CCOA Women's Club, Canton Library Tour

“The Future of Books and the Public Library

By Elizabeth Schmellick and

Agnes Hagan

Mark Lague has served the Canton Public Library since 1979 and has been the Director since 1984.  Mark cites two highlights of his career. 

As one of only nine founding members of the Old Colony Library Network (or OCLN as we commonly refer to it), he helped to usher in the use of computers in libraries on the south shore. He was voted the second President of OCLN, overseeing the incorporation of OCLN as a non-profit, the
expansion of the resource sharing network to fourteen communities, the creation of a unified catalog of member collections, and the implementation of a shared automated circulation system.  

In the late nineties, he developed a plan to expand the Canton Library’s physical space and wrote a competitive state grant proposal that earned an award of $2.6 million to help double the size of the building.  In April of 2000, in a special override election in which a record number of Canton residents voted, over 80% voted in favor of borrowing $7.9 million needed for the project and in December of 2003 the doors opened on the new library which we enjoy today.

Mark and his wife Susan live in Attleboro, Mass.   They have two grown children.

The Library Tour 

Mark gave a presentation and tour on Tuesday, January 15, 2013, to the CCOA Women’s Club. He spoke about the many changes over the years to the Canton Library, the library network (OCLN), and the impact of E-books.

In response to the presentation, some comments were made by members about the ease of use with devices such as Kindle, how with E-books a person can carry several novels on one compact device, and “large print” readers can increase the font size with the touch of the screen. Others compared these “New World conveniences with old traditions, stating that holding a good book and turning the pages, while curled-up in your favorite stuffed chair, is still part of the enjoyment of reading. Members were reassured to be told that print books are not yet going the way of the dinosaurs.

Mr. Lague took the club members on a walk-around tour of the library, beginning with the Children’s Library in the lower level. It’s a fun and colorful environment with creative wall murals; a ladybug mobile, a huge green frog, and large cartoon-like ants climbing up the side of the wall, a sight any child would enjoy!

As members were leaving the Children’s Library they noticed, atop a bookcase a replica of the famous “Boston Ducks”. It was a story familiar to many from their childhoods - “Make Way for Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey whose children’s story inspired the bronze statues of the mother and her ducklings in the Boston Public Garden. The Children’s Library staff shared some additional information about “The Ducks”.  Be sure to ask next time you’re there…

The tour continued upstairs, encompassing The Young Adult Area, Reference, and Computer Room, etc. Because of recent inquiries, the library is now planning to conduct E-book workshops in the Computer Room.

On the main level we stood beneath an impressive glass rotunda in the “original” foyer of the Library and were told about the complicated restoration which it underwent when the library was renovated and expanded. Nearby are framed prints by “The Masters” to borrow for display in your home. An impressive audio area with classics, opera, showunes, and current music of today.  On the other side of the foyer, was the LARGE PRINT book section.

There were many quiet nooks and crannies for reading and studying. One could relax in a fireside winged-backed chair, get a Wi-Fi connection, or grab a “Playaway” (a pre-loaded audiobook device) - you just need to supply your own ear plugs, press play, and listen as you take a power walk or ride the commuter train to Boston.

We are fortunate to have a fine library that has many offerings, from traditional to leading edge.

A quote from Mark Lague’s presentation:

“In a good bookroom you feel in some mysterious way that you are absorbing the wisdom contained in all the books through your skin, without even opening them.”

                                                   Mark Twain

Thank you to Mark Lague, the entire staff, and volunteers at the library who always make us feel welcome.