Accessibility of library vies with tradition

Behind the teenagers who send instant messages at public computers, and just beyond the circulation desk and community bulletin boards, Amesbury Public Library has a ''stack wing."

Many libraries were built with private book storage sections. Patrons would request specific books from librarians, who would then retrieve the material from the shelves, or stacks.

Today, library patrons often browse the stack wings themselves. In Amesbury, they walk up a narrow staircase to the three-floor wing, which is filled mostly with hardcover fiction books.

''They were built simply to house books," said library director Marc Lankin, who must frequent the floors of the stack wing throughout his day. ''The steps are a nightmare."

The value of the stack wing has become a central argument in the debate over the Amesbury Library building project. While the Municipal Council is considering the cost of the project, which for taxpayers would be $3.6 million bonded over 20 years, historians, library trustees, and staff are arguing about whether it is appropriate to tear down the stack wing to expand the library and make it more accessible.

The current building plans call for the demolition of the stack wing, and members of the Historic Commission say they do not to want destroy the structure of the historic library.

''I have not been convinced it needs to come down," said commission chairman Lars Johannessen, who thinks the stack wing should be protected just like the facade of the building.

Johannessen said he and other commission members strongly believe that the stack wing is a part of the building's history. Earlier this year, John Iacobucci, an Amesbury resident who also supports the protection of the stack wing, submitted petitions to the Municipal Council, the library trustees, and the Planning Board, asking them to hold off on approving the project, and objecting to the ''shoe-box-like addition" planned for the building. The petitions had 184 signatures, 176 of which were certified.

While the petitions did not change the decision-making process for the boards, Johannessen said he and other stack wing supporters have suggested other design possibilities to officials, including gutting the stack wing. He said Amesbury should maintain the shell of the wing but use the space within it more efficiently. Without the stacks, the wing is simply a 23-foot-high open space that could be used for many purposes, he said.

''It's absolutely fabulous up there," he said of the top 8 feet of the wing, now shielded by the stacks.

Local building committee members and the architects of the project say they have codes to contend with, and that keeping the wing is not possible. As of now, there is no specific handicapped accessibility to the building, and the stack wing must be destroyed to make the building useful to all members of the community, they said.

Carol Feingold, chairwoman of the Amesbury Public Library Expansion Committee, said she understands that local Historic Commission members want to preserve as much as they can of the building, and she does not dispute their claim that the stack wing has historic significance.

''It's all historic," she said. ''It was all built at the same time."

Feingold said, however, that there have not been any suitable options for an expansion without taking the wing off the building. The priority of the Library Trustees and the Historic Commission has been to keep the library at its current location.

''Being on a limited site, there's only so much you can do," she said.

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has kept a list of libraries around the state that have destroyed or altered their stack wings to improve their buildings. The commission has endorsed these demolitions because they have allowed libraries to provide access to the disabled, meet earthquake codes, eliminate fire liabilities, and use limited sites more effectively.

Libraries that have already demolished stack wings include the Beverly Public Library, the Topsfield Town Library, the Waltham Public Library, and the Ipswich Public Library.

In Revere, there are also plans for a library renovation and expansion project. And just like Amesbury, the city must demolish its stack wing to improve the building. The Revere building was also constructed in 1902 and is a historic Andrew Carnegie library.

''What we're doing is very similar to what Amesbury is doing," said Revere library director Robert Rice. ''We're just taking off the wing in back."

Rice said no one in Revere questioned whether demolishing the stack wing negatively affects the building and its history.

''The front of the building is not going to be touched," he said. ''The stack wing is the least pretty section in the building."

Lankin said he understands the concerns of the Historic Commission and wishes there were some way to keep the entire structure of the building intact. But he said changes must be made to meet the demands of the growing community.

''In some sense, the argument is over the facade. They think it adds to the historical significance," he said. ''But we need more space."

Meanwhile, the preservationists have not been convinced. Johannessen said other libraries' destroying their stack wings only makes Amesbury's more valuable.

''It sure makes stack wings an endangered species," he said. ''It's like turning all the Catholic churches into condos."

Feingold said that, as of now, the $3.6 million combined with $2.5 million from the state and $2 million in private funds will be enough to pay for the entire project. But if historians object to the demolition permit and continue the battle, the project could be delayed by six months, and the cost could rise.

''Of course, delays cost money," she said.

The Municipal Council is expected to vote on the library project funding on Aug. 10. Library trustees are scheduled to meet with the Historic Commission about the issue on Aug. 30.

Meredith Goldstein can be reached at mgoldstein@globe.com.