History

Origins

Constitution of the Topsfield Library Society dated 1794 handwritten text — The Constitution of the Topsfield Library Society (1794), from the Topsfield Historical Society records. 80 Topsfield residents signed the Constitution and paid the fee of 20 shillings to join.

The Topsfield Town Library can trace its origins to the Topsfield Library Society, founded on March 20, 1794, under the leadership and advocacy of Reverend Asahel Huntington, then the pastor of the Congregational Church. The Topsfield Library Society was a subscription-based library formed by 80 residents who paid 20 shillings each, which went towards the acquisition of books.

In 1796, a bookcase was purchased to house the books in the collection (68 total, to start). The books were stored at the home of the current librarian, usually the pastor of the church or a physician. At the beginning, books were only circulated the last Monday of each month between 1-4pm; a maximum of one book was allowed checked out at one time.

This bookcase and the original volumes are currently on display in the periodical room of the Topsfield Town Library, as well as an original printed catalog of books from 1809.

Following the death of Rev. Huntington in 1813, interest in the Library Society began to wane. By 1854, the Topsfield Library Society library was placed in the Topsfield Academy. Other subscription libraries sprung up in the early 19th century in Topsfield, including an Agricultural Library, Anti-Slavery Library, and a Ladies’ Library within the Congregational Church.

Historical Gallery

Timeline of the Topsfield Town Library

For 150 years

Blossoming tree in front of a brick library building

History of the Topsfield Town Library

In December 1874, a committee of “concerned friends” established the Topsfield Town Library; first town librarian Rev. Anson McLoud called the library’s establishment “a perennial source of gratification, improvement, and enlargement” in the town of Topsfield. For over 150 years, the Topsfield Town Library has sought to be the cultural and informational resource for the community. This timeline explores the history of the Topsfield Town Library.

March 20, 1794

Antique wooden bookcase with open doors displaying numerous books — A photograph of the original collection of the Topsfield Library Society.

Foundation of the Topsfield Library Society

1813

A serene landscape featuring a historic building and winding path — Topsfield Academy, as depicted in the mural by Harold Field Kellogg in the library’s old building.

Death of Rev. Asahel Huntington and decline of the Topsfield Library Society

Following the death of Rev. Huntington in 1813, interest in the Library Society began to wane. By 1854, the Topsfield Library Society library was placed in the Topsfield Academy. Other subscription libraries sprung up in the early 19th century in Topsfield, including an Agricultural Library, Topsfield Anti-Slavery Library, and a Ladies’ Library within the Congregational Church.

December 21, 1874

Plaque detailing the founding and construction of Topsfield Town Library

Establishment of the Topsfield Town Library

By the mid-19th century, there was an increasing belief that the right to read and learn should not be reserved for a select few, but truly democratic and available to all, regardless of ability to pay. In the words of Rev. Anson McLoud, first librarian of the Topsfield Town Library, the public library “seems to be not merely the fitting but the natural and necessary crown and completion of our free school system…[the library] will become…a perennial source of gratification, improvement, and enlargement.” On December 21st, 1874, a committee of “concerned friends” established the taxpayer-funded Topsfield Town Library, merging the several subscription-based libraries in town (including the Topsfield Library Society’s collection from 1794) under one roof. The committee was made up of Sidney A. Merriam, Rev. Anson McLoud (future first librarian of the Topsfield Town Library), Justin Allen, Humphrey Balch, Rev. James H. Fitts. This was reported in the January 6, 1875 edition of the Salem Gazette. The East Room was provided in the then newly-built Topsfield Town Hall to house the library. With the additions from the smaller libraries and proceeds from donations (money and books) of interested townspeople, at the end of its first year the Topsfield Town Library contained 1,256 volumes, with an overall circulation of 7,700 books. The new town library was open to ALL Topsfield residents aged 12 and older. It was considered an immediate success.

October 31, 1875

Handwritten text discussing the importance of a public library — The handwritten notes from Anson McLoud’s October 31, 1875 lecture on the history of the library and the book.

