The Boston Globe reports today on the trend to hold weddings in the Boston Public Library (BPL). Joseph P. Kahn (one of my favorites of the Globe regulars) notes that the trend is on at the New York Public Library as well. The BPL has not advertised at all, but simple word of mouth has increased the number of weddings from 24 last fiscal year to 54 this fiscal year (2011).
BPL tries not to let the weddings interfere with the core mission of serving the public with library services. There are a few patrons who are becoming suspicious of weeding projects and plans to physically reorganize departments, assuming that it is all in service of wedding catering.
The photos at the Globe are lovely, and if you have ever visited the main branch of the BPL, you will understand why people are willing to pay fees that can total into five figures for a wedding venue so lovely and unique. It also helps the very needy bottom line of a Boston institution, and speaks (ahem) volumes about the interests and values of the bride and groom. The budget of the Boston Public Library, like so many other libraries, has been slashed, and they have laid off 90 staff, according to Mr. Kahn. The wedding catering brought in $825,000 gross last year (fiscal year 2010), but netted only $220,000 after considering the extra costs for security, cleaning, events office, and utilities. Perhaps this year, they will have a higher net to gross ratio. We can hope!
The last few times I was at the New York Public Library (the main library on 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue), there were wedding couples posing both inside and outside the building. I had never seen that before, but thought it made a great deal of sense. Like the Boston Public Library, the New York Public Library is a beautiful old building, an elegant public space, and it is nice to see it used for such a happy purpose. NYPL has become a venue of choice for high-profile events in New York City. Since its recent restoration and renovation, the building is more striking than ever.
ReplyDeleteThere is something about libraries that feeds romance -- of course maybe you have to be a librarian sort to be susceptible.
ReplyDeleteBut I noticed an awful lot of romances that bloomed among both student workers and the regular studiers in the library over the years when I was in contact with those groups. In fact, I had a list and sometimes photos of "library babies." Now, the library babies I am most aware of are those belonging to staff, which is sort of a different thing.
I met my husband of almost thirty-three years when we were both working at a small public library in New Jersey, and I can point to a number of other librarians who met their spouses in libraries.
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