The proactive work of the Children's Staff, resulting in at least
seven children's programs per week in the Summer and at least four programs
per week in the Winter, make the Library's first floor a very active one.
Library Staff actively promote the use of technology, offering
weekly personal computer and Internet training for adults in the off-season
and on-demand training in the use of the CLAMS catalog and databases year-round.
Through the many grants the Library has pursued over the past six years, services
have expanded. These grants include LSTA-funded parenting, homework, visually
impaired, customer service, and employment-resources grants, as well as operating
support grants from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, several Massachusetts
Foundation for the Humanities grants for adult programming, and a Massachusetts
Family Network Grant for family programs offered both at the Library and off-site.
As the collections, programs and resources have grown, the
Library community has worked to find a larger facility. In April 2001, Town
Meeting voted to move the Library to a new home at the Heritage Museum, which
was the former Center Methodist Episcopal Church, located on the corner of
Commercial Street and Center Street. In June 2001, the Massachusetts Board
of Library Commissioners awarded a Library Building Construction Grant of
$1,878,456 to help with this $4 million project. The Library Community is
currently working to raise the additional $1.072 million to meet this exciting
challenge. The Library anticipates opening the doors of its new facility in
2005.