First Library Program:
Rev. McLoud’s “The Book”

Rev. Anson McLoud was born in 1813 and served as pastor at the Congregational Church in Topsfield from 1841-1869. In 1872, he served a term in the Massachusetts State Legislature representing Topsfield. A passionate advocate for education for Topsfield, he served on the Topsfield School Committee and was on the founding committee of the Topsfield Town Library. He served as the first librarian at the Topsfield Town Library from its founding until his death in 1883. Upon his death, his personal library was donated to the Topsfield Town Library. “

It is to the efforts of Mr. Sidney Merriam and Rev. Anson McLoud that we owe the town library. It is a grand monument to their memories, and an incalculable benefit to the town…” (The Life and Work and Rev. Anson McLoud, by Miss Helen E. Peabody).

The first page of the handwritten notes of Rev. Anson McLoud’s Oct 31, 1875 lecture. This is preserved by our Friends at the Topsfield Historical Society. Rev. McLoud was responsible for what was, perhaps, the first program on record at the Topsfield Town Library on October 31, 1875; the lecture, titled “The Book,” was hosted at the Congregational Church. The foundation of the town library, the importance of libraries as the “crown and completion of the free school system,” and the importance of reading and education was discussed in this lecture. (Source: Salem Gazette, Nov. 3, 1875).

Several quotes from this lecture to this day inform our mission as an institution: “The intelligence and expansion from reading, are the treasures which we carry beyond the bounds…they become part of our living, immortal selves.” “Do not be afraid to read a book a second time.” “And not a few will feel that a necessity is laid upon them to read. An intense longing is awakened within them in regard to many things which only reading can appease.” “…the library healthful and vigorous grows and adapts…supplying the conscious wants of the community, for whose benefit it has been called into existence…” “The readers of the Library will possess intelligence, breadth of view, soundness of judgment, independence of thought, in one word, Character, which will make them better citizens in every respect.”

August 1876

Death of library benefactor
Sidney Augustus Merriam

Sidney Augustus Merriam was born on March 11, 1841 in Topsfield, Massachusetts. He graduated at Dartmouth in the class of 1861, attended a medical course of lectures in Boston, and shortly after enlisted in the Forty-third Regiment Massachusetts Volunteers, serving three years as hospital steward and assistant surgeon. After the war, he returned to Topsfield in 1872. The Salem Gazette notes that “he planned and carried out the noble work of founding a public library in his native town.” Following Sidney Merriam’s death in 1876 at age 35, the Library Committee reported to the town that “the Library owes its existence and its effective organization” to him more than any other individual. Among his last acts in life was to secure a thousand dollar bond for the library, that will be “so administered that coming generations will bless his memory.” The Sidney Augustus Merriam Reading Room, named after this vital library benefactor, today houses the library’s Mystery/Graphic Novel Room.

March 1876

Trustees report 243 Borrowers and 7700 volumes checked out during library’s first year of operations

Within the first year, 21% of the Topsfield population had borrowed materials from the new Topsfield Town Library. (That averages over six books per capita).

1878

Cover of "Colonel Jack" by Daniel Defoe, featuring historical figures and a dog — Cover of book Colonel Jack by Daniel Defoe

Controversy in Topsfield:
Is too much fiction a bad thing?

Rev. Rodgers, of Topsfield, in a sermon rallied against “weak and sentimental trash and love-sick stories” in the library’s catalog and called for a considerable “weeding” of the books in the library’s collection to benefit the moral atmosphere of young readers, as “too much novel is a very bad thing.” Rev. Rodgers did note that “the library, outside of its fiction, is irreproachable.” The “objectionable character” of Daniel Defoe’s 1772 novel Colonel Jack is what precipitated the attack on the library and was removed from the library’s collection. The Library Committee offered a spirited defense of its book selection procedures and its “gentlemanly” character, which Rev. Rodgers also deemed “objectionable.”

June 25. 1881

Library moves rooms in Town Hall

The Library was originally located in the East Room, which now hosts the Select Board Meeting Room. In 1881, the library was moved to the southwest corner of the building (originally fit to be a high school) where it remained until 1935.

Late 1891 – Early 1892

First Paid Librarian, Miss Victoria Reed, begins work at the Topsfield Town Library

Miss Victoria Reed, “a woman of middle age and cultivated mind,” becomes the first paid librarian at the Topsfield Town Library, earning approximately $50/year. (Source: Dow’s History of Topsfield and Town reports.)

1912

Portrait of a man with glasses and a mustache, wearing a suit — Photograph of George Francis Dow, from Wikipedia.

