The moment I stepped into Long Branch Library from the back entrance, I was drawn to the “Once Upon a Time” display in the lobby. A creative librarian had taken great pains to assemble large colorful storybooks that rested on stands, and underneath them lay a collection of magical objects from our collective consciousness. A Puss-n-Boots figure stood near a wooden treasure box. He wore high red boots and an orange hat that sprouted a feather. With auburn hair flowing wild, Sleeping Beauty lay on her life-in-death bed, the fateful spinning wheel nearby — all entangled in vines upon vines of roses. One glass slipper waited near Cinderella. A sorely tested princess tried to sleep on top of nine multicolored pallets (the pea was invisible or possibly implied), with a ladder resting on the side of the tall bed. Finally, a castle glowed inside a snow globe near a dragon, a unicorn, and a pop-up castle book in three dimensions.
The main body of the library lived up to the artistic flair of the enchanting lobby display. In this respect, Long Branch reminded me of Woodside Square, and not only because the east wall’s windows had the same nautical theme as their northeast Scarborough cousins. What made Long Branch’s interior so stylish, even glamorous, was a combination of aesthetic details: walls the dun color of Lascaux-cave horses, lava lamps in the teen zone, and gorgeous light boxes in the style of Charles Rennie MacIntosh. With gray skies outside and dim lighting within, a groovy moodiness prevailed, making the act of browsing the Russian, Polish, and ESL sections seem downright cool. As I walked to the front entrance, I passed a black ceramic panther about to pounce from a tall shelf. And when I went outside, I admired a sculpture of a reader over the door. Even the font of the Long Branch sign had a animated lilt to it, welcoming readers into a sanctuary for the imagination.