The History of The Wayland Free Public Library: 1901-2000
Elizabeth Simms
The twentieth century was a time of significant technological, economic, structural, and social change for the Wayland Free Public Library. The invention of new information systems and technologies changed how library patrons used the library’s collection and services, as well as what patrons could get out of visiting the library. The library underwent renovations and construction, which provided roomier and more comfortable accommodation for a growing collection of books. This construction also aided in the library staff’s ongoing efforts to offer more programs and activities for library visitors of all ages. It was not always smooth sailing for the library during the twentieth century, however. The WFPL would weather economic challenges as well as issues with sufficient library space that had the potential to hurt the WFPL’s goal of providing an adequate space for learning, entertainment, and community for Wayland’s residents. Despite these challenges, the Library repeatedly met this goal, and continues to do so today.
1901-1939
Innovation in Library Organization
The Wayland Free Public Library started the twentieth century with a major change to make its collection more accessible. Over the past two decades, libraries across the country had been steadily adopting a new system of classifying and organizing the books in their collections. Named the Dewey Decimal System after its creator Mevil Dewey, this system allowed for a library’s contents to be organized into ten different categories based on the knowledge they provided. Melvil Dewey published his first edition of this library system in 1876, and by the late 1880s more and more libraries adopted the system. In 1901, the WFPL made the decision to adopt the Dewey Decimal System as well. In order to implement this system, the Library had to re-catalog its collection, and the Board of Library Trustees hired Amherst Library School graduate Louise E. Jones and two assistants to complete the necessary classification and re-cataloging. Jones and her two assistants began work in July 1901 and finished in November, while the new catalog for the Cochituate branch was completed in January 1902. The re-cataloging of the library’s collection ushered in the use of card catalogs to allow staff and patrons to more easily locate books in the library, and this system remained in use until the late 1980s.
Library Readership from 1901-1939
The types of books offered by the library and utilized by patrons went through changes as well. Throughout this period, the library saw dips and swells in the number of books in its collection as the library bought books and inevitably had to remove others due to wear and tear, obsolescence, or a need for more space for new books. Overall, though, the number of books in the library’s collection rose steadily. By the end of the year in 1939, the WFPL had 25,979 books between the main branch and the Cochituate branch, up from the 13,744 at the beginning of 1902. At the same time, the circulation of books–the number of books checked out–steadily increased for both adults and juveniles. During this period, the number of non-fiction books outnumbered the number of fiction books in the library’s collection twice over. However, library patrons borrowed more fiction than non-fiction books by an even greater factor. According to librarians’ yearly reports to the Trustees across the early twentieth century, more than 70 percent of the books utilized by the library’s patrons were fiction. The popularity of fiction among readers did not escape the Trustees’ attention, and they acknowledged the demand for more and newer fiction titles. However, in 1906, the Trustees argued that the limited funds available for new books required the library to carefully consider the “character of new acquisitions” to ensure the library remained a “source of both entertainment and information.” They could not simply fill the library’s shelves with the newest fiction books, many of whose value, according to the Trustees, was “experimental.”1 In other words, the Trustees expressed the belief that non-fiction books had more value and worth than fiction books, and the library’s acquisitions over the years demonstrate this belief. Thirteen years after making this statement, in 1919, the Trustees expressed further dismay over the fact that the vast majority of books checked out by library users was still fiction. The discrepancy between the number of fiction and non-fiction books in the WFPL’s collection and in circulation remained throughout this period.
The Wayland Free Public Library had more to offer patrons than just books. It created activities and programs for both children and adults in order to provide more opportunities for learning and entertainment and to encourage greater use of the library among the residents of Wayland. One such program that the library started was Children’s Book Week, held in the month of November. Starting in 1922, the library invited children from the nearby public school to learn about the library and the services and books that it offered, and to enjoy activities such as story time from a professional storyteller. The Library also allowed library staff and community organizations to run programs for adults, such as inviting speakers to give talks or organizing events in which residents could learn more about the library. These events helped to establish the library as not just a place for reading, but also a place for fun, community, and other means of learning.
