Libraries of the North Shore embrace the past and welcome the future.
As a society founded upon great minds that include the likes of George Peabody, founder of the Peabody Institute Library of Danvers, North Shore writers, readers, and thinkers take natural refuge in the region’s libraries.
Our libraries are both museums of the past and galleries of the present; they combine our love of history and thirst for knowledge with our need for community involvement and amusement. Many of us have grown up taking libraries for granted and assuming they will always be there, as cool oases on afternoons too hot for the beach or free retreats on dull and rainy days. But they are so much more than mere book receptacles or last options for places to go. Each building offers talented architects the opportunity to add to a town’s assets and create a masterpiece, while interior walls provide space for local artists to showcase their work daily.
Many of today’s libraries began as private collections that generous benefactors shared with the public, while others, such as the Topsfield Town Library, originated as a single bookshelf in the town hall. Most collections, including the one belonging to the Peabody Institute, were forced to move to several different locations before settling into their current homes. But one thing remained a constant during those uncertain years—the conviction, shared by town officials, librarians, and residents alike, that a library is essential for a community’s health and happiness.