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The Jones Library of Amherst, Massachusetts is a public library with three locations, the main building and two branches. The library was established in 1919 by a fund set up in the will of lumberman Samuel Minot Jones. [1] The library is governed by a board of trustees and provides a range of library materials, electronic resources, programming, special collections and events for residents of Amherst and the surrounding area. The library is on the Association of Library Trustees, Advocates, Friends and Foundations’ Literary Landmark Register in recognition of its association with poet Robert Frost. [2]
Samuel Minot Jones was a Civil War soldier and lumber trader whose family had lived in Amherst since 1839. Although he spent most of his own life in Chicago and New Jersey, he retained an attachment to Amherst and particularly to Amity Street, the location of his childhood home. In his 1905 will, Jones laid out a provision that should “no child survive me or all die before the age of twenty-one years,” the money willed to his children should instead go to the town of Amherst to fund a free public library. He died on October 10, 1912.
In 1918 Samuel Minot Jones’ only son, Minot Jones, died of Spanish influenza at age nineteen while training for World War I in Camp Polk, North Carolina. At that point Jones’ fortune was entrusted to the town of Amherst and the Jones Library trustees, an amount then totaling $661,747.08.
On March 21, 1919, the Massachusetts Legislature passed an act of incorporation allowing “The Jones Library, Incorporated,” to receive and administer their endowment funds. In April 1919 the trustees held their first meeting. Although both Jones’ will and the act of incorporation specified the construction of a fireproof building, the trustees set up a temporary “reading room” in apartment housing across the street from their future building site.
The first librarian of the Jones Library was Charles Robert Green. He had been the librarian of the Massachusetts Agricultural College (now University of Massachusetts Amherst) since 1908, but the College's budgetary restrictions on their library induced him to seek other work. He was appointed the librarian of the Jones Library on September 1, 1920.
From 1920 to 1926, Green established the Jones Library in the temporary space nearby the building site and expanded the collection. Over five thousand books were received from the recently closed Amherst town library, and the Boltwood family donated a collection of local history books and manuscripts. In 1922 the library began to host programming in one of the rented rooms, including academic lectures, storytelling, and adult literature classes.
On December 9, 1926, a fire broke out in the apartment building that served as the library's temporary location. Local college students worked with firefighters to save many of the books and furniture, and though the library lost significant portions of collections and their records, they were able to re-open in hastily leased rooms the very next day. The new rooms were in the F.S. Whipple home on North Pleasant Street, directly adjacent to the lot on Amity Street purchased as a location for the projected library building, on which construction soon began.
The Amity Street building, designed by Allan Cox of the Putnam & Cox architecture firm, was completed on November 1, 1928. The trustees and architects intentionally designed the building to look more like a home than a public space: the intention was for the library to play the role of “Mother Amherst welcoming her children home.” [3] It was also one of the first libraries to house a public auditorium space for community performances and gatherings; the idea was so new that when the programs first started the librarian wrote to the State Library Commission to check that they were legally allowed to hold events in a library space.
Charles Green, the first librarian, encouraged local authors, poets, academics, biographers and other literary figures to come speak at the library. Notable performers and patrons of the library included poets David Morton, Robert Francis and Robert Frost, Nobel Prize winner Dr. William Murphy, Supreme Court Justice Harlan Fiske Stone, and journalist Ray Stannard Baker (under his pseudonym David Grayson).
William F. Merrill became the second director of the library in 1954. The subsequent directors were Quentin De Streel (1971–75), [4] Anne Turner (1975–80), Bonnie Isman (1980–2010) and Sharon Sharry (2011–present).
In 2003 the Jones Library formed a sister library relationship with a library in Kanegasaki, Japan. The libraries exchange books and resources, particularly those related to Emily Dickinson. [5]
The Jones Library has two branches in addition to the main Amity Street location.
The Munson Memorial Library is on South East Street in South Amherst. It is named for Parnell T. Munson, whose widow donated $30,000 in her will to build a library in Amherst in 1914. When the much larger Samuel Minot Jones bequest was made 5 years later, the plans already underway for the Munson bequest were scrapped. The building to house the Munson Memorial Library was finally built in 1930, as a branch of the Jones Library, and later evolved into a community center with a library inside.
The North Amherst Library was the first free public library in Amherst, initially sustained through membership dues instead of an endowment. It was established in 1873, and has been located at its current address on Montague Road since 1891. The building is part of the North Amherst Center Historic District. The North Amherst library became a branch of the Jones Library on June 20, 1925.
Poet Emily Dickinson was born and lived most of her life in Amherst, Massachusetts. The Emily Dickinson Museum is located in her family home less than a mile from the Jones Library's main location. Charles Green, the first director of the library, was a Dickinson scholar and began building a collection of her works in 1924. Subsequent directors and patrons to the library built on Green's foundation. [6] The Jones Library Emily Dickinson Collection currently consists of approximately seven thousand items, including original manuscript poems and letters, Dickinson editions and translations, family correspondence, scholarly articles and books, newspaper clippings, theses, plays, photographs, and contemporary artwork and prints. [7]
Poet Robert Frost was a sometimes resident of Amherst from 1917 until his death in 1963. He formed a friendship with Charles Green, the first director of the library: Frost said that Green was “the first person who thought he was worth collecting”. [3] By the time he retired as curator of the Robert Frost collection in 1966, Green had collected over 60 manuscripts, more than 25 shelves of published material by or about Frost, and a large compilation of newspaper clippings, photographs and periodicals.
