New Improved Lilly Library

    Credit All Around:Well Earned

                                By Edward Shanahan

 It was something of a surprise that the local newspaper was not on hand Sunday to report on the enormously exuberant community celebration for the “grand re-opening” of the renovated and expanded Lilly Library.

 But then I found myself there without my camera or even a pen with which to take notes, so I can’t be too critical of others.

 Still, organizers of the event and contributors, large and small, to the library’s new look had to be nothing short of stunned by the huge turnout and the expressions of ‘wow’ that echoed from conversations we eavesdropped on.

  Not counting the public officials and the principals from the library involved in the renovation, it was a who’s who of local non-celebrities, just plain folks who have a deep attachment to the library and the village of Florence.

As one who was active for years at Forbes Library as a Friend and a Trustee, I always believed the downtown library was unique for a city this size.

 But compared to the depth of feelings and affection that vibrated through Lilly the other day, Forbes seems almost passionless despite its rich history, large endowment and impressive collection.

 And I guess this is a consequence of the intensely insular but profound feeling that exists in Florence about its lively center and its own special history and virtues.

 The speakers were brief and to the point: the overarching message was one of grateful thanks, because few of those involved ever truly believed that there would be the money and support to bring this cultural step-child into the modern world.

 But, by God, through the vision and hard work of the late Joyce Neal, who was librarian until illness forced her retirement in 1999, her successor Mark Kille and, in turn, his successor, Martine Hargreaves, the board of trustees, fund-raising powerhouse Ginny Christenson, master builder and project manager Bob Mahar, architect Ken Jodrie, and political figures Rep. Peter Kocot, Sen. Stan Rosenberg, and Mayor Clare Higgins, it all happily came to pass.

 And much of what was expressed was how wonderful the old new library looks, and how unbelievable it was that such a transformation could actually be accomplished in this day and age of negativism and cynicism about the public sector.

It was the Mayor who best made the point that what was being celebrated was the kind of good, useful and enduring work that government is capable of, in tandem with a supportive public.

 Unfortunately, government is often depicted as the enemy of thepeople not its agent or an extension of the citizenry.

 After all, while an amazing $700,000 plus in private funds were raised for the renovation, it also required some half a million dollars from the city and three times that amount from the state to carry out this praiseworthy project. It is appropriate that the Mayor reminded us of the positive role government canplay, at a time when so many elected national figures continue to run against government.

 Even absent my camera and pen, I’m glad I was on hand to see what a broad community of interests could achieve, not just for today but for at least the next 100 years in the life of Florence.