“I believe that spaces can have a huge impact – spaces can feel oppressive, or they can be cheerful and uplifting. And accessibility is basic to making a space feel welcoming of and for everyone.”
Exeter Public Library patrons have easier access to the building and all of its resources now that interior foyer doors have been automated with help from a 2023 Sherlock Center Access for All Mini Grant.
Library Director Tien Tran said it’s a mystery why automatic door openers were not previously installed on the interior doors while one existed on the outer door. He said he was motivated to apply for the mini grant after a couple of instances when someone using a wheelchair had difficulty entering the library.
He and the library staff also saw elderly residents, including one who wears a wrist brace, struggle with the heavy doors.
“Being fiercely independent, she would refuse help. Since the openers have been installed, she has been able to exit the library without assistance. I had the chance to ask her privately about the door openers and she was extremely pleased,” he said.
The new door openers have made the library more accessible for individuals across many demographics, he said. “The biggest sign of a positive change, though, is that the new openers get a lot of use every single day.”
Tran said he learned about the mini grants when he was manager at Community Libraries of Providence’s South Providence branch, which received a 2017 mini grant for an automatic door. “I searched for grant opportunities and found the grant program online,” he said. “Again, it was a mystery to me why one was never installed. That also made such a positive impact.”
The library recently invited the Sherlock Center to a donor reception and celebration to see the door openers in action and hear from Karen Mellor, chief of library services at the state Office of Library and Information Services, as well as members of the Library Board of Trustees, the Friends of the Library and the Exeter Town Council. In the photo accompanying this story, Councilor Calvin A. Ellis demonstrates the automatic door, which he says has been helpful when he comes to the library.
Asked what advice he’d give other libraries or organizations seeking to create more welcoming and accessible spaces through initiatives such as the mini grant program, Tran said, for him, it’s about cultivating a sense of place.
“I believe that spaces can have a huge impact – spaces can feel oppressive, or they can be cheerful and uplifting. And accessibility is basic to making a space feel welcoming of and for everyone. So, my advice would be to be mindful of how a space feels, to walk through the front door a couple of times a day, look around and see if anything can be changed to make the place feel more comfortable and welcoming.”