Westport Library

{{Short description|Public library in Westport, Connecticut, US}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox library

| library_name = The Westport Library

| image = The Westport Library Logo.png

| caption =

| location = 20 Jesup Road, Westport, CT 06880

| country = United States

| established = {{start date|1908}}

| pop_served = 26,508

| director = William H. Harmer{{cite web|title = Our Team|url = http://westportlibrary.org/about/our-team/|publisher = The Westport Library}}

| num_employees = 90

| website = {{official website|http://www.westportlibrary.org}}

| phone_num = 203-291-4800

}}

File:Westport Library Forum.jpg

File:Westport-Public-Library-Entrance.jpg

Image:Westport Public Library.jpg in Westport, Connecticut]]

The Westport Library is a public library in the town of Westport, Connecticut, established on February 4, 1886, by members of the Westport Reading-Room and Library Association.{{cite book|last1=Klein|first1=Woody|title=The Story of a New England Town's Rise to Prominence|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2001|isbn=0-313-31126-9|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/westportconnecti00klei}}{{rp|132}}

Morris Ketchum Jesup, born in 1830 to a country doctor,{{rp|73}} amassed a fortune in the railroad business and became the benefactor of the library, donating the land and $5,000 for the building.{{rp|157}} In April 1908, the Westport Public Library was completed at a cost of $75,000{{cite news|title=Bridgeport Telegram|date=April 9, 1908}} and dedicated to the custody of the Westport Library Association by Jesup's wife, following the wishes of her husband who died four months earlier.{{rp|157}}

In June 1984, plans were announced to build a new library on a site adjacent to Jesup Green on the Saugatuck River.{{rp|308}} Considerable discussion took place about how to raise the money for the new library and the proposed site, a former landfill. After a referendum was approved, the new library was built for $4.6 million and opened on Labor Day of 1986.

As popularity of the library increased, another renovation and expansion was completed in 1998.{{rp|324}} The improvements included an innovative project called the "River of Names," a wall of small handmade tiles, paid for individually by donors, depicting local history.{{rp|324}}

By the year 2000, the library was the second busiest in the state in terms of circulation per capita, averaging 1,200 visitors a day.{{rp|7}}

Embracing a trend in expanding the role of libraries, the library opened a makerspace in 2012, a structure with 3D printers and other tools for people to create inventions and learn about new technology.{{cite web|title=Westport Library Unveils New MakerSpace|url=http://www.thedigitalshift.com/2012/07/ux/westport-library-unveils-new-maker-space/|publisher=Library Journal}} The name of the library was changed to The Westport Library.{{cite web|title=Library Drops 'Public' From its Name|url=http://www.westportnow.com/index.php?/v2_5/comments/library_drops_public_from_its_name/|website=westportnow.com}}

In 2013, the library received a $246,545 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services for the enhancement of the makerspace.{{cite web|title=National Leadership Grant for Libraries|url=http://www.imls.gov/news/2013_ols_grant_announcement.aspx#CT|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926234252/http://www.imls.gov/news/2013_ols_grant_announcement.aspx#CT|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 26, 2013|work=Institute of Museum and Library Services|publisher=Institute of Museum and Library Services}} In 2014, the library became the first library in the nation to use humanoid robots for the purpose of teaching computer programming.{{cite news|last1=Waldman|first1=Loretta|title=Coming Soon to the Library: Humanoid Robots|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/coming-soon-to-the-library-humanoid-robots-1412015687|accessdate=September 29, 2014|agency=The Wall Street Journal|publisher=Dow Jones & Company|date=September 29, 2014}}

In September 2017, ground was broken on a renovation project for the library, dubbed the "Transformation Project." The renovation lasted two years, and the library was reopened on June 23, 2019.{{cite web|title=Transformation Project|url=http://westportlibrary.org/about/transformation-project/|publisher=The Westport Library}}

The library houses a recording studio, Verso Studios.{{cite web|title=Verso Studios|url=https://westportlibrary.org/services/verso-studios/|publisher=The Westport Library|access-date=May 16, 2023}} The studio's Verso Records label is expected to release an album, Verso Records, Volume One, on June 3, 2023,{{cite news|title=A record event: Library's Verso Studios to release first album|url=https://westportjournal.com/arts/a-record-event-librarys-verso-studios-to-release-first-album/|work=Westport Journal|date=April 23, 2023|access-date=May 16, 2023}}{{cite news|first=Brigitte|last=Quinn|title=Newsline: Westport Library releases debut album from its own independent label Verso Records|url=https://omny.fm/shows/wcbsam-on-demand/newsline-westport-library-releases-debut-album-fro|publisher=WCBS-AM|date=May 11, 2023|access-date=May 16, 2023}} which it claims is "the first vinyl record ever to be recorded, produced and released by a public library".{{cite web|title=Verso Records|url=https://versorecords.westportlibrary.org/|publisher=The Westport Library|access-date=May 16, 2023}}

As a "forum for civic engagement and an incubator of new ideas," the Library provides many books and resources geared to fundraising, social entrepreneurship, and non-profit organizations. An example of a book about social entrepreneurship is the memoir, "Start Something that Matters" by Blake Mycoskie, the founder of the global footwear giant, Toms Shoes.{{cite book|last1=Mycoskie|first1=Blake|title=Start Something that Matters|date=2011|publisher=Spiegal and Grau|isbn=978-1-4000-6918-7}} The Library has the distinction of being a Funding Information Network partner of the Foundation Center, the nation's leading authority on organized philanthropy. A Grants Center section provides additional guides and manuals for becoming effective fundraisers for causes of all types and sizes.

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