In this special series from Give Back NH, we explore how local libraries across New Hampshire strengthen communities, support lifelong learning, and build trust — through the people, programs, and stories that make them essential.
To find out more about the Conway Public Library and all that it has to offer, click here.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
That's the sound of a century old clock tower bell perched above the Conway Public Library. It still has to be cranked every few days in order to keep the clock outside running — something library director Jeff Beavers crawls through a tight crawl space in the attic to do.
Jeff Beavers: A lot of people think it's a Carnegie library, but it was actually built by the widow and daughter of Thomas Jenks, who was a Boston physician who actually grew up here in Conway. And when he passed away, he left a pretty substantial amount of money to build the library.
All of the different windows are dedicated to a person that contributed some type of knowledge to, I would say, just humanity as a whole, because we have Plato and Socrates and Longfellow and all sorts of different people.
We get a lot of tourists that they've driven by for years, and they finally stop in, and then they're just like walking around with their mouth open, like mesmerized at how beautiful the inside of this building is.
But books, history and stunning architecture aren't the only things you'll find in this library. Right across from the circulation desk live Harold and Kumar, a pumpkinseed, sunfish and crayfish who, through a partnership with New Hampshire Fish and Game, are permanent residents of the Conway Public Library.
To my knowledge, we're the only library in New Hampshire that have this going. But for three or four years now, we've had a partnership with them where we collect live specimens from Conway Lake.
Just past Harold and Kumar's tank stairs lead down to the children's room. Youth services assistant Drea Kasianchuk sees dozens of local families come through these doors each week. There's been a common thread throughout a majority of these families.
Drea Kasianchuk: They love seeing the library through their kids eyes. You know, kids walk in here and it's a whole new world with toys and books and stories to get lost in. So I think a lot of parents just enjoy it being a space that kind of changes up their everyday schedule, and they get to have some quality time together.
Assistant Library Director Tessa Narducci says if you're expecting whispering and quiet shushing here, think again.
Tessa Narducci: This is a loud library. Some people, once in a while they complain, but mostly quiet. Mostly. Yeah, we're pretty loud here, actually.
That feeling of connection community is something that Jeff feels might have been here from the inception of the library.
Jeff Beavers: For me, I think this is really like a community hub and a focal point that brings a lot of people together. We're really at a crossroads for the whole Conway community.
One of the groups that calls the Conway Public Library home is the poetry group. A monthly meeting on the first Thursday of every month. My visit to the library coincided with the fourth anniversary of the group's founding.
Denise Collette: My name is Denise Collette, and I am the facilitator of the poetry writing group at Conway Library. I said to Tessa, I said, do you have a poetry group? Because I'm used to being in poetry groups in libraries. She said, no, but do you want to start one? So it's just been evolving in the last four years to so many different areas and subject matter and everything else in between. And one of the things that was the most important thing was that every person would have a chance to read their poetry.
Catherine Lauber drives in from Fryeburg, Maine, and has been coming to the poetry group since 2024. Initially, she thought it might help with her sermon writing, but found something more.
Catherine Lauber: It's been incredible because it's allowed me to be more free and open with language and words. And I've rekindled, I think, a joy from my teenage days when I did write.
