Located just nine miles from downtown Boston, Stoneham, Massachusetts was settled by a handful of colonists nearly 400 years ago. A lot has happened since then, and the town has grown to encompass more than 21,000 citizens. Over its long history, Stoneham has been home to athletes, inventors, musicians, actors, and war heroes.
The Stoneham Public Library opened in May, 1859, in a long, narrow room in a building on Main Street owned by Mr. James A. Green. The library relocated to larger spaces over the years until 1904 when the town accepted a gift from Andrew Carnegie. Often referred to as the "Patron Saint of Libraries," Andrew Carnegie made new library buildings available to hundreds of communities all over the world, and Stoneham was one of these. The Library remains at the same Main Street site with a major building addition occurring in 1984.
Many of Stoneham’s patrons use computers daily for homework, research, and pleasure. In addition, the library has seen an increase in circulation of e-books and in use of certain e-services. There is also a rise in use of streaming services such as Hoopla, a digital service that provides patrons access to music, movies, TV shows, audio books, and e-books. It is free to patrons.
This year, Stoneham Public Library received an LSTA (Library Services and Technology Act) grant for an Idea Lab. Says Assistant Director May Forkin, “Funds will enable the Library to offer coding classes for kids and adults. The Library will also partner with schools in providing volunteer opportunities for high school students to teach coding and film editing to our patrons. We will be partnering with the Senior Center and StonehamTV, to ensure our community learns tools for 21st century jobs and entertainment. In addition to coding and video editing, the library will be providing programs with architecture kits for city design, electronics, and poster making.”
Library patrons frequently inquire about new authors and often seek reader’s advisory assistance. Suggestions are provided using a number of sources including a database called NoveList. NoveList offers a variety of ways to find new reading material, including a section on read-alikes or ‘author likes’ which helps determine similar authors.
The mystery genre has always been one of Stoneham’s largest circulating genres. Patrons have requested ordering of more new mystery books several times over the past few years, and the library has done its best to accommodate them. According to Ms. Forkin, “Often times, we cannot keep new mystery books on the shelves. Worthy of note, the definition of ‘mystery’ is becoming broader and in some circles includes thrillers, psychological suspense, and more. However, as mentioned above, interest in all of these areas has always been high in our Library.”
Stoneham Public Library offers author programs and readings, and recently hosted SinCNE’s own Hank Phillippi Ryan for a Library and Garden Club fundraiser entitled “Mysteries in Bloom.” Another popular author event was a visit by Roland Merullo, and there is an upcoming presentation by Stephen Puleo.
Noting that the library world must evolve at an accelerated pace to respond effectively to the technological innovations characteristic of the last decade, Ms. Forkin says, “Electronic resources (e-books, audiobooks, and streaming services) increasingly offer patrons alternatives to traditional print materials. People frequently use online databases for genealogy research, journal articles, and other research purposes and can do this from both inside and outside of the building. These services have expanded libraries like ours beyond the confines of the building.”
Forkin goes on to say, “The public library is a vital institution in the life of a thriving community. Not only does our Library offer free meeting space to nonprofit groups, we also sponsor many types of events including author visits, crafting programs, music, gardening, chess games, and other activities. Beyond all these new features, we continue to be a community center where patrons come to relax and read a cozy mystery, a newspaper, or work on homework. The Library has something for everyone.”
Because of the fast-paced nature of change, public libraries need to continue to provide exposure to new technology, new methods of research, and new ways to access information. To do this and also provide spaces for community groups, offer programs that encourage education and pleasure, and keep up with a growing technological society, limited funds creates a challenge for Stoneham. The Library strives to remain relevant to all, including the teen population, patrons with ESL needs, jobseekers, and more.
Ms. Forkin says, “Our goal is to offer patrons an impeccable level of service that addresses their educational, entertainment, and informational needs. We will achieve that outcome through effective community partnerships, technological advances, and thoughtful programming.”