gracefully flows off the original building and is enhanced by floor to ceiling French windows and convex walls. The first floor contains all adult services, a young adult room, the circulation desk, a meeting room, kitchen, and the public rest rooms. The mezzanine level houses a quiet study room, the Friends of the Library Used Bookstore and the Woodbridge Room. The latter area is the original library, now used as a reading room and housing the magazine collection of the library. A glass display case in this room contains the tombstone of the Rev. Benjamin Woodbridge, founder of the town.
On the second floor is the children's services wing, which contains a story time area, an arts and crafts room and a computer section. Recessed window seats throughout this area give children comfortable nooks for reading. All administrative offices and the Technical Services Department are located on this floor. An additional feature at the top of the rotunda stairs is a coffee area where people can bring their lunch or meet friends.
Plan to attend the Libratects seminar on Thursday, September 21 from 9:30 until Noon. Library staff, architects and others involved with the building project will be available to discuss and answer questions about the project. Tours will be available.