The Cochituate Branch and Mrs. Sarah E. Heard
The Wayland Free Public Library’s main branch was not alone in undergoing transformations during this period. With $1,000 from the town, the Trustees of the Library opened a branch library and reading room in Cochituate in 1907 in a space formerly occupied by Mr. N.R. Gerald’s store on Main Street, for a monthly rent of $12. To run the Cochituate branch, the trustees hired Mrs. Grace Loker as librarian and soon allowed Mrs. Loker to hire an assistant as well. Two years later, the Trustees of the WFPL established a new procedure for distributing books from the main branch to the Cochituate branch. The Trustees decided to send two hundred books, half of them fiction, to the Cochituate branch and have them available to users for two months, after which time they would be returned to the main branch and replaced with two hundred different books. This process would continue every two months thereafter. Interestingly, while the main branch contained substantially more non-fiction books than fiction, the Cochituate branch was the exact opposite. Since the librarian, Grace Loker, started noting the characteristics of the Cochituate branch’s collection in 1919 in its annual reports, it always held many more fiction books than non-fiction. Why the Cochituate branch had more fiction books than non-fiction is unclear. It is interesting, however, that the Trustees were content with having books of such “experimental” value in large quantities at the Cochituate branch and not the main branch.
In the same year that the library implemented the Dewey Decimal System, the library experienced a significant change in personnel. The Trustees of the Library demanded Mrs. Sarah E. Heard, Wayland’s librarian since 1885, to resign despite a petition from the townspeople protesting her forced resignation.2 In her place, they hired Mrs. Everett Small (nee Mabel T. Staples), a graduate of Boston University’s liberal arts college. The Trustees’ appointment of Mrs. Small foreshadowed the professionalization of the librarian position that was to come. Changes in the qualifications of library personnel would become more pronounced over the course of the twentieth century, and the WFPL’s Trustees expanded the set of skills and knowledge that they expected potential librarians to possess. A college degree, as Mrs. Small had, would grow from beneficial to mandatory for those who applied to work as librarians at the WFPLin the future.
1940-1979
Expansion of Library Collection and Services
As the century went on, the library continued some of the trends of the previous forty years. The library expanded the number of books in both the main branch and the Cochituate branch, despite ongoing problems with finding enough shelf space for new books. Library readership itself experienced a dramatic increase between 1940 and 1979 as circulation went up from 28,961 books in 1940 to a total of 109,288 by 1979. The services provided by the library also expanded during this period. The WFPL offered lectures and programs that provided adult library visitors the opportunity to expand their knowledge on a variety of subjects. Moreover, organizations in the Wayland community gained access to a public forum from which they could speak to community members. The creation of the Francis Shaw Room in 1947, named after a former Library trustee, allowed for a place where governmental or community organizations could hold events or meetings. By creating such a space, the library strengthened its role in the Wayland community.
Wayland Library, Catwalk from Round Room, 1960
With the 1987 renovation, the stacks and windows were relocated to the new wing, while the staircase to the mezzanine was moved to the right end of the catwalk. Note the card catalog under the right mezzanine. The “It’s Here” poster on the left refers to a polio clinic. Original photo by Willard B. Dik.
In particular, the Library improved the programs and activities that it offered to children, providing opportunities to watch movies and puppet shows, listen to books at story time, and enjoy summer and after school programs. The WFPL also hired a children’s librarian in 1954 who focused on the books and activities available for young visitors to the library. In 1958, the library began construction of a children’s room in its basement to expand its existing children’s section, with plans to furnish the room in 1959 so that it could be opened that year. The plan repurposed the Shaw Room, a corridor, and the town’s former Civil Defense Room. However, for reasons beyond the library staff’s control, the opening of the Children’s Room was postponed to January 23, 1960. On this day, the library held an open house to celebrate the new room, which offered books and activities for youngsters in the town. The area that had previously housed the children’s section became a space for young adults in grades 7-12, and for the books they would enjoy reading.
