The Manchester City Library was established in the mid-1850s, and serves the population of Manchester, the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. It is one of twelve libraries in the GMILCS consortium (Greater Manchester Integrated Library Consortial System) that provides materials and services to the greater Manchester area, and is on the U.S. Department of Interior's National Register of Historic Places, listed under the Victory Park Historic District as a contributing property, one of the four buildings that face the park. Even though the current building was completed in 1914, library services were provided as early as 1844 through a membership-based organization known as the Manchester Atheneum, and then as a public library which was housed in two other buildings. Over the last century, the library has undergone many renovations to maintain the historical integrity of the building. It has continuously provided materials in various formats (print, digital, and multimedia), as well as vital services to the public, including internet access, literacy programs, community events, and educational workshops and classes.
History
The idea of a free public library for Manchester was first proposed in 1854 by Mayor-Elect Frederick Smyth during his inaugural speech. Prior to this, registered members in the area used the Manchester Atheneum between 1844 and 1854.
Atheneum (1844-1854) The Atheneum was formed in 1844, and consisted of a library, reading room, and museum. Its organizers consisted of eight members including a president, vice president, three directors, secretary, treasurer, and a librarian. The organization was sustained for ten years by the monetary donations of benefactors, and book donations by association members. It wasn't free or public, but rather, belonged to the shareholders. However, individuals could gain access by paying a $3.00 annual fee.
Patten Block (1854-1871) Once the public library proposal was suggested by Mayor Smyth, the Atheneum's collection was officially transferred to the city's possession on September 6, 1854, and was housed at 6 Patten Block off Elm Street, next to City Hall. It officially opened to the public November 8, 1854, with Francis B. Eaton as Head Librarian. His salary was $315.50 per year. The collection started with fewer than 200 volumes.
With a steadily growing population after its opening, the library was doing extremely well, building its collection up to 3,000 books, until tragedy struck in 1856 on the morning of February 5. A fire originating from the printing press in the basement of the building completely destroyed the library with the exception of 600 items (including those that were checked out). After much work by the trustees, a temporary location was set up at Smyth's Block on July 22, 1856, for one year, until Patten's Block was rebuilt in 1857. However, in less than two decades, that location also became too small, and a new building was erected on Franklin Street in 1871.
Franklin Street Building (1871-1914) The lot on which the Franklin Street building was erected was donated by the Amoskeag Manufacturing Company. The library had a dark, dingy, ecclesiastical feel to it which many patrons did not enjoy. In particular, the high wire fence that separated patrons from the bookshelves was an issue of discontent. Only ministers and teachers could browse the stacks as they pleased, but they still needed a librarian to retrieve any requested items for them, due to fragile step ladders. At times, patrons would have to wait up to an hour to have their items retrieved. Furthermore, if the items retrieved happened to be ones that were already read, or unwanted, patrons could not return them on the same day. Only one or two items could be checked out at a time, and daily fines were relative to the size of the books, as was the checkout period.
Eventually, a small open shelf was created in 1901 so patrons could have access to certain general interest books. Although patrons enjoyed this new addition, it caused some issues for staff as the number of missing items increased dramatically within one year. As a result, inventories were taken one to two times a year while all books were asked to be returned, and the library was shut down during this time. The Franklin Street location was not without its problems. Patrons complained about only being able to check out books on the day of the week they were assigned. This practice was abolished in 1880.