Charles M. Bailey Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Charles M. Bailey Public Library is the public library
serving Winthrop, Maine. It was officially established by the town on November 4, 1916, and opened to the public on December 2, 1916. The library became a free library in 1970, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The library was designed by prominent Maine architect
John Calvin Stevens
.
is still in use today.
Charles Irving Bailey (the elder son of Charles M. Bailey) was the first person to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees. Lula A. Clifford was the first head librarian
elected by the Board of Trustees in 1916, and served to the time of her death in 1940. Clifford's starting salary
was $1 for each afternoon and evening the library was open to the public, and in 1920 was set at $25 per month. Trustee minutes dating back to 1917 make mention of a Mr. John Stanley serving as Town Librarian for twenty-five years before Charles M. Bailey donated the Bowdoin St. building. Stanley continued serving on the Board of Trustees and Book Committee after 1916. Lula A. Clifford was noted as being Stanley's assistant librarian prior to the 1916 opening. In 1918 the Board of Trustees requested an annual appropriation of $800 from the Town of Winthrop. $800 in 1918 has the same buying power as $11,552.64 in 2010.
The first book replacement notice was sent out to C.S. Fowle on January 17th, 1920.
of the property. Further, a 1973 Maine State Evaluation of the library reported that "additional space is much needed and...the library shows a definite need for expansion...". In 1974 the library began renovating the basement
to be used as a Children's Room. In 2005, the Town of Winthrop purchased the adjacent land necessary for library expansion, and the Board of Trustees began planning and fundraising
.
through a basement window, causing extensive damage. The library operated out of the Town Office on Highland Avenue until its reopening in August of 2010.
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
serving Winthrop, Maine. It was officially established by the town on November 4, 1916, and opened to the public on December 2, 1916. The library became a free library in 1970, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. The library was designed by prominent Maine architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
John Calvin Stevens
John Calvin Stevens
John Calvin Stevens was an American architect who worked in two related styles — the Shingle Style, in which he was a major innovator, and the Colonial Revival style, which dominated national domestic architecture for the first half of the 20th century...
.
Founding
In November of 1916, Charles M. Bailey of Winthrop, Maine entered into an agreement with the Town of Winthrop to give a building to be used for library and reading room purposes. Charles M. Bailey was the best known member of the Society of Friends in Winthrop, and was known for his "Bailey's Praying Band", who conducted evangelistic services. Bailey also owned one of the largest oilcloth manufacturers in America at the time, and employed two hundred individuals in Winthrop in the early 1900s. The original structure of rock faced and chiseled graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
is still in use today.
Charles Irving Bailey (the elder son of Charles M. Bailey) was the first person to serve as chair of the Board of Trustees. Lula A. Clifford was the first head librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
elected by the Board of Trustees in 1916, and served to the time of her death in 1940. Clifford's starting salary
Salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
was $1 for each afternoon and evening the library was open to the public, and in 1920 was set at $25 per month. Trustee minutes dating back to 1917 make mention of a Mr. John Stanley serving as Town Librarian for twenty-five years before Charles M. Bailey donated the Bowdoin St. building. Stanley continued serving on the Board of Trustees and Book Committee after 1916. Lula A. Clifford was noted as being Stanley's assistant librarian prior to the 1916 opening. In 1918 the Board of Trustees requested an annual appropriation of $800 from the Town of Winthrop. $800 in 1918 has the same buying power as $11,552.64 in 2010.
The first book replacement notice was sent out to C.S. Fowle on January 17th, 1920.
Expansion
The library Building Committee first encouraged the Board of Trustees to start thinking in terms of future expansion and acquisition of adjacent land in 1966, and in 1972 the Board of Trustees hired architect George Royal to establish a plan for library expansion. The Winthrop Masonic Hall (occupying the adjacent land necessary for expansion) was put on the market in 1973, and the library Building Committee requested right of first refusalRight of first refusal
Right of first refusal is a contractual right that gives its holder the option to enter a business transaction with the owner of something, according to specified terms, before the owner is entitled to enter into that transaction with a third party...
of the property. Further, a 1973 Maine State Evaluation of the library reported that "additional space is much needed and...the library shows a definite need for expansion...". In 1974 the library began renovating the basement
Basement
__FORCETOC__A basement is one or more floors of a building that are either completely or partially below the ground floor. Basements are typically used as a utility space for a building where such items as the furnace, water heater, breaker panel or fuse box, car park, and air-conditioning system...
to be used as a Children's Room. In 2005, the Town of Winthrop purchased the adjacent land necessary for library expansion, and the Board of Trustees began planning and fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
.
2009 Fire
The library closed on March 6, 2009 when a 16-year-old boy pushed a flaming roll of paper towels into the building's boiler roomMechanical room
A mechanical room or a boiler room is a room or space in a building dedicated to the mechanical equipment and its associated electrical equipment. Unless a building is served by a centralized heating plant, the size of the mechanical room is usually proportional to the size of the building...
through a basement window, causing extensive damage. The library operated out of the Town Office on Highland Avenue until its reopening in August of 2010.