A tight fit at Town Hall leads the Town vto purchase land for a standalone library

In 1912, space issues in the library at Town Hall led the town to purchase a parcel of land at South Common Street for construction of a separate Town Library from George Francis Dow. Dow insisted on a clause that prevented any construction except for a town library for ten years. A young Boston architect, Harold Field Kellogg, drew up plans for a library to be built at the site.

The current Mystery Room is officially the George Francis Dow Room in honor of Dow. Dow served for many years on the library’s Board of Trustees and was instrumental in helping to secure a standalone library for Topsfield. Dow is also well known for his work with the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities.

Late 1918 – Early 1919

Influenza pandemic closes Topsfield Library

The Spanish Flu pandemic ravaged the world following World War I (causing approximately 25-50 million deaths worldwide). Topsfield, unfortunately, was not immune to this pandemic; to prevent spread of the highly contagious virus, the Topsfield Town Library shut down for at least four weeks total: two weeks in late 1918 (approx. Sept/Oct) and two weeks in early 1919 (Jan).

1935

Topsfield Library building in Topsfield Massachusetts with a classic design — Photograph of the Topsfield Town Library shortly after construction completion in 1935, from the pages of “Public Buildings” highlighting PWA projects.

Building at South Common Street completed

Donations from George L. Gould and David Pingree (made in 1921 and 1932 respectively) were crucial in finally getting construction underway after a twenty-year wait. The town also secured funding under the 1933 National Recovery Act (creating the Public Works Administration, or PWA). Once approval for the building was in place, and minor revisions made to Kellogg’s 1912 plans, the Library was built. The front of the library was rmodeled to be reminiscent of Monticello. he new building opened to the public on February 16, 1935. The building cost $36,593 and provided space for 34,000 volumes. In Panella and Groblewski’s history of the library, they interviewed one community member who noted that some felt that the building was too extravagent for the humble town (History of the Topsfield Town Library, Panella & Groblewski, p.5).

1935

Harold Field Kellog

Harold Field Kellogg (1884-1964), the architect of the Topsfield Town Library, studied architecture at Harvard University and then attended the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris from 1906 to 1910. Upon his return to the United States, he trained with several prominent Boston architectural firms, including Shepley, Rutan, & Coolidge, Kilham & Hopkins, and Peabody & Stearns.

Mr. Kellogg was the architect for the classic and beautiful Longwood Towers in Brookline, Massachusetts. Sometime in the 1920s he converted to modernist thinking as evidenced in his 1930 design of the massive Public Service Building on Batterymarch Street. Mr. Kellogg’s other principal works in the Boston area included alterations to the Cathedral in Boston in 1946, construction of the South End’s Cathedral housing project in 1950, and numerous hospitals throughout the state. Sometime later, he moved to California and continued his work there as an associate architect of the Forest Memorial Park in Glendale until his death at 79.

Shortly after Mr. Kellogg died in 1965, his son, also named Harold, visited the Topsfield Library with his wife. He recounted how, in 1912, the young Boston architect and friend of trustee Franklin Balch, drew up the original plans for the library. It was many years before the hoped-for building was erected. The twenty-year old plans were brought out again in the early 30s and were followed with only minor changed.

Mr. Kellogg painted the eleven murals depicting the early settlement of Topsfield which adorn the lobby of the Library. His son remembered coming to the job with his father when he was 10 or 11 years old. He noted that the bas relief of the three Muses, now over the doorway of the meeting room, was designed and executed by his father who also personally applied the gold leaf that surrounds the Muses. The son felt sure that his mother posed for the Muses as she did for many of his father’s works. The murals and Muses were cleaned and restored during the renovation and expansion of the Library courtesy of the Gould Fund.

1942-1943

Soldier holding a book with a patriotic background and campaign message

The Library During World War II

The Topsfield Town Library was local headquarters for the Victory Book Campaign, which sent books to American troops overseas fighting during the Second World War. In 1943, the Topsfield community donated 822 volumes for men in the service. In addition, the library was closed on Wednesdays through for most of 1943 to conserve oil for the war effort. During the summer months, the library was used every Tuesday by the local Red Cross as a community work room for making surgical dressings, and Thursdays the library was used by the local Red Cross sewing unit.

1963

June Mayo smiling while surrounded by flowers in Topsfield — Photograph from June Mayo from July 1974 article announcing her retirement in the Tri-Town Transcript.