To further expand the opportunities for learning at the Library, the library increased its collaboration with Wayland public schools. Schoolchildren took regular field trips to the WFPL, where they read stories and were taught by librarians how to use reference books. During these trips, the children were also able to check out books for themselves, and the librarians taught them how to use the Library for both information and fun. At the same time, the librarians also made trips to the schools to teach classes to the children, and the LIbrary loaned books to the schools to provide supplementary reading and learning materials. Thus, the WFPL strived to encourage children to take advantage of the library and all that it had to offer. Moreover, these efforts encouraged an interest in reading. These efforts paid off as juvenile circulation steadily increased over this forty-year period.
Library Professionalization
The professionalization of the library position, which began incrementally in the first forty years of the century, continued at a faster pace from 1940 to 1979. It became more commonplace for librarians to have degrees, especially in library science, to ensure that they had knowledge of best practices and proper techniques needed to run contemporary libraries. The qualifications necessary for librarians, children’s librarians, and assistant librarians expanded as a result, as did applications for these positions. In 1955, the Trustees determined that the WFPL had reached a point in its growth where it, too, needed a librarian with a degree in library science. Applicants who held a degree had their choice of jobs that paid more than the $2,000 that Trustees offered librarians at the WFPL. Therefore, the Trustees decided to increase the librarian’s salary and were able to hire Marjorie Ferris, a graduate of Syracuse University, as their librarian at the new rate. At the same time, the librarian’s heavy load of duties and the Trustees’ experimental decision to open the library for six days a week made it necessary to hire the Library’s first full-time assistant librarian to provide much-needed support. The increasing array of responsibilities that the library took on throughout this period required a knowledgeable and full-time staff. These responsibilities would only increase as time went on.
1980-2000
As the WFPL entered the final two decades of the twentieth century, the library staff continued their efforts to improve the experience for visitors. Technological innovations would aid the Library staff in these efforts, allowing the library to increase library patrons’ access to different materials and new forms of learning, knowledge, and entertainment. However, financial difficulties would complicate the library’s efforts to improve its collection and services.
Money Troubles
In 1980, the same year that Ronald Reagan won his landslide presidential victory, the residents of Massachusetts also passed Proposition 2½, a bill that limited property taxes in the state to within 2½ percent of a property’s taxable value. The bill further required towns to reduce property taxes by 15 percent every year until they reached this level of 2½ percent and restricted town governments from increasing their local tax rates by more than 2½ percent each year. By lowering property taxes and preventing them from increasing with inflation, Proposition 2½ decreased the tax revenue available for public services. Public schools took the greatest financial hit, but libraries suffered too, the WFPL among them.
The LIbrary felt the impact of the bill quite quickly. At the end of 1980, the library’s Trustees had to find a way to comply with the town Finance Committee’s demands to reduce the 1982 fiscal year budget by 10 percent of the $218,000 in the library’s baseline budget for the 1981 fiscal year. Such a reduction in the budget would reduce the library’s budget to $196,200, which was $44,758 shy of the library director’s original budget of $240,958 for 1982. Thus, the Trustees would have to cut costs somewhere to meet the required reduction in funds. To do so, the Trustees considered several options, such as closing the Cochituate branch, reducing the libraries’ hours, and eliminating staff positions like assistants for the Children’s Room. Closing the Cochituate branch in particular became a very serious consideration among the Trustees. However, because residents expressed the importance of the Cochituate branch to the community and protested its possible closure, the Trustees decided against this measure.
