Book it to the library to check out family-supported renovations

LAKEVILLE -- Local families have pitched in to bring a fresh look to the Lakeville Library.

The young adult room, the Great Ponds Gallery, and the children’s activities room have been updated with funds donated by local families to sustain the library’s mission in providing a gathering place and programming for all ages.

Library staff report that they are grateful for the support and plan to focus on updating other areas of the library in the near future.

“Donations from the public are especially appreciated in times when our budget is lean and covers only operating expenses” said Trustee Ruth Gross. “Updating a place such as a public library is essential to keeping the building, collections and technology current for our community users”.

The renovations started with a donation from the Goodfellow and Beals family to modernize the Children’s Activities Room. In 2018, the family donated $12,000 that was earmarked for updating the furnishings and fixtures in the room, bringing a new energy to the space.

With the update, the room serves as a meeting space for all ages and a craft room for children participating in story hour. This renovation honors Gordon Goodfellow, former library trustee, and the late Cathleen Goodfellow, children’s librarian who retired in 2005 after a long career of service.

Katie Goodfellow, Cathleen and Gordon’s daughter, said that “the library has long held a special place in our family’s heart. My mother served as the children’s librarian for nearly 20 years and cared deeply about creating a welcoming space for young readers and families, while my father helped guide the library’s development as a member of the building committee. Darren (Beals, her husband) and I were grateful for the opportunity to support the renovation of the children’s activity room and continue our family’s connection to a place that has meant so much to us.”

In 2025, the library sought out proposals to provide a better audiovisual experience to meeting attendees in the Great Ponds Gallery, ultimately going with a design by East West Associates. The team installed an upgraded projector, new speakers, audio inputs and mixer, as well as a system with assistive listening devices to provide full accessibility to anyone with hearing impairment.

To finance this project, the library used gift funds donated by the Chace Family in 2023 from the trust of Leonard H. Chace, Jr. A portion of the $50,000 from the trust was spent on the equipment and installation, leaving a significant amount for other projects that will improve services or public spaces.

“It’s important to the library staff that meeting spaces are comfortable and accessible to all” said Library Director Jennifer Jones. “With the recent upgrades, that goal is possible and we are grateful to the Chace family for helping to make that happen”, she added.

 The gallery recently received an additional upgrade from the Chace family gift in the form of energy-efficient lighting that improves the visibility in the space, ensuring that visitors can clearly admire the art exhibits and have adequate light for meetings.

The young adult room renovation is another project that benefited from a portion of the Chace family funding and was finished at the end of April. The room had not changed much since the library opened in 2005, and was serving as a quasi-storage space for chairs and tables.

Youth Services Librarian Teresa Mirra and Director Jones worked directly with a library vendor, Demco, to reimagine the space. After getting input from teen library users, Mirra and Jones met with representatives to measure out the space and discuss possible furnishing updates.

The room, which once held a few armchairs and a large shelving unit, now features two café tables with seating, a longer standard-height table with seats, upholstered rockers, and two beanbags for comfortable places to study, relax, chat with friends and play games.

Having heard from teens that the library isn’t the first place on their minds for spaces to visit for fun, Mirra and Jones sought to make the room more friendly and welcoming with new lighting and paint in addition to the furnishings.

 “It was important to us to have the teens be a driving part of the redesign,’’ Mirra said. “We wanted to ensure that the space would meet their needs as well as be an inviting, fun, comfortable, and safe space for them to spend time.”

The goal, she said, “is to provide more programming in the space and to have teen input into what materials go into the library’s young adult collection.” The library will host a fall open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Oct. 8.  The community can check out the renovated spaces and enjoy some light refreshments.

More details will be posted on the library’s Facebook and Instagram accounts, as well as featured in the newsletter and calendar of events..