Unlike many Berkshires libraries, Otis Library did not originate from a benefactor’s gift, but from community members’ desire for a permanent library. Established in 1949, it has served the town ever since, officially becoming a certified Massachusetts library in 2007.
Librarian Lois Hall introduced me to one of the Otis Library’s treasures: a communal table that once belonged to Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt in their first home together. Once a table around which FDR gathered, it now serves as the center of gravity for the Otis community, hosting meetings, conversations, and events.
In recent years, the Otis Library was awarded state grants to design and construct a new facility due to limited space, structural and ADA deficiencies, and little opportunity for expansion. Massachusetts offered to fund 75% of the project. Ultimately, however, local voters declined to approve the town’s share of the cost, leaving the library to continue serving the community from its longtime home.
I shared Lois’s disappointment over that outcome. It felt like a missed opportunity for both the library and the community.
A couple welcomed surprises at Otis…
- The kitchen. These spaces are becoming one of my favorite discoveries at each library. They’re often old, untidy, and deeply lived in, making them incredibly photogenic. Hidden behind the scenes and closed to the public, they feel like glimpses into the library’s everyday life. It’s what makes them special.
- The museum. Although it’s no longer officially connected to the library (a requirement of the grant application), Lois approved a quick peek. I can’t imagine anyone being turned away if they simply asked to see it. On the second floor, the Otis Historical Commission holds the town’s collection of artifacts and memorabilia. Whether it was the casually scattered objects or the sense that everything had been left exactly where someone last set it down, the space felt magical. Light poured through the windows onto objects bursting with stories and history. The two adjoining rooms seemed suspended in time, as though the archivists had stepped away in the middle of their work and never returned.
A big thank you to Lois, who has worked at Otis Library just one year shy of 20 years. Thank you for your generosity and consistency in serving this gem of a library!
