By Daniela Ginsburg
For the past two years, librarians have read to children in an ice cream shop and other places in Fields Corner during the temporary closure of the neighborhood’s public library branch.
The $30.9 million renovation, which began in October 2024 and is expected to be completed in December, features an all-electric, fossil-fuel-free building, a doubling of the library space, with an added second floor that leads into an outdoor reading terrace, additional study and community rooms, and a children’s story section.
While residents were directed to use public transportation to get to the Adams Street branch and others, Fields Corner’s staff librarianshave tried to maintain a presence in the community.
Wendy Issokson, owner of Chill on Park, stepped up to help by offering space in her ice cream shop as an alternative.
Wendy Issokson, owner of Chill on Park. Photo by Ethan Pott
Every Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., the shop hosts a community book exchange and story times, when librarians read to children. Two Fields Corner librarians bring about 20 books that residents can check out if they want to avoid commuting to other branches.
Dorchester resident Morgan Boudreau has attended the Chill on Park’s library events every Tuesday for the past nine months. She views libraries as the “glue of society” and said the library events are a continuation of the library’s mission of “meeting people where they’re at.”
As a frequent library visitor herself, Boudreau said she had a close relationship with the library staff. “Aside from just books, they do so much,” she said. “It’s really nice to know that they’re still there, they’re still able to connect with people, they’re still visible in the community.”
A couple of storefronts away from the library, All Dorchester Sports & Leadership — which serves 2,300 youths every year — has also held library events during the renovation.
Jaime Buckley, the executive director of ADSL, said families and kids in after-school programs felt they “didn’t have a place to go,” and offered the organization’s Field House to the library to host events twice a week.
Founded in 1983 to address racial tensions through sports and education, ADSL has a long history of collaborating with the Fields Corner branch. It frequently brought children to the library for story times and workshops while also hosting library events at its own facility.
A selection of books presented by the librarians at Chill on Park. Photo by Ethan Pott
Many families served by ADSL live at or below the poverty level, making the library’s resources essential, Buckley explained.
“We’re just showing we have your back,” she said. “We support [the library] fully, and they would do the same for us.”
The library’s location was critical for local students who depended on a quiet place to study, said ADSL program director Jessica Jones, who is known as “Ms. J.”
Many teenagers who work at ADSL rely on the library hours for studying or to have a safe place to stay instead of going home alone. “When it’s cold, when it’s raining, when it’s snowing, nobody wants to go [to other branches],” Jones said.
This story is the product of a part of a partnership between the Dorchester Reporter and the Boston University Department of Journalism’s Newsroom program.
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