A comparative look at the Swansea Public Library and Redwood Library and Athenaeum

1. LIBRARY VISIT & ANALYSIS
Redwood Library & Athenaeum
Swansea Public Library
Patrick Elliot / LIS 6010

2. Why did I choose to compare these two institutions?
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Public library
 Funded primarily by the town of Swansea
 Very small staff
 Almost no uncirculated special collections
 Member-based library
 Funded primarily by private donors
 Very large staff
 Many rare, uncirculated special collections

3. Interviews & Location
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Located in Swansea, Massachusetts
 Interviewed Library Director, Cynthia St.
Amour
 The original stone structure sits adjacent to
the town hall. It has seen one addition in the
70s, made to the back of the building. The
entire space is very small, with computers
and books crammed into every available
space.
 Located in Newport, Rhode Island
 Interviewed Director of Library Systems, Lori
Brostuen
 The large historic building has seen two
additions, and a residence across the street
was donated when the roof needed renovation.
That house now holds administrative offices
and a children’s department.

4. History
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Built in 1899 with money and land
donated to the town by resident
Elizabeth Stevens.
 Stevens was the widower of a wealthy
local businessman, and inherited his
wealth.
 Officially opened in 1900.
 During its early years, it also
operated as a make-shift town hall.
 Eventually, Stevens donated funds to
create a separate town hall, which is
is situated adjacent to the library on
the same donated land.
 Founded in 1747 by 46 prominent
Newport proprietors.
 One of which, Abraham Redwood,
donated the original collection of 751
books.
 It is the state’s first library, and the oldest
surviving lending library in continuous
use in the United States.
 In 1833, the Redwood was renamed “The
Company of the Redwood Library and
Athenaeum.”
 This new name was meant to reflect the
institutions increased focus on education
and public discourse.

5. Interesting facts
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Local funerals were also once held
there, and a historic town cemetery
sits in the back.
 Elizabeth Stevens left in her will a
nearby house for the library to rent
out for profit.
 Librarians have since acted as ad-hoc
landlords, but hope to soon sell
it off.
 Occupied by British Officers during
the Revolutionary War.
 The war resulted in the loss of half
the original collection.
 After centuries of effort, roughly 90%
of Redwood’s founding collection has
been re-obtained.

6. Staff and Structure
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Add your first bullet point here
Special / Archive Library Public Library
Private circulation, partially open to public Public circulation,  Add your completely second bullet open to point
public
Self-appointed Board of Directors (24) Publically-here
elected Board of Trustees (6)
27 staff members 6 staff members
7 staff members w/ library degrees 6 staff members w/ library degrees
20 volunteers 4 volunteers
Primary funding: Donations & Charitable Funds Primary funding: Town of Swansea
Secondary funding: Grants & Endowments Secondary funding: Friends of the Library
Lesser Funding: Membership Fees Lesser funding: Property Investments, Fees
Consortia / Cooperatives: ILL, Ocean State
Libraries (OLIS)
 Add your third bullet point here
Consortia / Cooperatives: ILL, SAILS Library
Network

7. Departments
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Reference
 Circulation
 Young Adult
 Children’s Department
 Reference (by-appointment)
 Circulation
 Children's Department
 Young Adult
 Archives & Special Collections
 Art Gallery

8. Administrative Process
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
No Administrative Departments
 Finance and Budget handled by Director
 Board of Trustees present budget to Town Finance
Committee
 Budget revisions made by Director
 Payroll handled by Town Finance Committee
 Human Resources handled by Town Hall next door
Department
Committees
Board of
Directors
Redwood
Staff Library
Director
Board of
Trustees
Town
Finance
Committee
Major decisions made by 13 committees, including:
• Library Committee
• Museum Committee
• Program Committee
• Special Projects Committee
• Finance Committee
• Audit Committee
• Institutional Advancement Committee

9. Facilities and Services
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Computer Lab
 On-site tablet use
 Free Wi-Fi
 Overdrive digital media
 Zinio digital magazines
 Printed Newspapers / Magazines
 Photocopying
 Mobile Print Service
 Reading Room
 Meeting Room
 Children’s Video Game Station
 Reading Room
 Exhibitions
 Free Wi-Fi
 3M eBooks
 Naxos digital music library
 Printed newspapers / magazines
 No Computer Lab

