Legos Line Library

Books, silence, and shushing. These words are what come to mind when thinking about the average library. However, the Gilman Upper School’s library is not your average library. After its renovation last year, the librarians have revived the Edward R. Fenimore Jr. Memorial Library into a domain of joy and fun. The librarians, Ms. Sherry Schmidt, Ms. Alice Garten, and Ms. Ellie Loane, have fostered and enhanced this new community space through puzzles and Legos. These activities have helped increase interest in the library and bring the community together.  

Puzzles, while not new to the library, have become increasingly present and consistent within the library over the past year. Recently, the popularity of these puzzles has risen dramatically, according to librarian Ms. Schmidt. These puzzles, ranging from 500 to 1500 pieces, may seem like a monumental task for an individual, but for a community, it is trivial. As Librarian Ms. Schmidt puts it, ”[the library is] a place to go where they can just kind of put their hands or feel calm without feeling pressured.” They enable people to zone out for a few minutes and put a couple of pieces into place, subtly contributing to this community effort of successfully assembling a challenging puzzle, creating a feeling of community in the process.  The librarians provide the puzzles, ensuring variety and an appropriate level of difficulty, with puzzles ranging from seaside piers to seashells to trees in autumn. As Vincent Wu ‘27 remarks, “the puzzles provide a much-needed distraction from the rigors of the academic days.”

In addition to the puzzles, various Lego sets recently appeared around the library and now decorate bookshelves and tables. They were brought to the library last fall when the librarians decided to leave out Ms. Loane’s uncompleted cat Lego set for the community to complete, which was named Edward after the namesake of the Library. Students completed it within hours, and ever since, Lego building has been a consistent activity in the library. 

The best part of the Lego sets is that they allow any busy Gilman students to relax for a few minutes and just build. They also serve as community-wide projects, with most of them getting quickly assembled with all of their pieces intact, showing the precision, focus, and dedication exemplified by their many builders. 

While the puzzles are eventually shelved and replaced with new ones, the Legos offer a more permanent fixture in the Library because of their use as decor. The selection process is similar to the puzzles as the librarians aim to select interesting, visually appealing, and familiar builds. After introducing the original Lego flowers, Edward the cat was the next set to be introduced. In addition to these sets, the students have built the Taj Mahal, a TIE Fighter, and a bird. 

As part of the research for this article, the News went to the library to experience what it is like to build Legos there, working on the bird LEGO set by finishing the two wings and the head of the bird. The environment was very calm, focused, and relaxing, allowing us to focus on the Legos. While some students quietly study as others read and talk, all are respectful and not distracting. However, the best part by far was building the Legos themselves, which was extremely enjoyable and satisfying, especially after we finished the set we were working on. Adding to this feeling of satisfaction was the fact that the finished bird was to be displayed in the library alongside the other pieces, creating a sense of pride that we had contributed to the decorum of the library. 

The goal of both these initiatives is to make the library a more active and enjoyable environment where students can do more than just study or read, striking a delicate balance between being fun and not disrupting the rest of the library. As Upper School Librarian Ms. Schmidt put it, “We want people to feel welcome in this space, but we don’t want them to feel pressured by the idea of libraries being all about silence or books. We want libraries to be a space where people can relax.” These activities have allowed the library to remain a place for productive study while also becoming a more active and engaging place with a community feel. Luckily, there is no sign of the Legos being discontinued any time soon because, as Ms. Schmidt said, “We’re definitely planning on keeping it going.” Overall, the News would strongly recommend building Legos in the library every now and then because it offers a good respite from the hustle and bustle of everyday Gilman life.