Thayer Public Library
Encyclopedia
The Thayer Public Library is a public library
located in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts
with 102,000 book
s, 200 periodical
subscriptions, and 8,000 videos
, DVD
s, music CDs, and audiobooks. The library is a member of the Old Colony Library Network
.
, who helped found it through a $20,000 bequest in his will. The original building was dedicated June 4, 1874, and opened to the public in September of the same year. It operated as a library until 1953, when it was replaced by a larger building across the street. The 1874 building was occupied by the Braintree Water Department for many years, but is currently vacant. This building is included in the List of Registered Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts.
In 1997 the 1953 library building was razed to and replaced by the current three-story brick postmodern
building that opened in 1999.
that would share in the 2002 settlement of an antitrust
case that was brought against BMG, EMI Music, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment
by the antitrust
division of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley
’s office, along with the Attorneys General of thirty-nine other states. The lawsuit was settled in 2002 for $144 million, and alleged that the music distribution companies illegally inflated the price of CDs by requiring retailers to sell them at or above a set level in order to qualify for substantial advertising funding.
The library is expected to receive a minimum of $300, which must be used exclusively for its music related programs or projects.
Library
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
located in the town of Braintree, Massachusetts
Braintree, Massachusetts
The Town of Braintree is a suburban city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Although officially known as a town, Braintree adopted a municipal charter, effective 2008, with a mayor-council form of government and is considered a city under Massachusetts law. The population was 35,744...
with 102,000 book
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
s, 200 periodical
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
subscriptions, and 8,000 videos
Videotape
A videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
, DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
s, music CDs, and audiobooks. The library is a member of the Old Colony Library Network
Old Colony Library Network
The Old Colony Library Network is a cooperative of located on the South Shore of Massachusetts. OCLN membership includes 26 town and city libraries and 2 academic libraries. OCLN’s cooperative nature enables member libraries to provide services that they would not be able to afford on their own....
.
About the library
The library is named for General Sylvanus ThayerSylvanus Thayer
Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer also known as "the Father of West Point" was an early superintendent of the United States Military Academy at West Point and an early advocate of engineering education in the United States.-Biography:Thayer was born in Braintree, Massachusetts,...
, who helped found it through a $20,000 bequest in his will. The original building was dedicated June 4, 1874, and opened to the public in September of the same year. It operated as a library until 1953, when it was replaced by a larger building across the street. The 1874 building was occupied by the Braintree Water Department for many years, but is currently vacant. This building is included in the List of Registered Historic Places in Norfolk County, Massachusetts.
In 1997 the 1953 library building was razed to and replaced by the current three-story brick postmodern
Postmodern architecture
Postmodern architecture began as an international style the first examples of which are generally cited as being from the 1950s, but did not become a movement until the late 1970s and continues to influence present-day architecture...
building that opened in 1999.
Antitrust lawsuit participation
In March 2008, the Thayer Public Library was notified that it was among several libraries in MassachusettsMassachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
that would share in the 2002 settlement of an antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
case that was brought against BMG, EMI Music, Warner Music Group, and Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
by the antitrust
Antitrust
The United States antitrust law is a body of laws that prohibits anti-competitive behavior and unfair business practices. Antitrust laws are intended to encourage competition in the marketplace. These competition laws make illegal certain practices deemed to hurt businesses or consumers or both,...
division of Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley
Martha Mary Coakley is the Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County, Massachusetts from 1999 to 2007....
’s office, along with the Attorneys General of thirty-nine other states. The lawsuit was settled in 2002 for $144 million, and alleged that the music distribution companies illegally inflated the price of CDs by requiring retailers to sell them at or above a set level in order to qualify for substantial advertising funding.
The library is expected to receive a minimum of $300, which must be used exclusively for its music related programs or projects.