10. Ongoing Clubs / Programs
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 Historical Society Meetings
 Outreach Program (delivers material to
homebound residents)
 Family History Fundamentals (weekly
genealogy program)
 Children’s Story Time
 Magic The Gathering Card Club
 Anime / Video Game Club
 Knitting Club
 Gardening Club
 Seasonal Events
 “Life of the Mind Salon” Lecture Series
 “Screen & Discuss” Film Series
 Shakespeare Wednesdays
 Book Club
 Children’s Story Time
 Seasonal Events
 Daily tours ($5)

11. Clientele
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
Primary Clientele:
 Residents of the town of Swansea
Secondary Clientele:
 Residents of communities neighboring
the small town
Primary Clientele
 Subscribed members
 Made up of local Newport residents and
out-of-state seasonal residents
 Can attend all programs and lecture
series.
Secondary Clientele:
 Local Newport residents, tourists
 Free to browse the historic grounds
 Can view the institution’s art exhibitions

12. Current Challenges
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
As a small public library operating in a tiny
community, tax revenue from the town allows only
for a modest budget.
Within these monetary limitations, the Swansea
Public Library still offers more programs and
services to more clientele than the Redwood, even
with a smaller staff.
The library inhabits a very old building, and
requires additional funding from the town finance
committee for renovations.
To help, they asked residents to attend town hall
meetings in support of the library. Support came
out in droves.
The property Stevens left the library in her will is in
disrepair. They are trying to sell it off to aid in
funding the renovation.
The Redwood holds thousands of historic and rare
books, with a collection focusing on material of
cultural or artistic significance, both to the local
region and beyond.
However, Redwood’s Collection Development
Librarian, Robert Kelly, says convincing the Library
Committee that certain books don’t fit the
collection is painstaking, because board members
on the committee have no background in libraries.
Because of this, he might weed out 200 books, but
only propose 10 of them to the committee for
consideration. Even with these efforts, weeding the
massive collection remains the slow process.

13. Major Differences
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 As a public institution, the Swansea Public Library
is answerable to the local community, town finance
committee and an elected board of trustees.
 This is reflected in their available facilities, material
and programs.
 The library lacks any significant special collections,
other than genealogy and real estate records for
the town.
 Instead, the library focuses on providing
community space and maintaining a relevant
collection of books, music, and movies to offer its
patrons.
 As a private institution, the Redwood’s
collection and member services reflect the
combined vision of donors, staff and a self-appointed
board of directors, rather than
clientele.
 The Redwood is also an Athenaeum, and it
feels as much like a museum as it does a
library.
 The Redwood holds a treasure trove of rare
and historical paintings, statues and books
pertaining to art and literature.
 This focus on special collections means a
lesser focus on providing a wider range of
circulated material available to patrons.

14. Employment Advice from Professionals
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 The Swansea Public Library is a very small, lean
operation that provides community space and
services to the local community.
 Because of these characteristics, Director
Cynthia St. Amour says she expects her
employees to:
 Be willing to where many different hats,
figuratively speaking
 Be active within the community
 Work as an advocate for the library and the
services it provides
 Be willing to weed – everyone weeds!
 Fulfil roles beyond what is listed in their job
descriptions
 The Redwood is a very large, bureaucratic
operation with many staff members,
committees and volunteers.
 Because of this, Director of Library Systems,
Lori Brostuen, says Redwood employees
must:
 Be able to fulfill a single, particular role with
strength
 Not need to be micro-managed by higher-ups
 Have the ability to make decisions on their
own
 Work well as a single aspect of a larger
team operation

15. What I’ve Learned
Redwood Library & Athenaeum Swansea Public Library
 As someone who is most familiar with public libraries
as a patron, I wanted to learn first-hand how a small
staff with limited public funding maintains its
collections, services and programs.
 This completely public institution from a small
community served as an excellent contrast to the
private Redwood, as it highlights how less funding and
staff can still produce a larger array of valuable
community services.
 This focus on services and community, however,
means sacrificing an expansive amount of on-site
material and any significant special collection
development.
 Finally, I found digital services like 3M and Overdrive
offered a flexible way for both institutions to
supplement their on-site material for circulation,
highlighting the wide application of technology in
libraries of all kinds.
 The Redwood describes its mission as balancing
“the diverse needs and desires of the members with
the historic charge of collecting and retaining
materials of educational and lasting value.”
 Due to this balancing act, Redwood is made up of a
combination of information professionals and those
with backgrounds in fine art and museums.
 As a student interested in preservation and digital
archiving, it was fascinating to see such a large
collection and the process behind maintaining it.
 However, the massive funding the Redwood
receives highlights how money from private donors
– many of which are on the board – influence
decision-making. This means librarians there are
less autonomous than they desire.