York Public Library
The Community Center
York really took me by surprise. I am only marginally familiar with the surrounding town, so I really didn’t know very much about it. I didn’t realize that it actually serves a pretty decent sized population. Interestingly, the amount of people in town is similar to Exeter - a little less - but there is a TON of community involvement. This was evidenced by the HUGE amount of different commissions, committees, and orgs that all partner with and utilize the library’s space.
There is a huge display case for the Historical Society downstairs, and there’s a sizable display on the upper floor for the Committee for Veteran’s Affairs. The town uses the building for its Select Board meetings, as well as the Planning Board and Budget Committee - they all have events on the calendar for meeting room use. On top of that, there are reservations for the Southern Maine Invasive Plant Coalition, York River Stewardship Committee, York Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee, York Recycling Committee, Senior Citizen Advisory Board, Friends of York Community Center, Old York Garden Club, a walking club, the International Women’s Club of NE, and the Assessment Board. This is all on top of the typical library programming and usage that I would normally expect. This is clearly a town that has a lot going on. The building itself seems to have taken on the role of Community Center, as well as Public Library.
Building Amenities
Let’s start with - this building is huge. At 25,000sqft, the planners had the excellent foresight to give the community a building that can grow with them. It is immense.
The lot behind the building has a ton of spaces and also bike parking. There is an elevator for accessibility.
The main floor has 2 quiet rooms (study rooms?, also with sound protection), and there were at least large meeting rooms that I saw. Outside the quiet/study rooms, there is a working fireplace with comfy seating. The other end of the main floor has huge windows that let in lots of natural light, with more seating.
Downstairs is the Children’s Room (GIGANTIC), one of the aforementioned meeting rooms, and the Teen Room. In the Children’s Room there is also a dedicated Maker Space.
Outside the building, there’s a small pond and plenty of benches. It’s an absolutely lovely area.
Children’s Room
Well, wow. I can’t say I expected this when I first reached out. The entire area is a giant wonderland for kids of all ages. I don’t mean that as a general statement - there are things for tiny guys, elementary/middle aged kids, and a separate teen space. We have not been to one yet, but I imagine that the storytimes in front of those huge windows are absolutely packed.
The giant playhouse alone would have me tripping over myself, but the space is full of thousands of little touches. These kids (and hopefully these librarians), are clearly beloved in the community. The book collection - crazy good. The computers - insanely powerful. The craft section - packed and accessible.
Additionally, I was not prepared for the far left corner, which has been named Erin’s Place. Erin was clearly a dear member of the York community, and her parents have built one of the best, brightest, and most unique spaces that I have seen in a library so far. This space is reserved for, I believe, middle school-aged children and has comfy seating and gaming computers. In a Children’s Room that already shines so bright, Erin’s Place is really a step above.
Teen Room
I’m going to let you know right now what kind of person I am, and what kind of project this is.
When I first started reading up on YPL, the first things to come up would be about the controversy over the teen room. It is a testament to the care and protection of the York librarians that this space has continued to stand and be a safe and inviting place for anyone - just as a library should be. I’m seeing more and more libraries and their respective towns put money and resources into building these spaces for teens. I’ve seen some back down in the face of overbearing residents or parents. I’ve seen many more flourish. York is clearly flourishing.
With that out of the way, let’s talk about the room itself.
The best areas for teens that I come across are the ones where you can see the individualized impact in the room itself. There are drawings on the walls that kids have left. The magnet words leaving silly poems. The walls are riddled with what I can only imagine are inside jokes. These things show that kids are here consistently and that they are comfortable enough in this space to make it their own. The walls are lined with more sound-proofing fixtures, so the kids aren’t constantly being made to feel like burdens for just existing in a space that is meant to be their own.
Outdoor Space
Garden beds and benches aplenty!
Collection
Both the kids and adult sections were packed with excellent and relevant titles.
Programs/Events
Their events and programming calendar can be found here.
When I call this ‘The Community Center’, I mean it. It is the community CENTER. Just take a look at their calendar, you’ll see what I mean.