The building is unveiled

The building is unveiled

Lucius Beebe Memorial Library was referred to in the Wakefield Daily Item as a new building “of which the citizens of Wakefield are justly proud and which for many generations to come they will use profitably and enjoy.” Library patrons entered the building through a low vestibule into a larger “delivery room” where the delivery desk was located. Behind the desk was “a large opening showing the several tiers of stacks for the books and inviting the visitor to enter and browse around.” The stockroom was designed “in such a manner that the stacks may be extended at a future day should the present capacity prove to be in adequate.” On either side of the stockroom were working rooms for the staff, while the second floor held the “lounging room for the staff, complete with kitchenette facilities” and the Trustees room. The ceiling was “richly coffered, while in the center was a skylight to give greater light.” To the immediate left and right of the vestibule entrance were two small rooms, one used as a conversation room and the other as a newspaper room. The staircase to the left led to the children’s reading room while the small stairs to the right lead to the main reading room with its fireplace and bookcases around the entire room.