When I moved to this town -- Rollinsford, NH -- more than 12 years ago I wondered about a place that had no library. I had never heard of this phenomenon; every place I had lived previously had some sort of a space for book borrowing and community gathering. On our way to western Maine where we ski I even saw signs for a "public library" in a place we call "Spooky Town" since we have never once in 10 years of passing through this town seen an actual person. I looked at Ben and pointed out, "See. They even have a public library in a place with no public."
It didn't take long to figure out why Rollinsford did have an active and visibe public, but no library. There was simply no one who had the motivation and wits to raise the necessary funds and then figure a way around the Board of Selectmen and Budget Committee in this town that would steadfastly maintain Rollinsford did not need a library. We could use the one in So. Berwick, Maine or pay to use Dover, New Hampshire's.
Because of my love of books and reading, many years ago someone (a pox upon his/her household!) wrote in my name for a town election as a "Library Trustee", whereupon -- there being no one to oppose my candidacy -- I was voted into office. Then I spent my term alternately rolling my eyes at my predicament and wringing my hands helplessly for whatever imagined tenure I was signed on for. Who could build a library from scratch, with zero money?
It turns out there was someone. A number of someones actually. These someones worked their butts to a nub (Isn't it really something to picture a "nub-like" butt?) and over the course of too many years, drummed up forces, library supplies, funds and, finally, a space for the library. While there were many supporters and helpers who deserve credit for their work, the big accolades for the eventual reality of a library in our town go to three people: a child, a political activist, and a housewife. RJ Bolian (see picture, left) was no more than 10 years old when he began seriously haranging and harassing whomever would listen about the need for a library in Rollinsford. At any community event, there he would be -- it was almost enough to drive you crazy -- making sure his project to get us a library wasn't forgotten by all the scattered, busy adults. Then there was Salme Perry: a loud, forceful boss-woman in her 60s prone to taking the bull by the horns who doesn't tell, but shows; who walks the walk; who puts her money where her mouth is; who does not suffer fools; who works like a dog. Someone else can find the next idiom; but thank you Salme Perry for your tireless efforts to bring a library to Rollinsford, NH -- the last town in the state without one.
Once RJ and Salme had accomplished their tasks (respectively: convincing a majority of residents of the need for a library and putting a library together from scratch) in stepped Tamara Niedzolkowski, a longtime Rollinsford resident, former English teacher at the University of New Hampshire who had left UNH to stay home with her two kids, and an outspoken proponent of libraries and literacy. It was Tamara who finished the job RJ, Salme and dozens of other library lovers had started. She was the library aesthete, making sure the space was beautiful, organized, serene and clean. She was the library champion, making sure town residents learned about their new library and what it had to offer while at the same time organizing enough volunteers to ensure the new facility would be open regularly enough to meet the needs of our small community. She was the library rabble rouser, rallying support for town funding so that the library would succeed in the long-term. She was so good at running the library, the three-person board of Trustees (exhausted from four years of non-stop work) asked her to run it officially.
Thank you Board of Trustees. And thank you Tamara for making our library a welcoming place of calm and literacy for our town's residents -- the young, the old and the 29-year-olds like me.
You'd think the town's leaders would have thanked RJ, Salme and Tamara too. Instead what happened was a protracted and divisive fight for a modest request of $45,000 to house the library and pay the salary of the person most responsible for its jaw-dropping success.
But this is a "positive" story, and, lord knows, I need to be more "positive". Therefore I will simply note that, while Tamara is my friend and partner in rage against the domestic machine, no amount of friendship would cause me to beg for taxpayer funding before town boards on behalf of someone who is not worth EVERY SINGLE PENNY.
Rollinsford is a small town with a long history of libertarian sensibility. But we are currently running the risk of becoming small in more ways than one. Times change. Even Rollinsford changes. Many young families have moved to town, lured in by the promise of a great elementary school and an even greater rural setting that is nonetheless close to all the services provided by the small city next door, Dover, NH. People in this town -- young and old -- are now looking for a few more tasty services to be served up with their sour-tasting property tax bills.
So here's something positive: the library is this town's chance to serve a seven-course gourmet meal to an undernourished population. And the gourmet meal is being offered at a fast food price. Who would say no to that? Instead, on March 13th at Town Meeting, let's pick up our forks and say, "Thank you!"
(*many thanks to the witty, talented Julie for blog tech support.)
Recent Comments