Book Lovers on Commuter Rail Line Celebrate Return of Little Library

DEDHAM, MA - Another one of Dedham’s dozen Little Free Libraries is finally back in action after a well-deserved makeover. Located at the Dedham Corporate MBTA commuter rail station on Rustcraft Road, across from the Jefferson at Dedham Station apartments, the mini lending library now sits, fully renovated. The Little Free Library Project is overseen by the Dedham Library Innovation Team (D-LIT), with funding from Dedham Savings and the Dedham Cultural Council, as well as support from individual donors. Installed across Dedham by D-LIT over the past decade, these individually-decorated mini lending libraries were built by Dedham High School students and originally painted by both DHS students and community artists.

The newly reinstalled lending library is sporting a fully repainted design by Dedham Resident, Artist, and Educator Clarissa Robyn. The design painted on the mini lending library, which Robyn titled “Welcome to Dedham,” is a nod to the original Dedham Pottery high-fire stoneware produced in Dedham from 1896 to 1943, during the arts and crafts movement. The world-famous pottery featured a signature crackle glaze on white with border designs in cobalt blue. The Dedham Pottery Factory was located on Pottery Lane, where the new Avery Elementary School stands. The most well-known design on the pottery was a repeating crouching rabbit, which has been referred to as “the Dedham rabbit.” The name and original trademark of Dedham Pottery is a registered trademark and wordmark of the Dedham Historical Society.

Originally painted and installed at the Dedham Corporate MBTA station in 2016, this little library was a favorite resource for MBTA commuters and area residents. Sadly, however, material defects in the wood caused major deterioration damage in recent years. Thankfully, Kristen and Edward Schelleng of Greenlodge volunteered to rebuild the little library from scratch. Of course, this also necessitated a complete repainting of the structure by Robyn. Once the rebuild and repanting was finished, the final installation work back to its original placement at the Dedham Corporate MBTA station was provided by Nick Garlick of East Dedham.

D-LIT’s newly-elected President Janet Z. Reynolds notes, “This little library definitely needed some major TLC, and thanks to Dedham Savings and Dedham Cultural Council, we’ve kept our renovations and on-going maintenance project rolling.”

Robyn reflects, “Back in 2016, I was honored to have been allowed to participate in the Little Free Library Project in ways that bring me joy, through painting and creating! Dedham holds such a special place for my family and I wanted to honor this by paying tribute to its history, while also focusing on its strong efforts in bringing arts to the community. The “Dedham rabbit” has long been a way that I associate “the town,” so I thought of bringing this fun character to life through paint and story. I used images of actual Dedham Pottery designs as inspiration for the basis of the little library’s theme. I also elaborated by using the artistic aspects in creating scenes that pay homage to many of Dedham’s current highlights. Take a slow walk around the lending library and see what surprises you find within its walls, doors, windows, and ‘green space.’ This was such a fun makeover project to be a part of!”

When she’s not painting, Robyn is an avid civic volunteer and a sought-after early childhood educator. She recently launched Star Path Montessori, which provides Montessori-at-Home design and consulting services to families of children 6 and under who look to embrace more of the Montessori Method in their daily work in their home environment. Star Path Montessori also has an in-person gathering space located right next door to Dedham, in West Roxbury.

D-LIT's Dedham Little Free Library Project is an officially chartered member of the national Little Free Libraries initiative, which numbers over 150,000 little libraries in 108 countries. The libraries serve all ages from children to seniors. Use of the libraries is free - and books are all donated by the community.

To see the time-lapse video of Robyn’s entire painting process, which she produced as part of the renovation project, be sure to visit Dedham Little Free Library Project on Facebook: www.facebook.com/dedhamlittlefreelibrary.