The Jones Library Robert Frost Collection currently consists of approximately twelve thousand items, including original manuscript poems and letters, correspondence and photographs, as well as audio and visual recordings.
The Kids Room includes pre-reading books, multimedia resources, a toddler play space, and a Parenting Collection. The Kids programming includes the Afterschool Writing and Book Clubs, the Lego Club, the Chess Club, Spanish Story Hours, and Preschool Story time. [9]
The Jones Library English as a Second Language tutoring program matches adult English students with native English speakers. Tutors work one-on-one with students to build conversational literacy skills. The program is also designed to help prepare immigrant students for citizenship, and to provide cultural orientation to Amherst and the US. [10]
The library has subscription access to 48 databases. [11]
The Jones Library has two rooms that are open for local groups and businesses to use: the Amherst Room and the Woodbury Room.
The Jones Library delivers books, music, audiobooks, DVDs and magazines to residents who are homebound or unable to get to the library.
Jones Library has assistive listening devices available in the Woodbury Room. It is accessible in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Jones Library hosts a variety of programming for the local community, as part of its mission to support civic and cultural life in the region. The range of programming includes events such as:
The Digital Amherst Project is an online multimedia resource of historical and cultural materials. The site contains over 1000 items such as written documents, photographs, sermons, multimedia presentations, and new articles [12] It was introduced at the 250th anniversary of the town of Amherst in spring 2009. [13] The Digital Amherst Project has been recognized by the American Library Association for its use of cutting-edge technology in library services [14] and is listed as one of 10 top resources for community digital archives by the Library of Congress. [15]
The Burnett Gallery is located on the second floor of the Jones Library Amity Street location, and displays rotating exhibits by community artists. Part of the mission of the Gallery is to display a wide range of community art: “Collectively, the library's exhibits aim to reflect a variety of media, styles, cultural viewpoints, and levels of artistic experience”. [16] The Gallery is a stop on Amherst's First Thursday Art Walk. [17]
The Jones Library is governed by an elected board of trustees, which consists of six members elected for 3-year terms. “The board has legal responsibility for the provision of library services, custody of library property, appointment of the library director, expenditure of funds, and determination of library policy,” [18] Trustee meetings are open to the public and minutes are posted on the library website.
The Friends of the Jones Libraries is a non-profit organization dedicated to raising money for library programs, items and services not covered by the library's annual budget. Members contribute an annual amount to the fund as well as assisting with programming and advertising for the library.
Amherst is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massachusetts municipalities that have city forms of government but retain "The Town of" in their official names. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,263, making it the highest populated municipality in Hampshire County. The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, three of the Five Colleges.
Amherst College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher education in Massachusetts. The institution was named after the town, which in turn had been named after Jeffery, Lord Amherst, Commander-in-Chief of British forces of North America during the French and Indian War. Originally established as a men's college, Amherst became coeducational in 1975.
The Boston Public Library is a municipal public library system in Boston, Massachusetts, founded in 1848. The Boston Public Library is also Massachusetts' Library for the Commonwealth, meaning all adult residents of the state are entitled to borrowing and research privileges, and the library receives state funding. The Boston Public Library contains approximately 24 million items, making it the third-largest public library in the United States behind the federal Library of Congress and New York Public Library, which is also privately endowed. This building was designated as a Boston Landmark by the Boston Landmarks Commission in 2000.
Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts historically women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts, United States. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of historically female colleges in the Northeastern United States. The college was founded in 1837 as the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary by Mary Lyon, a pioneer in education for women. Mount Holyoke is part of the Five College Consortium in Western Massachusetts.
Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet. Little-known during her life, she has since been regarded as one of the most important figures in American poetry. Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, into a prominent family with strong ties to its community. After studying at the Amherst Academy for seven years in her youth, she briefly attended the Mount Holyoke Female Seminary before returning to her family's home in Amherst. Evidence suggests that Dickinson lived much of her life in isolation. Considered an eccentric by locals, she developed a penchant for white clothing and was known for her reluctance to greet guests or, later in life, even to leave her bedroom. Dickinson never married, and most of her friendships were based entirely upon correspondence.
The Folger Shakespeare Library is an independent research library on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., United States. It has the world's largest collection of the printed works of William Shakespeare, and is a primary repository for rare materials from the early modern period (1500–1750) in Britain and Europe. The library was established by Henry Clay Folger in association with his wife, Emily Jordan Folger. It opened in 1932, two years after his death.
