Long overdue
After four-and-a-half months, Beverly Farms library finally reopens
It was a normal day at the Beverly Farms library back in January, normal meaning quiet and peaceful and all the other qualities that make libraries a sanctuary from the outside world.
Then came the smoke. Black smoke, pouring out of the ductwork, a Harry Potter scene come to life.
Dorothea Lam, the Farms branch librarian, told me something you don’t often hear librarians say: “We ran out of the library with smoke billowing.”
The smoke came from a fire that broke out on the roof as workers were repairing the library’s HVAC system. The ensuing smoke damage caused the library to be closed for four-and-half months.
Now you might not consider that shutdown a full-blown catastrophe, considering patrons could still use the main Beverly Public Library on Essex Street. But the prolonged unavailability of the Farms branch only reinforced what people who use it on a regular basis already knew.
“This has always been an integral part of the community,” Lam said.
That was the theme of the day on Monday as the library finally reopened. The Friends of the Beverly Farms Library celebrated with cookies and lemonade. People showed up to return long overdue books and check out new ones. Kids hugged the new stuffed animals in the children’s room, including a tiger, penguin and giraffe. The old ones, including Corduroy the Bear, had to be replaced due to smoke damage.
“I am so glad you guys are open,” Catherine Mount exclaimed as she walked into the library. “I really missed you.”
Lam said they were lucky that the smoke did not set off the sprinklers, which could have caused extensive water damage. She said the books — about 25,000 of them — did have to be cleaned off, but none were lost. Last week, Lam and her staff reshelved about 2,000 books that had been returned during the closure and kept at the main library on Essex Street.
Lauren Erwin and Joan Johnson, members of The Friends of the Beverly Farms Library, said the branch has always been supported by the community. The Friends raise money for programs and run events such as an annual Lawn Party and Nutcracker Tea. Back in the ‘90s, when the city was considering closing the branch, people turned out at City Hall to protest. In 2004, a fund-raiser to build an addition raised over $1 million.
The idea of a public library in Beverly Farms goes back to 1875, when the Loring family housed books in their home in Prides Crossing and had them delivered every Saturday to local children, according to a history of the Beverly Public Library. The current branch was built in 1916 on land donated by the Lorings.
Mount, 70, a “semi-retired” college professor, said she relies on the Farms library for half of her reading material, not to mention getting some “social contact.” She lives nearby and walks to the branch, something she appreciates having grown up in sprawling Los Angeles. On Monday, she checked out “The Lost House” by Melissa Larsen and “More or Less Maddy” by Lisa Genova.
“I really missed it,” Mount said.
Kate Ingalls served as the Farms branch librarian for 22 years before retiring six years ago, but still volunteers on The Friends of Beverly Farms Library board.
“I loved working here because everyone who comes in is so appreciative,” she said. “There’s a real community feel here, and the workers reflect it.”
Lam, who lives in Winchester, said there is the perception by some people that the Farms branch is only for people who live in the Farms, or that anyone outside the Farms is not welcome. That could not be further from the truth, she said.
“There’s a total misconception,” Lam said.
Erwin, who lives right next door to the library, said the branch is one of the treasures of Beverly Farms, like West Beach or Dix Park. If anybody took it for granted, the shutdown will ensure they never will again.
“We definitely appreciate it now,” she said.
