New Canaan’s History of Change

by Kit Colson

Knowing the history of your town may seem only useful for trivia nights, but it can help one become more connected and understanding of their community. The issue is, there are few opportunities to learn about the history of our towns and its people. To amend such deficiencies, the New Canaan Library has partnered with one of the town’s most important nonprofit organizations: The New Canaan Museum & Historical Society. Together, they are launching the “Changemakers” exhibition to illuminate the contributions of 50 New Canaan residents who made a big impact on the town.

The theme of the exhibit is “Making a Difference”, aiming at the important people and moments in the town’s history. To highlight the exhibit, the New Canaan library plans on setting up six banners which display important New Canaan figures on the side of the library. The banners exude vibrant colors, spicing up the historic design of the 1912 library and catching more than a few eyes.

The six banners display William Attwood, Alice King, Philip Johnson, Max Perkins, Ruth Lapham Lloyd, and Eliot Noyes. These six represent important figures from throughout the town’s history. The earliest of them was born in 1885, and the latest died in 2005. They are comprised of authors, actors, architects, reporters, politicians, and more. But what connects each of them was their commitment to New Canaan and outstanding achievements.

While there is a display inside the library, Changemakers offered a second, more accessible option for those without the time to browse it. A QR code was set up at the library, so that onlookers could quickly scan and learn about the important historical figures without taking the time to stop by.

While the exhibit focuses on the town’s history, it also resurrects a historical partnership between the New Canaan library and the Museum & Historical Society. According to a quote from New Canaanite, the Museum & Historical Society used to be stationed together in the library, with the Salant Room being NCM&HS’s previous space. The Changemakers exhibit brings back this partnership, highlighting the shared commitments of both organizations.

In regard to future collaborations, Ellen Crovatto, the library’s vice president of external affairs and philanthropy, was quoted in New Canaanite, saying:

“Our goal is to be very transparent and very inclusive in terms of thinking about its (the library’s) use… And making sure that it’s obviously a library function, but something that the community can enjoy, as well. And so our goal is to try within the next year to make sure that we put in place an opportunity for people to voice their ideas and concerns and their interests, as well as putting together a team of people- leadership at the library and our Board- to just try to come up with something that makes sense”.

Through this exhibit, the New Canaan library is continuing to show how libraries can be so much more than just places to find books. This is just one more example of the community building power that libraries can have.