Library Renovation Draws Poignant Donation

The proposed library renovation project will have a unique hangout for all visitors thanks to the generosity of one local family.

"This is a very exciting time in the history of the town of Shrewsbury,” said Laurie Hogan, chairperson of the Library Board of Trustees. “We are extremely pleased with the response from our community to our new library renovation project. Many families have come forward and made very generous donations to the Library Foundation for the new building, as our library holds a very special place in their hearts and minds.”

One such family who has a poignant personal connection to the is the Boulangers, residents for 35 years.

Jeannine Boulanger spoke of the day about a year ago when she visited the library in town and happened upon an architectural rendering of the proposed new building. She took a copy home and shared it with husband Ronald, considering a donation in her daughter’s memory. 

“When I saw that the library was thinking of doing an expansion,” she said. “It seemed to me to be an appropriate connection.”

The Boulangers’ daughter Nicole, a 21-year-old musical theater major at Syracuse University, was returning home from London to be with her family after spending a semester abroad. She was tragically killed when terrorists bombed Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in December of 1988. 

The Boulanger family has directed their donation to the proposed café, which will be named for Nicole.

“Libraries and cafes were very special to her. She loved to go to places and observe people,” her mother said. “While in Europe studying, Nicole used to talk about the different cafes...” where she would often meet many people gathered in town squares of local villages.

Reflective and shy, petite and multi-talented, Nicole was a student of life, ever observant of those around her. A young woman who loved simple things, “We could spend hours on a park bench talking,” Boulanger said.

According to her mother, Syracuse Drama Department Director Arthur Storch referred to Nicole as “our triple threat” because of her breadth of theater talent in areas such dance, song and writing. Friends, relatives and acquaintances knew Nicole to be extremely creative, yet equally humble.

After being selected to study oversees, Nicole “...kept pinching herself. She couldn’t believe that she could have this experience,” Boulanger said. “It was the time of her life.”

Boulanger views the town library as a place of learning and conversation. "It’s a welcoming place,” she said, adding her belief that the library’s new café will be a pivotal spot for people to gather.

The decision to include a café in the Shrewsbury Public Library redesign came as the result of a survey given to patrons.

“Of the 12 options listed, ‘library café or coffee shop’ received the highest number of votes,” said Ellen Dolan, library director. “In many ways this was no surprise. People view the library as a destination. They come to read newspapers and magazines, use the wireless internet access or library computers, spend time in the children’s room, find work or study space away from home, and so forth. About five years ago, we changed that age-old rule about food and drinks not being allowed in the library...and patrons were thrilled...If you think about why people like to visit bookstores, it’s often about the comfortable seating and the coffee shop. Users now expect that experience from their library. This coffee shop (café) will allow us to provide that kind of welcoming space.”

As for the actual naming of the space, the family is not focusing on specific details.

“Spiritually it is important to us. Nicole would definitely have approved of anything that would bring people together,” Boulanger said. “This is something my daughter would have loved.”

To donate to the Shrewsbury Public Library building project, contact the library at 508-842-0081.