WESTFIELD—The Westfield Athenaeum received a large donation last week to help with their renovation efforts and putting the total raised at over $1.5 million.
Daniel Paquette, director of the Westfield Athenaeum
The Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum gave $80,000 to the Westfield Athenaeum, which will go toward creating a quiet study area, as well as remote frequency identification (RFID) tags to improve security and cataloging. The donation comes on behalf of the late Maria Hall, Athenaeum Director Dan Paquette said.
A portion of the reference area being renovated at the Westfield Athenaeum.
“The Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum recently received a large bequest in memory of Maria Hall, who was a West Springfield resident, but grew up in Westfield,” Paquette said via email. “Maria made donations to both the Friends of the Westfield Athenaeum and the West Springfield Library. She was an avid reader and loved to discuss books.”
Paquette said that the total raised now is over $1.5 million, and puts the fundraising, which began in August 2016, close to its goal, with just about $100,000 left to raise.
The quiet study room that will be created will provide patrons with a place where they may be able to read, research or do other activities in a quieter and more reclusive environment. The room will also be named in honor of Hall.
“It’s been amazing seeing the response from the community but also the donations from the Friends,” Paquette said. “This is a great way to remember Maria Hall and that she’ll be a part of the project forever.”
An elevator for improved handicap access at the Westfield Atheneaum.
In addition to the quiet study room, Paquette said that RFID tags will be purchased and utilized on the library’s collection. These will help to deter theft, which is a concern Paquette said, as well as cataloging and tracking books and other items in the collection.
In addition, Paquette said that RFID technology could also one day allow the library to invest in and install self-checkout machines.
According to Paquette, the library’s renovations, which includes improving handicap access, a reference area and an improved children’s library, are at about 85 percent complete. He hopes to have it all done by the late spring or early summer, with the reference area hopefully opening by early spring.
