HARDWICK — A visitor entering the Jeudevine Memorial Library addition via the West Church Street entryway this week would have a very clear picture of the floor space and traffic flow through the new building. We are that close!
A right turn out of the vestibule leads into the primary librarian workspace, a large open area fronted on the right by a long desk. A pocket door separates this area from a small office for the librarian.
To the immediate left, within the lobby space, are stairs leading down to the lower level which will house the Jeudevine Library Community Room, kitchen, bathrooms and two smaller conference areas.
Continuing further into the lobby, a short half wall separates the down staircase from one that leads upwards (only four steps) to the new adult reading area. Also on this level is the archway leading into the original Jeudevine building. Just beyond this staircase is the elevator that will carry those unable to manage the stairs to the adult reading room or community room levels.
Proceeding straight ahead, past the staircases on the left and librarian workspace on the right, one arrives at another short stairway that brings one into the children’s and young adult spaces. This large open area runs the full east-west length of the addition and features windows along three sides, allowing beautiful natural lighting.
Finish carpenters have been at work in recent days, trimming the stairwells, the tongue and groove ceiling and the librarians’ space. Carpeting has been laid down, painters are on site. The space that through the fall and winter was lit by work lamps and featured sheet rock walls and plywood floors has been transformed. Trustees should be able to complete a walk-through “punch list” by the end of the month and begin planning to occupy the new rooms. In turn, that will allow for the restoration of the wood floors in the original Jeudevine.
A particularly exciting opportunity is at hand for interested students: Wednesday, March 19, at 3 p.m., marks the kickoff of the Jeudevine Players. Those ages six and above are welcome to join.
The plan is for the group to create and stage a “low-scale musical”. I am fairly confident that the term “low-scale” does not refer to the range of voices expected to sing in the production: sopranos, altos, tenors, all are welcome.
Meanwhile, the writing group for children ages eight and older continues on the second Wednesday of the month at 3 p.m., as does story time on Thursdays at 10:30 a.m., for those ages five and younger.
I recently re-read a book that can be found in the stacks of our Jeudevine. It is titled “Angle of Repose,” by Wallace Stegner, a longtime summer resident in Greensboro before his death in 1993. Stegner was known for his depictions of the American West. Angle of Repose follows the marriage of Oliver and Susan Ward as they trace a trail across the mostly unsettled West. Their travels are dictated by where Oliver, an engineer, can find work in either the mining or dam-building industries. His fate is hinged to the whims of wealthy east-coast businessmen, as they choose to commit to or abandon various projects. Susan came west from a life within the elite literary circles of New York, expecting a few years of adventure before returning to a life of comfort and intellectual stimulation. But fate intervenes as Oliver must move from project to project, never quite finding professional and financial success. The story is told by their grandson, a retired historian who reads through the correspondence that Susan shares with her dear friend Augusta, who is living the life Susan dreams of in New York high society. The book is a long read, almost 600 pages, but it rightly won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1972. Stegner’s vivid prose captures the geography and tapestry of the west and transports the reader into those surroundings. Nor does he flinch from tackling the frustrations and sadness that Susan and Oliver experience through their decades together.
Town meeting was last week. I will introduce our new trustees in the coming months. In the meantime, thank you for passing the town budget. As we look forward to opening our new addition, remember that you can follow the Jeudevine on Instagram or Facebook. Or, go to the website and sign up for the newsletter at jeudevinememoriallibrary.org
Brendan Buckley
