page_title: Manchester City Library
section_title: Carpenter Memorial Building (1914-present)
hierarchical_section_title: Manchester City Library / Carpenter Memorial Building (1914-present)
caption_attribution_description: English: Frank P. Carpenter, founder of the Carpenter Memorial Building (Manchester City Library)
context_page_description: The Manchester City Library was established in the mid-1850s, and serves the population of Manchester, the largest city in the state of New Hampshire. It is one of twelve libraries in the GMILCS consortium that provides materials and services to the greater Manchester area, and is on the U.S. Department of Interior's National Register of Historic Places, listed under the Victory Park Historic District as a contributing property, one of the four buildings that face the park. Even though the current building was completed in 1914, library services were provided as early as 1844 through a membership-based organization known as the Manchester Atheneum, and then as a public library which was housed in two other buildings. Over the last century, the library has undergone many renovations to maintain the historical integrity of the building. It has continuously provided materials in various formats, as well as vital services to the public, including internet access, literacy programs, community events, and educational workshops and classes.
context_section_description: Due to a continuously growing population, library collection, and the need for a separate children's room, it became evident that a new facility would be needed once again. Upon the death of his wife, Elenora Blood Carpenter, in 1910, Frank P. Carpenter, the president of the Amoskeag Paper Mill, offered to construct a new building in her honor.
  Ground was broken in September 1912, and the cornerstone, a five-ton block of Concord granite coming from the same quarry that supplied the Library of Congress, was laid by Carpenter on June 11, 1913.  Within the stone was a copper receptable that served as a time capsule; it held records, newspapers, coins, clothes manufactured in Manchester, and other historical items. The foundation was prepared by the R.H. Howes Company of New York, and construction contract was given to F.G. Fearon & Co. of New York.
  
  The new Italian Renaissance-style building, which was 150 feet long and 90 feet deep, took two years to complete by architects Edgar A.P. Newcomb of Honolulu and Edward L. Tilton of New York City. They incorporated Concord granite, Botticino and Lastavena marble, as well as oak woodwork, brick, concrete, plaster, and steel beams into the construction, as well as a beautiful skylight dome in its rotunda. The cost to build the library was approximately $355,000, which in today's dollars would be the equivalent of $8.5 million USD. The 42,000-square-foot (3,900 m²) building, which still serves the population of Manchester, was officially dedicated on November 18, 1914, in front of a crowd of more than 5,000 people, and could now accommodate more than 300,000 materials.
   The dedication program contained musical selections by the First Regiment Band, an invocation by Rev. Thomas Chalmers, D.D., a main address by Samuel D. Felker (then governor of New Hampshire), and a dedicatory oration by Rev. Burton W. Lockhart, D.D. During the period of transition from the Franklin Street Building to the Carpenter Memorial Building, the library was closed for 15 working days, during which time they transferred 74,000 books from one location to the other, beginning on the day of the dedication, and ending on December 7, 1914, when the doors opened to the public.
  In 1929, the library celebrated its 75th anniversary. During this time, a history of the library was written and privately printed.
  During World War II while there was increased patronage, the library held a "Victory Book Campaign" and collected donations from the community to ship to the armed forces overseas. But as a result of efforts to conserve oil, and an undue strain placed on library assistants who had to work additional evening hours, the trustees voted to change regular operational hours on Wednesdays from 9 am to 1 pm, instead of the regular hours of 9 am to 9 pm, for the first time in 30 years. This, however, proved to be unpopular with the public, who brought the issue to Mayor Benoit. As a result, a new schedule was implemented at the start of 1946, changing the hours on Monday to 1 pm - 9 pm, and on Wednesdays, 9 am - 6 pm.
  Some other noteworthy events are as follows:
  1929: The 75th anniversary of the library was celebrated; a history was written and privately printed in commemoration of the event
  1934: Library closes on Sundays
  1953: Bookmobile service inaugurated
  1955: Large Print books are added to the collection
  1963: First photocopy machine in use
  1984: Bookmobile bought by local company for other usage
  1989: Library cards with barcodes are first issued
  1994: Began using Dynix online catalog for in-house use
  1996: Public internet stations arrive; library catalog goes online to the public
  1998: West Branch awarded the NH Preservation Alliance Award
  2005: New teen area created
  2006: NH Downloadable books (e-books) become available; Hunt Grant used to install wireless internet access at both buildings
  2007: Main building is awarded the NH Preservation Alliance Award for renovations
  2008: Automated checkout system is upgraded to Polaris to provide better access for patrons to their records
  2009: Open holds system through the
caption: Frank P. Carpenter, founder & benefactor of the Carpenter Memorial Building (Manchester City Library)
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