Tuesday, April 12, 2016

LIBRARY: Is this a solution?


"Kennett Library at Bayard Taylor Commons" is the name the library's strategic consultant, Carl Francis, has proposed as a way to get past the recent controversy over the library's name.
On Tuesday, April 12, the library board held three invitation-only sessions so that Carl could present his findings.
He said the "Kennett Library" part of the name would be "public friendly," was easy to understand, could be readily translated into Spanish, and would work online and on building signage, printed materials and newsletters. He said it also had historic roots, as the library's earliest names were "The Kennett Square Library Company," "The Kennett Square Library" and "the Kennett Square Union Library Company."
Plus, he said, it's what many people call the library already.
He rejected both "Kennett Public Library" (he said "Public" is obsolete) and "Bayard Taylor Memorial Library" ("no location, confusing, frustrating, long, sounds old, Bayard has baggage"). By "baggage" he meant that Bayard is not politically correct these days, he said; to illustrate; he showed an old engraving of him drawing a dagger.
However, Carl said he realized how important history was to local residents, and he suggested the "Bayard Taylor Commons" as reflecting the way the new library could honor Bayard Taylor better than the current library does and make him and his accomplishments relevant to the modern world. (Think of how the Brandywine River Museum honors Andrew Wyeth, Carl said, or how Longwood Gardens honors Pierre DuPont.)
Carl said that the primary job of a name is "to get people's attention and bring them in."
Some background on the whole situation: For 120 years the library's name was the Bayard Taylor Memorial Library, until, in early 2015, the library board announced that they were changing the name to the Kennett Public Library. A firestorm ensued, with accusations from the public that the board was trying to erase Kennett's history and was not listening to the public. The repercussions derailed the library board's attempt to build a new building.
A new library board was elected early this year, and one of their first actions was to hire Carl Francis to map out a way forward.






Carl Francis will give his presentation to the public at 3 and 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 3, in the Kennett Township building meeting room.


No comments:

Post a Comment