Falmouth Library Eyes Study For Potential East Branch Upgrades
The Falmouth Public Library is considering applying for a planning and design grant to study the library for possible improvement and expansion, and is seeking feedback from the community.
A survey shared on Facebook has been circulating through town. It asks for ways to improve the East Falmouth branch in terms of accessibility and function.
“The East Falmouth branch is a beautiful little library in a perfect location to serve the village,” library director Linda Collins said in an email to the Enterprise. “We are committed to providing library services to the village of East Falmouth, but the building itself has some limitations.”
Currently, the lower floor of the East Falmouth branch is non-accessible and used only for storage, and a chronic musty smell has persisted despite staff’s creative attempts to address it. The main room of the library is a mid-century modern, sunken living room, which itself poses access issues. The living room space, which is open to the rest of the library, is used for meetings of different clubs or organizations, but the sound carries and impacts other library patrons.
Ms. Collins said that some improvements to the East Falmouth branch—such as new shelving and carpeting in the adult collections room—were implemented recently. With the help of the Library Support Fund, an outdoor play area was created to be used for children’s programs. The DPW addressed road drainage issues and added two safer disabled parking spaces, and the addition of flower bed landscaping was made possible by the town parks department and the East Falmouth Village Association. The library, which is next to Mill Pond and the Smitty’s ice cream store, has waterfront views and a drive-up service where staff can deliver library books to cars.
“The East Falmouth Branch has so much to offer,” Ms. Collins said. “Early results from a library survey show that the people of East Falmouth love their library and would like it to be a more full-service facility. One comment that really resonated was, 'Libraries are for the community, so if you don’t have space for people to gather for programs, classes, meetings, etc., you are not serving your community.' The East Falmouth Library is an integral part of the village, but how do we best meet the village needs?”
Library staff have already begun reviewing survey responses, which help identify the community’s need for things such as additional computer services, space for both group meetings and quiet reading, a larger nonfiction collection, more programming and activities for adults and children, a bigger selection of magazines and newspapers, and additional outdoor seating options.
The survey for the East Falmouth branch can be found online at the Falmouth Public Library website, and paper copies are also available at the branch.