June Mayo becomes Director
of the Topsfield Town Library

In 1963, June Mayo became Director of the Topsfield Town Library. Barbara Booth (Trustee, 1967-1973) described her as a “one-woman show…everyone loved her and she was the librarian” who worked tirelessly to get patrons the items they needed.

January 2, 1964

Library acquires Automatic Checkout Machine

The Topsfield Library acquired its first Automatic Checkout Machine. It registers each book checkout by the number of the user’s card, increasing the efficiency of the checkout process- no longer keeping track by pen and paper like previously.

May 1968

June Mayo elected president of the Merrimack Valley Library Association

The Merrimack Valley Library Association worked towards better library service through workshops and seminars on all aspects of librarianship and libraries, through presentations/speakers, and actively supporting legal measures to improve service.

September 19, 1969

A person holds a sign asking, "What can you do for your library? — From the Tri-Town Transcript: A sign with the original Pegasus logo of the Friends of the Topsfield Town Library, echoing John F. Kennedy asking “What can you do for your library?”

Friends of the Topsfield Town Library formed

The Friends of the Topsfield Town Library, a 501(c)3 charity, was formed with the mission of supplementing Library services and programs. The Friends are still active today! Throughout its existence, the Friends have been instrumental in helping the library fulfill its mission. The original logo of the Friends of the Topsfield
Town Library was a Pegasus; chosen, as Martha Morrison explained, as a nod to
the famous bas relief of the Muses in the library; the Pegasus was a companion
to the Muses in ancient mythology. The purpose of the group was stated to “stimulate the interest of the community in the needs and services of the Topsfield Town Library and to enrich the cultural life on the community.”

1966-1967

Children’s Reading Room
located in basement of library

The town’s population continued to grow, and needs changed. The number of new materials available for libraries also increased. Space was shrinking while demand for books and programs was increasing. A “much-needed” (Tri-Town Transcript, Feb. 24, 1965) renovation completed in 1966-1967 located a new Children’s Room in the basement of the building to make room for more materials, coming in at approximately $30,000. This was the first major renovation since construction of the building in 1935. Former Trustee (1967-1973) Barbara Booth recalls: “it was nice to have a place particularly for children…(but) there was a definite dampness…I mean, we made it work, but it was a little tight and damp.” This expansion more than doubled the library’s seating capacity.

1973

Fire safety warning about occupancy limits on the second floor — Due to inadequate means of egress, more than ten people were prohibited from congregating in an exhibit space on the second floor at one time.

1973 Renovation

After a proposed addition (with an expanded Children’s Room, drama court, and glass-enclosed
adult reading room) expanding the library approximately 71% was rejected as too
costly, a 1973 renovation sought to make the building more accessible, fix
structural deficiencies on the second floor and allow for a secondary means of
egress, and alleviate over-crowding in patron areas. While the renovation took
place, the library temporarily relocated to its old home at the Town Hall. This
renovation cost approximately $150,000.

1974

The Topsfield Town Library celebrates its 100th anniversary!

The Library launched an oral history project interviewing local residents about the history of the town to mark the 100th anniversary of the library.

July 1, 1974

Topsfield Town Library allows free borrowing privileges to non-Topsfield residents

Before July 1, 1974, out-of-towners were required to pay $5/year for borrowing privileges at the Topsfield Town library. After this date, non-residents were eligible to borrow for free. (This was required by state law to receive state aid).

1981

Friends of the Topsfield Library present a check for $2,300

Friends fundraising helps
alleviate massive budget cuts

Following massive cuts to the library budget, the Friends of the Topsfield Town Library launched a widely successful membership drive in 1981 which allowed the library to stay open a fifth day per week and provide funds for the purchase of books.

1984

Elinor Ansteensen becomes Director of the Topsfield Town Library

1987

Topsfield Library joins the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (MVLC)

The Topsfield Town Library joined the MVLC in 1987. MVLC provides the automated systems that allow member libraries to process and loan materials from other libraries. By sharing library collections, patrons could borrow materials from any library in the consortium!

1988

Portrait of a man in a suit holding a book — Painting of Library benefactor George L. Gould, artist Cameron Bennett (1998) , sitting by the main desk of the Topsfield Town Library.

George L. Gould Trust Fund

In 1988, the Library received surprising news. The will of George L. Gould, an original contributor to the 1935 building, was revealed. Mr. Gould had drawn up his will in 1921, but his bequest to the library was not revealed until his last living heir, Rosamond Gould Childs, died at 100 years of age. Library Trustees were notified that the bequest was significant. Gould’s will expressed “his strong conviction that the Topsfield Town Library should not only be a repository of the printed word but also a cultural center promoting the aesthetic in the lives of Topsfield residents.”

