George Hail Library: Warren's "little jewel"

Library has been in same location for 130 years

By Ted Hayes
Posted 4/18/18

Staff members can always tell when someone new walks into the George Hail Library . It’s not just that they know most of the regulars; the looks they get usually tell it all: “They always …

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George Hail Library: Warren's "little jewel"

Library has been in same location for 130 years

Posted

Staff members can always tell when someone new walks into the George Hail Library. It’s not just that they know most of the regulars; the looks they get usually tell it all:
“They always look up at the ceiling, at the woodwork,” says Pat Redfearn, who has served as the library’s director for 15 years. “They’re always amazed at the beauty of it. You can always tell who they are.”
One hundred and forty-seven years after its founding and 130 years since it moved into its current home adjacent to Warren Town Hall, the privately run and publicly funded George Hail Library is still wowing new visitors as it did a century and a half ago. The handsome stone building, filled with rich woodwork, leather easy chairs, art and oozing in Warren history, is consistently listed among the state’s most beautiful libraries. But its staff believe the library is much more. Even as the Internet has removed the library from many people’s daily lives, The George Hail is still going strong and staff members believe it will be around for years:
“It’s one of Warren’s little jewels,” Ms. Redfearn said. “One of the things that I tell people and the trustees is that we have our beginnings in the 19th century, but we provide 20th century services. We try to accommodate people as much as possible.”
First, consider the old:
The library has an unmatched collection of local ephemera and artifacts, many of them housed on shelves downstairs and others in the Charles Whipple Greene Museum upstairs. They include Native American stone tools dug up along the Kickemuit, a document signed by George Washington, a large collection of local books, photographs and other artifacts (a 1950s menu from the Wharf Tavern lists prime rib, Saturdays only, at $4.50), and a large collection of nautical records and plans from Warren’s whaling and merchant shipping past. Ms. Redfearn said the library staff is always looking to acquire new items that help tell Warren’s story, and over the years the library has picked up countless pieces of Warren’s puzzle, big and small.
“We’re always looking for things that have to do with Warren’s history. It’s really the only public place people can come if they’re interested in finding out about the town’s history.”
Now, consider the new:
Ms. Redfearn said the library strives to be available 24 hours a day. Apart from open, 24-hour wifi access (you can often find web surfers peering into their smartphones on the sidewalk outside), and the computer’s collections of titles, periodicals, music and video are completely modernized. Librarians like Carol xx spend their time organizing new arrivals and still receive regular calls from those seeking reference services. It keeps the job interesting and fun, she said:
“Someone (recently) wanted schematics of a particular boat engine,” she said. “I was able to find them on a database that we have. The other day someone else called looking to find the name of all the beauty academies in Rhode Island.”
Still, the library is not immune to the societal changes that have reduced many libraries’ staffs and hours:
“The last couple of years, things have slowly slowed down,” Ms. Redfearn said. “The general thinking is, when the economy is good people don’t come in. when the economy is not going well, people use the library more. And I’m sure the Internet has something to do with it.”
For years, library officials have made a concerted effort to increase offerings for young people, and the library offers regular story hours, art classes and other events geared to Warren’s youth. More than anything, Ms. Redfearn said the library itself, and its staff, keep people coming back:
“We have an excellent staff here, very friendly,” she said. “Between all of them they know practically everyone that comes in the door, their life story, who they’re related to. You never know what each day is going to bring. The people are different, the problems are different, you never know. But we try to do the best we can for them.”

For more information on the library, call 245-7686 or visit www.georgehail.org. The Charles Whipple Greene Museum is open Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m., or call Ms. Redfearn to arrange for a special time to visit.

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