Library is thriving heart of Concord

When my family moved to Concord, we knew no one in town. The first time I walked town with my kids, we popped into the library. Walking into the atrium, I fought back tears remembering libraries that had been my childhood place of refuge, freedom and discovery. What a gift the library would be for them.

We spent our first Concord summer stopping by the library weekly and carrying bursting bags home. We made our first friends in the library, ran into new classmates and met teachers from their new school. The feeling that we were strangers in the town dissolved as we ran into familiar faces on our visits.

As a member of the Town Library Committee and Campaign Committee, I have heard countless stories of how the library serves people during their biggest transitions. It’s one of the first places people visit when they move to town. Library patronage rises during recessions as people seek employment resources and the comfort of a community gathering place. Last year, widespread power outages filled the library with people seeking warmth, lights and an internet connection — human connection, the bonus. The library has partnerships with many Concord nonprofits and is constantly updating programming to meet community needs.

While book circulation remains robust, our library is an increasingly critical source of real-world connection in what can feel like a disconnected age. Please attend next month’s Town Meeting support the library’s expansion plans. The project will provide expanded gathering spaces, a much larger and more-flexible children’s room and a place where people can meet for coffee. The library must grow to serve the community’s increasing demand for programming and continue to be the thriving heart of our community.

Tara Edelman, member Town Library Committee