1989-1991

Portrait of George L. Gould in formal attire

George L. Gould (1852-1921)

George L. Gould was born in Woburn, MA in 1852. He was a proprietor of the Gould and Cutler paint and varnish business in Boston, and served on the board of directors of Benjamin Moore paint. Although a resident of Malden for much of his life, George Gould had a summer home on Washington St. in Topsfield (which he called “Pinelands”) and formed a great attachment to the town which was home to his ancestors, including Zaccheus Gould, one of the first settlers of Topsfield in 1644, and Joseph Gould, who captained the Topsfield company that marched to Lexington on April 19, 1775.

George Gould passed away on October 30, 1921 and is buried at Pine Grove Cemetery in Topsfield. Item #27 of his will states that, upon the death of his last living heir, funds held in a trust were to be released, including a significant bequest to the Town of Topsfield. One half the income of this bequest was “to be expended in the purchase of books for the Public Library, and the balance for the purchase of works of art…and upkeep of the library building and grounds…” The Probate Court ruled that income from the art portion of the will may be used for architectural purposes, paving the way for the construction of a library addition.

1991

Library collects books to send to troops during First Gulf War

“Topsfield Library Director Ellie Ansteensen has sent three big boxes of paperbook books to the troops in Saudi Arabia…Captain Anne Quigley, assigned to the First Calvary in the Desert Storm operation is distributing the donations provided by the Topsfield Library’s generous patrons.” “In one box there was a letter from a little Topsfield youngster addressed to ‘Any Soldier’ and Quigley made sure the letter went to one of the older soldiers so it might be answered quickly.” -Tri-Town Transcript, 2/28/1991

1993

Sheila Glowacki, formerly the assistant director of the Beverly Public Library, becomes Director of the Topsfield Town Library. Sheila had previous experience guiding a building renovation in Beverly. Former trustee Martha Morrison: “We were very fortunate to have Sheila…she brought all of that experience and professionalism to the job. And so I was so grateful that she was here, and was able to really help guide and advise on various things. She was really instrumental.”

Sheila Glowacki becomes Director of the Topsfield Town Library

1994

Resolution commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Topsfield Town Library

200th Anniversary of the Founding
of the Topsfield Library Society

In 1994, the library recognized the 200th anniversary of the Topsfield Library Society, the predecessor organization to the Topsfield Town Library.

January 1, 1996

Library Renovation/Addition decided

Topsfield’s population continued to increase and the building was not ADA compliant; smaller scale renovations in the 1960s and 1970s proved insufficient for a modern library. The library was “bursting at the seams.” Martha Morrison remembers: “The first floor was just jammed with computers and books and circulation. I mean, you couldn’t move. There was absolutely no space. In addition, the building had asbestos in it. It was inaccessible…” After throwing out several options (e.g. purchasing what is now The Commons 1854, or the Highway Garage property on School Street), it was decided to build an addition to the South Common Street building. Martha Morrison, again: “[The other locations] did not meet the standard of centrality…this one location had made the most sense…everyone agreed it should be in the center of town, near the school…”

February 11, 1995

Librarians dressed in historical attire celebrating Topsfield Library's 200 years — Pictured (left to right, bottom to top): Nicole Luongo, Eloise Schoeppner, Alison Barry, Sheila Glowacki, Cathy DuBois, and Annette Stathopoulos.

Dressed for the Occassion: Celebrating 200 Years
of the Topsfield Library Society

To celebrate the 200th anniversary of the founding of the Topsfield Library Society, Topsfield staff members dressed in their 1790s best in this picture from the Tri-Town Transcript published on Feb 16, 1995. The Library held an open house on Saturday, February 11, 1995 with face painting, balloons, and old prints/photographs of the library.

February 27, 1996

Brick building surrounded by trees and greenery along a road

Town votes to purchase 11 High Street home/land
to make way for addition to library

11 High Street was a house built in 1756 by Jacob Kimball. The house was purchased by the town for $208,000 without taxpayer funds on February 27, 1996 at a town meeting that lasted 13 minutes. Purchasing the house and its land was deemed more cost-effective and aesthetically pleasing for completion of an addition. Originally it was planned to use the building as a temporary library but that turned out to be impractical. Instead the building was used later by the building contractor for administrative purposes (Jansen, History of the Topsfield Library).

