Eastham Public Library Receives Library Building Award
April 26, 2018
Matthew Perry
Outreach Coordinator
1-800-952-7403 x208
matthew.s.perry@state.ma.us
The Eastham Public Library has been selected as one of six recipients of the 2018 American Institute of Architects (AIA) and American Library Association (ALA) Library Building Award for the design of their new building. Eastham is the third Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP) grant recipient to win this prestigious award since 2011.
The Eastham Library was designed by Oudens Ello Architecture and was opened to the public in 2017. It replaced the 1988 renovation and preserved the historic Village Improvement Society (V.I.S.) library building that was built in 1898 and now acts as a reading room. The two and a half year project cost $9,154,842 to complete, and was funded in part by a $4,331,923 Massachusetts Public Library Construction Program (MPLCP) grant from the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC).
The new building includes large windows to allow natural light and stunning views of the pond that sits adjacent to the library. New children’s and teen’s spaces are located on the lower level, with a door leading to a small outdoor programming space behind the library. The upper level is arranged around a central garden, and features a multipurpose community room, reading alcoves, a fireplace, and the adult stacks. The building was built to meet the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Standard as part of the MBLC’s Green Library Incentive program and received an addition $129,958 in funding.
At the ribbon cutting ceremony, MBLC Chair Mary Ann Cluggish described the library as “17,000 square feet of pure joy” adding, “Nothing makes the MBLC happier than to award a construction grant to a deserving community, and to see it come to fruition”.
Previous AIA/ALA Library Building Award recipients from Massachusetts include the Mattapan Branch of the Boston Public Library (2011) and the East Boston Branch of the Boston Public Library (2017). Both projects were funded in part through the MPLCP.
MPLCP library building projects are currently underway in Leicester, Sherborn, Stoughton, Webster and Woburn. Hopkinton recently completed a project. Funding for the MPLCP is authorized by the governor and the legislature. The MPLCP was first funded in 1987. Since then, the program has assisted hundreds of communities in building new libraries or in renovating and expanding existing libraries. A map of all the projects can be found here (PDF). For more information about the program, please visit the MBLC's website: https://mblc.state.ma.us/
More information about the AIA/ALA Library Building Award can be found here.
About MBLC
The Board of Library Commissioners (mass.gov/mblc) is the agency of state government with the statutory authority and responsibility to organize, develop, coordinate and improve library services throughout the Commonwealth. The Board advises municipalities and library trustees on the operation and maintenance of public libraries, including construction and renovation. It administers state and federal grant programs for libraries and promotes cooperation among all types of libraries through regional library systems and automated resource sharing. It also works to ensure that all residents of the Commonwealth, regardless of their geographic location, social or economic status, age, level of physical or intellectual ability or cultural background, have access to essential new electronic information technologies and significant electronic databases.