The WFPL continued to deal with the financial repercussions of Proposition 2½ for years after 1983. In 1985, it managed to obtain an override of the law, allowing its budget to increase by more than 2½ percent. In addition, funds from federal sources, such as Title II of the Library Services and Construction Act, also helped the WFPL to continue to provide and expand important services to the community. In other years, however, neither an override nor federal sources of funding could be obtained, putting a strain on the Library’s services. In the 1989 Fiscal Year, the LIbrary found its remaining material budget in poor shape. With only $2,034.86 left in March of that year, the Trustees acknowledged that the library would be able to get through May. However, the low amount of funds would have a “negative impact on the amount and variety of books purchased until June,” and the library would “barely make the 168 [book] requirement for receiving State aid.”3 The library’s financial difficulties eventually played a small role in the closure of the Cochituate branch in 1989.
The branch had been a part of Cochituate for over a century, providing a space for learning, entertainment, and community-building for adults and children alike. Eventually, however, decreased public use and support, budgeting difficulties, and dim prospects for funding put the branch’s future in doubt. The Trustees hoped to obtain another Proposition 2 ½ override at the next town meeting before making a decision. However, voters made it apparent that there would be an override only for schools, so the Trustees did not include the library budget in the override vote. Without the community support or funds to keep it open, the Trustees closed the Cochituate branch in July 1989, leaving the main branch alone to serve Wayland.
Despite the financial difficulties that the WFPL experienced during this period, the library persevered and the range of services and materials available to library patrons continued to grow. Technological innovation, acquisition of new materials, and expansion of the main building all contributed to advance the library as a place of knowledge and community, and improve the library experience overall .
Technological Innovation
Starting in the early 1980s,the LIbrary began considering how to automate the library’s processes and services, particularly its “book ordering, cataloging, circulation procedures, and card catalogs.”4 Automation would improve services, save money, provide library patrons with access to more books and other materials, and free up the library staff’s time for other tasks. With these aims in mind, the Trustees voted to join the Minuteman Library Network. Created in 1983 as a means to automate member libraries and share resources between them, the MLN is a consortium of libraries in metropolitan Boston with a central database located, at that time, in headquarters in Framingham, MA.
The MLN started with fourteen members, WFPL among them. At the end of 1983, the Library requested $20,845 to pay for the terminals “necessary to input into the computer the bibliographical data in our present card catalog, the labor costs to do this, and the equipment and phone line to connect” to the MLN’s central site.5 This funding would be well worth the investment because the costs of continuing to operate the library manually, according to the Trustees and the library staff, would be higher over the next eight years than if the library were automated. In 1984, the Trustees signed the MLN agreement after the town’s counsel approved the contract, and gained approval for the funds for the necessary equipment. Over the next few years, the library staff set about entering the library’s collection into the MLN database so that Library patrons and other libraries in the MLN had access to the WFPL’s collection through library computers. Starting on January 5, 1987, visitors to the Library could officially use the new automated circulation system to find materials not only in the WFPL but in MLN member libraries as well. Llibrary employees could now use terminals to automatically check out people’s books and keep track of borrowing without the use of paper records.
In the following years, the staff and Trustees of the LIbrary continued to improve upon the library’s automation, as well as provide library users with access to new technological materials. In the late 1980s, the Library implemented an automated public catalog that would eventually replace the library’s card catalog. The physical card catalog system, which had been in place since the WFPL moved to the Dewey Decimal System in 1901, was now obsolete. The acquisition of CD-ROM products in the 1990s and audiovisual (AV) materials, such as audiobooks and videotapes, in the 1990s increased the avenues for learning and entertainment available to library users. Over the course of the 1990s and 2000s, the library continued to upgrade its automation equipment and services so as to improve library patrons’ access to materials and information. WFPL provided additional computer workstations to upgrade its available equipment and increase user accessibility to the library’s collection and the MLN. Furthermore, WFPL provided Internet access on the library’s computers through the Minuteman Network. Thus, as the library upgraded with the advent of new technologies, the services and materials available to library visitors continued to improve and expand.