May 17, 1996

Pencil sketch of a library building with trees nearby

Town approves architectual expansion plan

The Topsfield Town Meeting approved the architectual plan for an addition.

September 19, 1996

Topsfield awarded state grant to construct addition

On September 19, 1996, Topsfield was awarded a state grant of $1.3 million to fund a library addition. Matching funds from the Gould Fund and the Town are all that’s left to secure the project, and a Town Meeting is scheduled for late October for that. Selectperson Janet Kmetz, in the Tri-Town Transcript, reported that the purchase of the 11 High Street house was a deciding factor in securing the grant.

October 29-30, 1996

Town accepts grant for construction library addition

The Town voted to accept the awarded State grant of $1.3 million and to exclude library debt from the Proposition 2 1/2 limitation, approving a bond issue of $769,000. This paved the way for construction of an addition to begin. The total cost of the addition/renovation was $3.4 million.

1997

Construction Controversy: Visitor parking at the library

One of the biggest controversies when it came to construction of the library addition was adequate parking around the library. The state required 26 dedicated library parking spaces; due to environmental concerns, the library was eight spots short. Some ideas (e.g. allowing angled parking on South Common Street and cutting into the Topsfield Common) were shot down. After much deliberation, the solution was to re-locate 11 High Street and construct a lot on that former space, along with parallel parking on South Common Street/Main Street.

August 23, 1997

A group of people organizing items in a library setting — Books were moved in numbered bags, and library service continued even as the addition went up on South Common Street.

Library temporarily relocates to storefront
at the Topsfield Village Shopping Center

Approximately 200 volunteers helped move over 7,000 bags of books from the library to a storefront in the Topsfield Village Shopping Center while the addition was completed. One minor hitch, as reported by the Tri-Town Transcript on 9/11/1997: the bookshelves were not yet ready at the temporary quarters (the former Abbott’s Shoes storefront), so they were stored in the old grocery store in the meantime. The non-fiction collection was temporarily stored in the former laundromat. Former Assistant Director/Head of Reference remembers: “I was the ‘go-fer.’. If we needed nonfiction, I would run outside, go get it and then run back with it. I’d have to go all the way to the back of the laundromat to find the lights…going in in the dark, coming out in the dark…” Further, Wendy shared that former library trustee Joan Panella worked tirelessly to ensure that the staff were as comfortable as possible in the temporary quarters.

November 7, 1997

Women in hard hats participate in a groundbreaking ceremony with shovels — Groundbreaking for the Library Addition on November 7, 1997

Groundreaking for Library Addition

The Groundbreaking for the addition was held on November 7, 1997.

February 27, 1999

Brick library building with a grand reopening banner displayed — Library with “Grand Re-Opening” sign on front ediface.

Library Re-Opens!

The Library reopened on February 27, 1999 amid much celebration.

October 16, 1999

House being moved at night with power crews managing wires

Relocation of 11 High Street

After the completion of library expansion and renovation project in 1999, the house formerly located at 11 High Street was sold and moved almost a mile away and is now located at 217 Haverhill Street. As it was considered a historic house, it could not be demolished. The relocation of the event was a town-wide event; Martha Morrison recalls “people lined the roads. There was an older couple handing out hot dogs up the street!” The 24-hour long process involved Verizon, Comcast, and National Grid working together to move wires for the house to safely pass.

2000

Children gathered around a display for a time capsule event

Time Capsule in the Topsfield Town Library

In June 2000, visitors contributed to a time capsule that is scheduled to be opened in June 2100. This capsule was to mark the 350th anniversary of the founding of the Town of Topsfield

2000

A group of librarians posing together in an office setting — Jackie (Finocchio) White with library staff, 2001. Standing, from left to right: Annette Stathopoulous (longtime Head of Readers Services), Judy Connelly, Marie Christensen, Carol McGrath, Xenda Laramine, Sibyl Hezlett (longtime Head of Technical Services), Wendy Thatcher, Nancy Tusinki, and Jane Johnson.

