Notes on the Anniversary CelebrationIn 2004, one of the library staff came to me and said, “We should have an anniversary. Is anything coming up?” History books were consulted and voila!— it turned out that 2005 would mark the 150th anniversary of the Library’s founding. So we decided to celebrate. We put together a committee and started to plan. The Medford Public Library came into existence in 1855. At the town meeting in March , the town leaders sent out a commission to determine if a public library should be established. The committee came back in March of 1856 to encourage the enterprise, funds were allocated, and the first Medford Public Library opened in several rooms over the train station in Medford Square. Since the library was first proposed in 1855 and opened in 1856, we decided to celebrate an anniversary year beginning in March 2005. We also created the 150th Anniversary Fund, which will be used to renovate the Magoun Room. The Seven Seas Gala was the final event in the yearlong celebration. In the first twenty years, the library moved from the train station to the Usher Block on High St. to rooms in the basement of Town Hall. In 1875, the Library made the move to its current location when Thatcher Magoun Jr. gave the city his father’s High St. mansion and land to use as a library. His father, Thatcher Magoun Sr. was the first of the Medford shipbuilders. The library’s meeting room is named for him. The Library has flourished since its founding 150 years ago. Branch libraries sprang up in the 1920’s and were in use until the 1970’s. The Magoun mansion was added on to several times, and was replaced with the larger current building in 1960. The Library collection has grown too, from 1300 books in 1856 to over 100,000 books and many other kinds of items today. We circulate over 300,000 items a year, and 27,000 people have Medford library cards. The best thing about the anniversary has been the response we’ve gotten from the community. On the following pages of this book you will find a list of the people and businesses who supported us with donations, services, music, art, heavy lifting, entertainment, and all sorts of food. I want to thank all of them and all the unnamed people who helped and supported and attended our events. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the best part of the anniversary has been the people who were involved with it. Thank you to everyone who supports the Medford Public Library. We hope to be here providing service to the community for at least another 150 years! 150th Anniversary Committee Chair |
A Piratical Success and what comes next!The Library's Seven Seas Gala on June 3 was a great success. We raised almost $3000.00, encouraged a lot of people to dress like pirates, and made a wonderful pirate's lair out of the City Hall council chambers. It was a great night and a great ending to a rewarding year. The 150th Anniversary Committee is going to take a well-deserved summer vacation for the next few months. In the fall we'll meet again and start planning the renovation of the Magoun Room. Because of the Library's schedule and the vagaries of nature and contractors, we are planning to have work on the room completed by March 2007. Just in time for a reception and the Library's 152nd birthday. Keep your eyes on the library newsletter and this website for information about our progress. Have a great summer! Gala AcknowledgmentsThe Seven Seas Gala could not have taken place without the efforts of the folllowing:
|