Hartford Public Library, Blue Hills Branch

History

The Blue Hills Branch, the youngest branch, is located in the northwest corner of the City of Hartford. It opened in April, 1949 as the result of direct requests of residents in the neighborhood. A Blue Hills Branch had existed in 1931 (at 641 Blue Hills Avenue) but the Depression caused its closing the following year. The branch was relocated in 1949 to 654 Blue Hills Avenue.

Subsequently, it moved to 630 Blue Hills Avenue, and when that property burned in March 1973, it was moved to 655 Blue Hills Avenue. The branch moved to its current location, a rented facility, at 649 Blue Hills Avenue in 2005.

Community Relationships/Services

The Blue Hills Branch is within walking distance to St. Francis Hospital-Mount Sinai Campus, Burgdorf Health Clinic, Northwest Boys And Girls Club of Hartford, and many churches and businesses. The Blue Hills Branch Library is also within walking distance to Jumoke Academy Elementary School, Jumoke Honors Middle School, Weaver High School, which houses the Journalism and Media Academy and Culinary Arts Academy, Sarah Rawson Elementary School, and the North Hartford Senior Center.  Library staff worked closely with the Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Committee to craft the Blue Hills Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Strategic Plan, and also work cooperatively with the Blue Hills Civic Association and the Blue Hills Merchants Association.

Noted Trends

The community remains a desirable family area, with its own commercial strip and stable owner-occupied housing. Twenty percent of the City’s single and two-family residential acreage is located in the Blue Hills neighborhood. The Blue Hills neighborhood continues to see an increase in the number of West Indian families moving to the area.

Branch Initiatives

The Blue Hills Branch is open 26 ½ hours a week, including Tuesday evenings until 7:30 P.M. The Assistant Youth Services Librarian partners with the Rambuh Family Center for the “Homelinks Program,” which provides early literacy workshops to home day care providers.  Monthly service visits are made to the City of Hartford Infant & Toddler Early Learning Center and to pre-school classes at Rawson Elementary School. Homework assistance, reading time, games, crafts, and a variety of rich learning experiences are available to youth after school. The branch participates in the free Summer Lunch Program, which served over 8,000 lunches throughout the Hartford Public Library system in 2009.  Nine public access computers attract adults interested in Internet searching and job information. The branch has increased materials on Caribbean history and African American literature to serve the diverse population. The library participates in voter registration and actively encourages adult library card applicants to register.