Jackie (Finocchio) White becomes
Director of the Topsfield Town Library

Following Sheila Glowacki’s depature as Director, Jackie (Finocchio) White became director and served the town for a decade. When asked her biggest accomplishment during her time as Director, Jackie stated: “I felt as though we became the cultural hub of this community during my time…I worked with great people that had some really interesting fun visions for the library and they were instrumental in making some of those visions actually happen. So not only were we a library, we became a cultural hub…to see that growth from becoming a building that housed material to becoming a building that drew people in…”

January 12, 2004

Burst pipe in Children’s Room causes damage

Due to a major cold snap, a sprinkler pipe burst in the ceiling in the Children’s Room, collapsing a ceiling and flooding the first floor of the library. The library (except the Children’s Room, which took a couple months to repair) re-opened within four days (with a sign out front saying “Come on in! The water’s fine!” and a prominent flood-themed display.) Approximately 800 items were damaged beyond restoration. Director Jackie White remembers the professionalism and helpfulness of the Topsfield Fire Department assisting in the aftermath of the flood, and the generosity of the Friends providing meals and treats for the staff as they worked diligently to save what they could.

2012

Laura Zalewski becomes Director of the Topsfield Town Library

2014

Topsfield Library Seed Library Launched

The Topsfield Town Library Seed Library is another way the Library continues to push the boundaries on the definition of “library,” while remembering and acknowledging Topsfield’s roots as an agricultural town. The original Seed Library launched in 2014, and returned in 2024. The concept of the seed lending library works like this: patrons “borrow” seeds from the library, plant them in a pot, in their home garden, or in a community garden. Then, the borrowers can save the resulting seeds from their harvest and bring them to the library for others to use. Simple, right? While we have a wide variety of seeds in our seed library, we encourage our patrons to consider returning harvested seeds from plants that are considered easy to moderate difficulty to save, if you are able.

2016

A woman sits on the floor, smiling with outstretched hands — Text: Source of the Chornicle & Transcript

Sensory Wall in Children’s Room Unveiled

A sensory wall was funded by a gift from the American Legion District 8 and the Collins family. The American Legion holds their monthly meetings at the library. “Sensory play is important for babies and children because it stimulates their brains and encourages development in their cognitive and creative skill sets, as well as their gross and fine motor skills,” said children’s librarian Lindsey Recka. “We selected pieces for our sensory wall that simulate a child’s imagination, work the motor skills, and promote critical thinking.”

2018

Giant games set up in a colorful indoor space

Launch of Library of Things collection

The Topsfield Town Library’s Library of Things collection launched in 2018. Among our goals as institution is to promote lifelong learning and afford access to technologies. The Library of Things helps us further meet that goal by expanding the library’s collection beyond traditional books and movies, offering for checkout diverse items like board games and lawn games, music instruments, technology like mobile hotspots providing internet access, and more

February 27, 2019

Celebratory cake for Topsfield Town Library's 20th anniversary

20th Anniversary of Library Addition Party

On February 27, 2019, the library celebrated 20 years of the completion of the addition!

2020-2021

A window displays a sign that says "We miss you!

Library service during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Topsfield Town Library continued to provide service during the COVID-19 pandemic, including a pick-up window located by the front doors for patrons to still access holds.

2021

Metal sculpture of an elk in front of a library building

Temporary Sculpture Program launched

Funded by the Gould Fund, the Temporary Sculpture program was launched in December 2021. The Trustees envision changing sculptures yearly to promote conversation and interest in the library and the downtown, helping to fulfill George L. Gould’s vision of the library “promoting the aesthetic in the lives of Topsfield residents”. Select Board member Boyd Jackson notes “I think the library is the center of art in the town of Topsfield, and in my opinion, that is where (the sculptures) belong and where they ought to stay.”. (Town Common, Dec. 7, 2021)

2022

Dan Tremblay becomes Director of the Topsfield Town Library

2024

Sesquicentennial of the Topsfield Town Library

On December 10, 2024, we celebrated that anniversary with a birthday party for the ages, welcoming over 200 visitors with live music, cake and refreshments, a historical exhibit in partnership with the Topsfield Historical Society, unveiling of a community paper quilt project, and a lecture highlighting the library’s history. View our blog post highlighting this special day here.

Monday	10:00AM – 7:00PM
Tuesday	10:00AM – 7:00PM
Wednesday	10:00AM – 7:00PM
Thursday	10:00AM – 7:00PM
Friday	10:00AM – 2:00PM
Saturday	10:00AM – 2:00PM
Sunday	Closed

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