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Russell

Carrier

NORTHAMPTON - It may not be surprising that Russell Carrier, president of the board of trustees of the Forbes Library in Northampton, likes to read in his spare time. But it may be surprising he has spare time to read at all.

"I've never been one to really relax. I guess I've got that old Yankee ethic in me. I always feel better after a good day's work than a day off," Carrier said this week from his home in Florence. "I'm 61 now, though, so I'm hoping that as I get older, I get better at the relaxing thing."

If it's a good day's work that makes Carrier feel good, then this high school history teacher, business owner, dog breeder and long-serving elected official in Northampton should be coming home every day with a smile on his face.

Today, Carrier will be honored with the Grace and Calvin Coolidge Award for Public Service by the Paragon Partnership.

A lifetime Northampton resident, Carrier has long relied on community libraries, both the Lilly and Forbes.

"I grew up in this town and in a family that didn't have a lot of education in its background, and both libraries were places that I found that were available to me without costing any money."

The library helped Carrier through his quest for three history degrees, from Westfield State College and from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He kept the connection with Forbes alive.

And so 29 years ago, when Proposition 2½ passed, limiting the increase allowed in property taxes by municipalities, Carrier's first thought was to protect his beloved library. The Friends of Forbes Library was born.

The same year, Carrier ran for the post of president of the board of trustees, which he has held ever since.

Since then, Carrier has focused on what he calls "improvement without sacrifice" for the library.

"When I became a trustee, it seemed like the library was kind of stuck. It had all this potential, it was a great facility, but it seemed like it needed someone with a little bit of vision so it could be brought into the modern times without messing up the nice parts of it."

Under Carrier's leadership, the library has been renovated from bottom to top, inside and outside. It is now handicapped accessible. The children's department in the basement has been completely renovated, the main floor and reference area have been redesigned and the catalog has been moved online. There is now a Northampton room and a special collections room.

Joseph Donahue, former president of the Friends of Forbes Library, was one of many community members who wrote letters of nomination for Carrier for the award.

Donahue highlighted Carrier's selflessness and dedication in his service. "Recognition of truly outstanding accomplishment in the form of distinctive service is one of the most important and appropriate ways to say thank you to persons who have given so unstintingly of themselves," he wrote.

"Experience of the kind represented in Russ Carrier, coupled with high ability, deep knowledge and a genuine love of the library itself, makes him an exemplary candidate for the Grace and Calvin Coolidge award," Donohue wrote.

And that's only the dedication he puts into his volunteer job. Carrier wakes up every morning to take care of the French bulldogs he breeds before getting to the Sci-Tech High School in Springfield by 7 a.m. At the end of that day, he comes home and tends to business matters for the elder home care service he runs in Northampton, Support and Relief Services.

Then, he focuses on library business, which he says "goes in cycles."

Carrier will seek re-election as a Forbes trustee.

He already has a list of projects in mind for the library, from improving handicapped access to the children's department to installing new windows in an attempt to make the building "greener."

With all that on his plate, it doesn't look like Carrier will be learning to enjoy those days off any time soon, at least as long as he has the library to take care of.

"There's something about libraries," he said, and then paused - perhaps considering some of the 61 years of memories he has of Forbes. "They're hard to just walk away from."