There is good news for the residents of Harvard frustrated with the recent inaccessibility at the town’s library. The elevator providing access to the mezzanine, second, and third floors, which has been out of service since November, has been repaired.
The elevator stopped working Nov. 14, according to Library Director Mary Wilson. At that point, 3Phase, the Canton-based elevator repair company contracted by the town to service the lift, dispatched a diagnostician to assess the problem. When the person arrived Nov. 15, they did not bring the necessary equipment and had to return the following week.
After two more diagnostic calls in which a specialist from Connecticut was brought in to help determine the cause of the malfunction, it was found that the motherboard for the rear door that provides access to the mezzanine had failed. A new motherboard was ordered and scheduled for installation the week of Thanksgiving, but to no avail. The motherboard was either incorrectly programmed or defective.
For two months, patrons, staff, and volunteers dealt with the fallout of having a public facility not fully accessible to the public. “Books move in and out of this library on a daily basis,” said Wilson. “We put signs up and said the staff will do whatever you need. If you want something upstairs, we’ll get it for you, we’ll bring it to you. The pages have been wonderful, but they’re carrying tote bags of books up and down and up and down [the stairs] every day.”
3Phase had not responded to Press inquiries regarding the delay in service at publication time.
Events scheduled to take place in Volunteers Hall, on the third floor of the library, had to be rescheduled or moved during the time the elevator was out of order. Concerts sponsored by the Harvard Friends of the Arts and an author book talk presented by Arm in Arm were moved to the Unitarian Universalist Church. The Warner Free Lecture event with meteorologist Harvey Leonard was moved to the Harvard Senior Center. Family movie nights were canceled, the children’s Pumpernickel Puppet show scheduled for December was moved to February, and the Hula Hooping with Wild Kat Hoops event is still in the process of being rescheduled.
Children’s librarian Abby Kingsbury was significantly affected by the elevator as many of her programs are held in Volunteers Hall. In particular, her popular Mother Goose on the Loose story time typically has 20-30 attendees, all of which had been piling into the small program room in the children’s section of the library on the first floor. The room comfortably holds 10 to 12 people. “If we had had the programs upstairs, there would be people who would have been unable to attend,” said Kingsbury. “Whether it’s because they have a child in a stroller or a wheelchair, they themselves walk with a cane, or they’re carrying a child … there’s four flights of stairs.”
Kingsbury recalled moving the Toe Jam Puppet Band concert held in late December to the children’s room. The popular show drew approximately 120 attendees who disbursed themselves among the stacks in order to enjoy the show. “People were very wonderful about adapting, so that was nice,” she said.
Kingsbury is looking forward to hosting the tiny art show in Volunteers Hall now that the elevator is operational. The event will take place Jan. 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a reception at 2 p.m.
