Earlier this spring, Curtis Memorial Library screened a special presentation of “Free for All: The Public Library,” a documentary about how the library became an American civic institution (now streaming on PBS). We were fortunate to be joined by Abby Van Slyck, an architectural historian featured in the documentary who is an expert on the history of libraries. “All buildings,” Abby has said, “can speak to us about the people who made and used them, if we learn to ask the right questions.”
What does our library say about us?
Anyone who has been in the original part of the building is aware of its soaring ceilings, rich wood paneling and impressive fireplace. This wing, constructed in 1904, surely would have been one of the most impressive structures open to the Brunswick public at the time. It still is. The 11-foot windows alone are inspiring (more on those later).
Before Brunswick’s library had a building of its own, though, it had only a room. Nevertheless, according to A.G. Tenney, writing in the Feb. 8, 1884, edition of the Brunswick Telegraph, this space was “open to all persons who desire to visit, for the purpose of examining and reading the books upon the library shelves, or the pamphlets or newspapers spread over the table.” From Tenney’s perspective, the Brunswick library was truly meant to be a place for everyone.
However, as “Free for All” makes clear, public libraries have not always been free for all. A lesser-known aspect of this history is that many libraries categorically refused service to Black Americans — or required them to use inferior, segregated facilities — well into the civil rights era, when sit-ins, protests and other actions helped change policy so that libraries finally opened to everyone.
It was not until 1961 that the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights declared that “the right of an individual to the use of a library should not be denied or abridged because of his race, religion, national origins, or political views.”
This shameful chapter in U.S. public library history is useful to consider in our own moment, as so many libraries — especially smaller, rural ones — are being threatened with various forms of defunding. Recalling how public library segregation undermined intellectual freedom can help us understand that the history of an institution often considered a cornerstone of democracy has not been smooth, and that it took communities coming together and fighting for the benefit of all to right these wrongs.
We can take courage from the stories highlighted in “Free for All” and use them as a springboard from which to advocate for our communities’ libraries. We can insist that our libraries continue to reflect who we want to be and support the visionary ideal of public libraries as places where anyone can enter and encounter a universe of ideas, free of charge.
Fortunately, our community is taking action. A program at Curtis in April, for example, has already garnered more than 250 letters and postcards written to Maine congressional leaders advocating for the protection of federal library funding.
In the meantime, there’s the matter of the sky-high windows in the original 1904 building. They are still beautiful and inspirational, but they are in dire need of attention. One of my fellow library board members, Dave Millar, has begun a mini-campaign to restore them, and, once preserved, they will hopefully last another 100 years, continuing to illuminate a welcoming space for all.
“Library Connections” is a monthly column that rotates among the three libraries that serve Harpswell: Cundy’s Harbor, Orr’s Island, and Curtis Memorial.