The W. E. B. Du Bois Library is one of the three libraries of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, the others being the Science and Engineering Library and the Wadsworth Library at the Mount Ida Campus. The W. E. B. Du Bois Library holds resources primarily in humanities and social and behavioral sciences. At 28 stories and 286 feet 4+1⁄8 inches tall, it is the third-tallest library in the world after the National Library of Indonesia in Jakarta at 414 feet and Shanghai Library in China at 348 feet. Measuring taller purely by height, the libraries in Jakarta and Shanghai both only have 24 floors. The W. E. B. Du Bois Library is also considered to be the tallest academic research library and 32nd tallest educational building in the world. The building maintains a security force, which is managed by various supervisors and student employees.
The State Library of New South Wales, part of which is known as the Mitchell Library, is a large heritage-listed special collections, reference and research library open to the public and is one of the oldest libraries in Australia. Established in 1869 its collections date back to the Australian Subscription Library established in the colony of New South Wales in 1826. The library is located on the corner of Macquarie Street and Shakespeare Place, in the Sydney central business district adjacent to the Domain and the Royal Botanic Gardens, in the City of Sydney. The library is a member of the National and State Libraries Australia (NSLA) consortium.
The Emily Dickinson Museum is a historic house museum consisting of two houses: the Dickinson Homestead and the Evergreens. The Dickinson Homestead was the birthplace and home from 1855 to 1886 of 19th-century American poet Emily Dickinson (1830–1886), whose poems were discovered in her bedroom there after her death. The house next door, called the Evergreens, was built by the poet's father, Edward Dickinson, in 1856 as a wedding present for her brother Austin. Located in Amherst, Massachusetts, the houses are preserved as a single museum and are open to the public on guided tours.
The Huntington Beach Public Library (HBPL) is a library system located in Huntington Beach, California. It offers online databases, print and electronic books and magazines, children's programs, computer lab, DVDs, CDs, and audiobooks for anyone with a Huntington Beach Library card. Library cards are free to California residents. Free wireless access is available at all locations without a card.
The State Library of North Carolina is an institution which serves North Carolina libraries, state government employees, genealogists, and the citizens of North Carolina. The library is the main depository for North Carolina state publications and serves the needs of North Carolina government agencies and state government employees by providing access to information resources that are vital to public decision-making and economic development.
Houghton Library, on the south side of Harvard Yard adjacent to Widener Library, Lamont Library, and Loeb House, is Harvard University's primary repository for rare books and manuscripts. It is part of the Harvard College Library, the library system of Harvard's Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The collections of Houghton Library include the Harvard Theatre Collection and the Woodberry Poetry Room, as well as the personal papers and archives of major American and English writers.
Amity Street is a main east-west street in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the continuation of Main Street, being renamed Amity Street west of Pleasant Street, which is the main north-south street in Amherst. Emily Dickinson lived on Main Street, while Eugene Field lived on 219 Amity Street. The street is about one mile (1.6 km) south of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus and 0.3 miles (0.48 km) west of the town common. Route 9 runs about 0.5 miles (0.80 km) south of Amity Street. The street also features a number of grand old Victorian homes and historically significant buildings such as the Jones Library, the Strong House, the Amherst Cinema Building and the Solomon Boltwood House.
Dunedin Public Libraries is a network of six libraries and two bookbuses in Dunedin, New Zealand, owned and operated by the Dunedin City Council. The Libraries' collection includes over 700,000 items, and around 30,000 books and audiovisual items plus 15,000 magazines are added each year. Members can borrow or return items from any library or bookbus in the network.
The Cambridge Public Library (CPL) in Cambridge, Massachusetts consists of a unified city-wide system maintaining: a main branch, of notable aesthetic architectural value, plus a further six localized branches sited throughout the city. Having evolved from the Cambridge Athenaeum, the main library branch was built at its present site in 1888. The main library most recently underwent renovation, and a modern building addition significantly expanded the overall branch in 2009. Thus, it greatly increased the branch's area, more than tripling its square footage.
The Chicopee Public Library is the public library for the city of Chicopee, Massachusetts. A member of the Western Massachusetts Regional Library System (WMRLS), the library participates in resources sharing and collaboration with all other libraries in the WRMLS. The library owns approximately 109,000 books according to the 2005 IMLS Public Library Report. In addition, they have 4,200 media items and send and receive over 35,000 interlibrary loan requests. In the fiscal year 2008, the city of Chicopee spent 1.1% of its budget ($1,401,141) on its public library, around $25 per person.
The South Amherst Common Historic District encompasses the village common and surrounding buildings of South Amherst, Massachusetts. This area developed as a rural residential village hub in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1995.
The State Library of Massachusetts in Boston, Massachusetts was established in 1826 and "supports the research and information needs of government, libraries, and people through ... services and access to a comprehensive repository of state documents and other historical items." It "opened in 1826 and has been in its present location in the State House since the 1890s." The State Library falls under the administration of the governor.
Margaret Maher was an Irish-American long-term domestic worker in the household of American poet Emily Dickinson.
Cooley Dickinson Hospital is a nonprofit community hospital located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the primary hub of Cooley Dickinson Health Care, a regional network of primary and specialty care medical providers, an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, which is part of Mass General Brigham.