The value of a school library that also serves the Germantown community.
By Gemma Leitzell ’26
Art by Kate Mardeusz ’27
When you hear the words “Friends Free Library,” they may evoke memories of Lower School storytimes, cramming for tests, or even your favorite book series. But this space is treasured by many people beyond the members of the GFS community, namely residents of Germantown. As one of the only school libraries in the country open to the public, it plays an important dual role in the neighborhood. But the pandemic required the school to restrict the public’s access to the library’s resources—and its doors have remained closed to the greater Germantown community.
When the Friends Free Library first opened in 1874, it was a resource for GFS students and Germantown, and it fully served neighborhood residents before the school’s closure for the pandemic in early 2020. “Up until the pandemic, we had public hours for the community during the day,” says Director of Library Services Kate Garrity. “Monday was our late day; we were open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, it was 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.” During these hours, Germantown community members came in to peruse the library's collections and check out books, as well as use its resources, such as the computer terminals.
Even with new restrictions due to the pandemic, the library is a resource not just for GFS students. There are often events hosted by community groups in the space, such as Breakthrough and Women In Transition, who book the library through Garrity. These events provide the opportunity for community members to experience the library and explore its materials. “When we open the library for special events, I sign folks up for library accounts and help them check out books. People come in and love the library space; it's [been] difficult explaining to them that they can't come back on a regular basis to exchange books,” says Kate.
Since the pandemic, fully reopening the library has been a prevalent discussion, but in the wake of COVID-19, there have been increased safety concerns. Administrators and Garrity agree on prioritizing student health but still miss being open to the community on a regular basis. “Ideas around school safety throughout the country have changed over the last 15 years, and we are part of that context,” explains Associate Head of School Page Fahrig-Pendse. “How do we make sure that we're prioritizing safety while maintaining openness to the community around us?”
Like many issues on campus, the opening of the new building will help solve this problem to an extent. “We can put Middle Schoolers who come back [to campus] after sports in the dining hall until their parents pick them up,” says Fahrig-Pendse, which could open up the library for Germantown residents during some after-school hours. In fact, the administration recently shared the news that the Friends Free Library would be reopening its doors for expanded community service beginning December 4, on Wednesdays and Thursdays, from 3:30 to 6 p.m.
The library's original intention was always to serve the neighborhood in addition to the school, and the GFS community is thrilled to be getting back to its mission. “Folks [would] call us and ring the doorbell, wanting to know when we were going to reopen,” Garrity shares. “They wondered why we were still closed [when] the pandemic was over. That has been tricky to navigate with our community.” What has been a pressing issue on the minds of librarians, administrators, and community members alike is finally seeing some resolution. Almost five years after the library first closed to the public due to the pandemic, the FFL will reopen its doors twice a week to the residents of Germantown.
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