To provide library users with help using these new technologies and services, library staff received training, becoming specialists in hardware, software, and the internet. In this way, expectations for library staff changed yet again. Technological innovation expanded the positions available at the library as the WFPL hired a part-time computer specialist to solve the computer problems that other library employees could not.
An Addition to the Wayland Free Public Library
Recognizing the long-unsolved need for more space for library materials and activities, the LIbrary sought to expand the library building by constructing an addition to the library and renovating the main building. At the annual town meeting in 1973, the Trustees brought forward a warrant article for $430,000 to build a 6,000-square-foot addition. It was voted down, with some opposing residents suggesting the media center at the new high school as an alternative.5 In 1983, the Trustees made another attempt toward an addition by obtaining the funds necessary to pay an architect to draw up a preliminary sketch. This initial draft estimated a cost of $1.5 million for the addition, again 6,000 square feet. When combined with the renovated main building, it would “provide stack areas for up to 75,000 volumes, a new children’s room,…a program room, quiet reading and study areas,” and room for the library’s automation equipment, among other improvements.6 On April 22, 1985, the Town Meeting voted unanimously to appropriate $1,250,000 for the construction and renovations. To cover the remainder of the cost, WFPL obtained $150,000 in federal funds through Title II of the Library Services and Construction Act and received donations from many individuals and organizations. These organizations included the Raytheon Company, which donated $20,000 and the DOW Chemical Company, which donated $5,000. After gaining the necessary funds, the Trustees signed a contract with Loran Construction for $1,312,956 for the construction in 1986. Following the relocation of half of the library’s collection into the Loker School Gymnasium and its operations to the Hearing Room of the Town Building, construction of the addition and the renovation began in August of that year. The construction and renovation were completed at the end of 1987, and on December 20 of that year, the WFPL officially opened the new addition to the public.
This addition temporarily resolved the library’s need for additional space. But by the turn of the 21st century, the library staff and Trustees again recognized a need for more room. The demands of the library’s collection required more space, as only a very “aggressive weeding” of the library’s collection prevented “books from overflowing the shelves.”7 More space would allow the LIbrary to expand upon the materials available in underrepresented areas. To meet these needs, the LIbrary considered building a new library instead of expanding upon the current one, and identified the new municipal lot in Wayland’s Town Center as a potential site for construction.
The Wayland Free Public Library has changed considerably since the start of the twentieth century. The library’s collection, its services, and its programs, expanded through the efforts of WFPL directors and staff, the invention of new technologies, additions to the library building. But in some respects, the WFPL has stayed the same. The library staff remains available to help patrons in need of assistance. And above all, the library is still a place where someone can expand the boundaries of their world and their knowledge, and remains an integral part of the community of Wayland.
April, 2023. Photo by Hendrik Broekman.
Footnotes
1 “Report of Public Library Trustees” (1908), in Official Reports of the Town of Wayland, 1905-1908, 85.
2 The circumstances of this resignation are discussed in “Sarah Heard’s Library” above.
3 9 March 1989, Library Trustee Minutes (BOLT), 1973-2009. Unpublished. WFPL Archives.
4 “Support Article #10: Library Automation, December 5, 1983, Special Town Meeting,” in Library Trustee Minutes (BOLT), 1973-2009, the WFPL Archives.
5 “Support Article #10”
6 Annual Reports of the Town of Wayland, 1974-1975, 44.
7 “Library,” Annual Reports of the Town of Wayland, 1985-1986, 180.
8 “Wayland Public Library Trustees Meeting,” June 16, 2004, in Library Trustee Minutes (BOLT), 1973-2009, the WFPL Archives.
Bibliography
Library Trustee Minutes (BOLT), 1973-2009. Unpublished. WFPL Archives.
Annual Reports of the Town of Wayland, 1905-1986. Internet Archive.
Library Trustee Records, Box I-III, 1901-1977. Unpublished. WFPL Archives.