Dyer Memorial Library

Everytime my daughter gets a children’s movie out from this libray, it is all scratched! Personally, I think if the movie is scratched it should be taken off the shelves! Also, the fact that the childrens room isn’t very kid friendly isn’t a plus. The librarians are constantly on the kids about playing hide and seek, and whatnot. We will not go back to this library after having such negative experiences each time. Going forward, we shall continue to go to Tufts Library in Braintree. The librarians go above and beyond to keep the children amuzed. They allow kids to be kids! Also, you are allowed to bring snacks for the kiddies, and the adults can have their coffee. You can’t get much better than that. Abington Library is just not for us!!!

Live on the South Shore? Wondering about the history of your town, a monument, or something you’d heard about from a neighbor? You’re in luck, because there’s the Dyer Memorial Library, a small yet important institution that’s devoted to collecting and preserving the history of Abington, Rockland and Whitman (full disclosure: I have done consulting work here).
The Dyer was founded through the will of Marietta White Dyer in 1930 to promote and preserve the history of Abington. It’s in an early 1930s structure on Centre Avenue that looks like a mansion. Inside are the library stacks, exhibit spaces and a reading room where patrons can review manuscripts, genealogical resources, photographs and newspapers.
What makes the Dyer special is its focus on the area around Abington. It holds an extensive collection of town reports dating into the 1800s, as well as newspapers circulating in the area and artifacts often seen in the library’s exhibits. While some items in the collection address subjects and areas outside of the Abington area, the beauty of its collection is that it is focused almost exclusively on the South Shore.
From its founding to the present day the Dyer’s personnel and trustees have been a great source of strength and direction. Although the staff is small it is versatile and has an extensive knowledge of its collections. Moreover their preservation efforts over the last decade or so have made tremendous strides toward improving the conditions of its holdings.
The area between Boston’s immediate southern suburbs and Cape Cod sometimes gets overlooked by shoppers, business and the media. Thanks to the Dyer, its history is kept safe and well secured.