Library 100: Charles D. Brainerd Memorial Library (Danville)

Vermont's smallest library.

Library 100! The Charles D. Brainerd Public Library, one of three public libraries in the town of Danville, was the 100th stop on my quest to read, write, and knit in all of Vermont’s public libraries.

I read: a history of the library in “West Danville, Vermont: Then and Now, 1781-2021”
I wrote: notes on this library
I knit: a Musselburgh Hat by Ysolda Teague, which currently has 24.7K projects on Ravelry

I visited this library with my wife and sister on July 15, 2024.

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My wife and sister (visiting from Atlanta) joined me for this centesimal visit, which I have been anticipating for weeks. It took me longer to get here than expected. Between library 99 and library 100, Vermont had another day of flooding exactly one year after the 2023 flood that left many of our friends without homes. It felt ominous, like so many other things happening in the world right now. If anyone is interested in donating, they can find a list of families who need help here. Many roads were closed, which made travel to rural libraries difficult. Plus, it has been hot, and bobbing in water holes has taken priority over being inside buildings.

This gas-station-turned-library is the smallest library in Vermont, and my first with no electricity. No electricity means no WiFi, no computer, no website, no phone, no digital catalog, and no patron database. Books are checked out on a modified honor system, and a few volunteers keep it open six hours per week in summer. The hours are posted on the door, which is the only way to find out when it is open. This summer the hours are MWF 2-4pm.

Community members re-opened this tiny room of books and good cheer in 2017 after 20 years of semi-dormancy, which meant kicking animals out, removing damaged books, updating the collection, and painting and restoring on little to no budget (this is not a municipal library). While I was there it was being used for a meeting unrelated to the library, but everyone who attended the meeting seemed to know the library well.

This is one of Vermont’s most photographed libraries, and I drive past it on my way to our Lyndon campus, so I see the outside often. I was curious about the inside, where I found: a table and chair; a Vermont section; a guest book; staff picks; a door from the former gas station bathroom; a game collection. There was even a librarian!

A little free library stands outside near the rail trail, a replica of the actual library. This library was moved all on one piece across town, although I imagine this 11x17 foot room was easier to move than the Jericho and Hyde Park libraries, which have also been moved across town.

100 libraries sounds like a big number to me, and 110 remain on my list. When I began this quest, I was seeking free places to write, novel experiences close to home, community connection, and a deeper understanding of what libraries are. I found that, plus new understandings of how librarians hold our communities together; why people go to libraries; what people are reading; how libraries preserve local histories; how libraries write new histories; an introduction to many Vermont authors. Because sabbatical allowed for a return to daily writing practice, I think I’m a better writer now than I was when I started. I hope I’m a better listener, too.

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