("The Carnegie Library is adequately accessible") - Handicapped access seems limited. / - Limited parking. / - Small, crowded facility. -narrow passways in stacks, -sticking, heavy front door, -small children's room and computer area, -difficult to get to top floor ... but it is a wonderful old building. The ramp at the back is nice, but then the interior navigation is tough. Is there any wheelchair access to the basement, eg, for book sales? (answer apperared elsewhere but relevant here): I am disabled and the overall access is too difficult and contentious. Aisles t...

("I find the size of the Carnegie Library, its rooms, and shelf space to be sufficient to serve my needs") A larger computer area w/isolation dividers would aid security A larger reading room would be nice. Again, for me. Insufficient for younger age groups aisles are too narrow all rooms are too small - no privacy for reading beautiful little building, but definitely cramped! Carnegie is too small, badly configured, and hard to access and use. Claustrophobic. Uninviting "closeness" to person and product (books, movies, etc) Could be a little bi...

("I find the parking at the Carnegie Library to be adequate and safe") a parking lot would be safer than crossing the road when parking across the street additional choice "poor" written in above / handicapped parking is difficult / front stairs and front parking is difficult for children's safety and (the parking) is no cost! Hurrah! awkward, not clear to a first-time visitor better with dedicated lot, hill is steep, hard to access when driving west Building is located on a busy corner. Parking on Seventh Street can be a challenge because it is a hill & has few spaces near the building....

("I consider the Carnegie Library to be a safe space indoors and out") accessing handicap exterior door not good. activities held outdoors -- ground is uneven. Caring staff! Carnegie is very safe and a comforting place and location concrete stairs difficult / parking limited / function rooms not accessible Except as mentioned above. Except parking on the road feels a little crowded sometimes, but I have never felt unsafe. The heavy front door has caused a few startling moments but no real problems. fire alarms, large alarm/signage for all hard to park Have never had an issue, sta...

(1) Access to the upstairs and I will staff it and protect it; (2) comfy chairs; (3) take the house above it by eminent domain and create ground level parking and access. (I’m kidding about eminent domain).  A better easier way to park and get in the library. It's a hufe resource for me and I depend on the library, reading, community, etc. We NEED our library and access for all. A closed door meeting room for library classes, programs, or instruction A few more computers A light weight front door, with a window A little kid space  A new building, safe, quiet and spacious with friendly at...

In 1915 the Trustees of the Carnegie Library realized their new building wasn’t big enough to serve the community. Since then, plans for expansion have been unsuccessful. We have been making do with a too-small, inaccessible space for over 100 years. Through the state‘s library construction program, we could have the chance to improve the existing Carnegie building or construct a new library to meet the evolving needs of the patrons we serve. This opportunity will not come again for another 5-8 years.

Inaccessibility: Though there is a wheelchair ramp, many portions of the library are not accessible to those using a wheelchair or walker, including the whole second floor, the public restroom, as well as the fiction, non-fiction, DVD, audiobook, and local history collections. Lack of adequate collection space: For every item that is purchased for the Carnegie Library, one must be removed. Though library staff take pride in purchasing a diverse collection of materials to suit the many interests and needs of the community, we are regularly forced to get rid of items that a...

We aren’t sure yet. The state application requires that we consider options for adding to the existing building AND for building new on a separate site. If our application is funded by the state, we would work with an architect during the planning and design phase to look at these two options. The town-identified site is 38 Avenue A, which is the lot across from town hall and next to the Discovery Center. A Cumberland Farms previously occupied the lot but was closed decades ago and demolished in the summer of 2023. The Economic Development and Industrial Corporation (EDIC), which is ch...

This discussion is years away and would be moot if we expanded upon this building. That said, the Trustees would like to see the building be used as a cultural space that would be open to the public. One common suggestion is that it would make a great museum.

Talk to your friends, neighbors, community leaders, and town meeting members about the Carnegie Library, the state grant opportunity, and the unmet needs of the community. Talk about the ways that an expanded or new library building could fill these needs. Montague deserves a library facility that fully serves the community. We are not yet ready to start fundraising, but if our project receives funding from the state, the Friends of the Libraries will begin fundraising in the fall of 2024. Please consider joining the Friends group.