In a similar vein to my highlighting of Lynn
English High School as a historic landmark in Lynn deserving of a spotlight,
I’ve again decided to highlight a historic landmark in Lynn that is a part of
everyday life for many of us but is nevertheless important due both to its own
historical significance and how it helps to educate the local populace about events
that have taken place in the past. I’m talking of course about the Lynn Public
Library, which for over 100 years has provided the people of Lynn with access
to a wide variety of different texts through which they can seek to widen their
knowledge in relation to a number of different subjects. The Library is located
at 5 N Common Street, and as such it is located across the street from the Lynn
Commons (Wiki). There were library like institutions in Lynn from 1815 onward, however
it took until the opening of the Lynn Public Library in 1900 for there to be a
permanent public library (Wiki). Construction for this new library began in
1898, and the library first opened its doors on April 2, 1900 (Lynn PDF). The cost
of construction for the library was $175,000 dollars and the construction was
completed with no public funding (Wiki). There was a certain element of
controversy surrounding the building of the library as the architect (George A.
Moore) was related to one of the trustees for the building of the library
(Wiki). Even though the library was established over one hundred years ago, it
continues to provide valuable service to the Lynn community as, in its own
words, the Lynn Public Library strives to serve “the needs of a diverse
population whose interests range from scholarly research to cultural pursuits
to entertainment” (Lynn Public Library). According to the same website the
Library’s collection includes “almost 125,000 volumes” (Lynn Public Library),
which provides ample evidence of the Library serving its function to the
community of Lynn as a place where a large number of different texts can be obtained
and utilized. I would make the case that the access that the library provides
to the populace of Lynn to valuable texts (many of which are no doubt historical
in nature), is indicative of its historical significance to the city of Lynn.
Works
Cited
Sometimes the Library offers tours and you can go into the Stacks with their translucent glass floors that are a couple of flights.
ReplyDelete