The dozens of townspeople gathered in Volunteers Hall last Saturday had good reason to join Director Mary Wilson in raising their champagne-filled glasses to toast the 10th anniversary of the Harvard Public Library’s new home. Since its opening in 2007, the library has become a center of cultural and civic activity, hosting performances and lectures, providing resources and afternoon activities for Hildreth Elementary School and Bromfield School students, and consistently adding to its collection of books, videos, and online publications for readers of all ages.
Many consider the library to be the town’s most successful project of recent times. The renovated building is an architectural gem, preserving a town landmark while opening it for use by everyone. And the manner of its funding is also remarkable, given the fraught history of more recent projects. The library was paid for with town and state funds, and by townspeople who responded generously to an innovative fundraising campaign.
So we join readers in congratulating the library trustees, staff, and many volunteers on their first successful decade. Harvard’s library is a jewel in its crown.
