NORTHAMPTON — After remaining virtually unchanged since its original opening nearly 70 years ago, Forbes Library is looking to upgrade its museum dedicated to Northampton’s most historically prominent politician, former U.S. President Calvin Coolidge.

The museum, on the second floor of Forbes Library, is the only presidential museum located within a public library and unlike museums for presidents who came after Coolidge, not affiliated with the federal National Archives, with the museum instead controlled directly by a standing committee of the library’s board of directors. Located in a single room, it’s much smaller and more humble than other museums dedicated to a former president, perhaps fitting for “Silent Cal,” who was known for his stoic personality despite overseeing a period of economic prosperity.

But now, the museum is looking to raise funds to put out a request for proposal to find a design firm to revamp the 2,000-square-foot museum and bring it into the 21st century. Julie Bartlett Nelson, the museum’s archivist, said she envisioned upgrading to incorporate new technology that would show video and audio of the nation’s 30th president, as well as renovating collection and research spaces containing texts and materials that once belonged to Coolidge.

“We’re approaching the 100th anniversary of Coolidge’s own election, so the thinking and reflecting back of his presidency has been something our committee’s doing for some time,” Bartlett Nelson said. “We really want to put him back in the public light, not just as a local or state politician but as a president. We’re also really looking at the legacy of his administration, taking a fresh look and presenting topics in a new way.”

Coolidge began his career in Northampton as a lawyer after graduating from Amherst College near the turn of the 20th century. In 1898, Coolidge was elected as a city councilor for Ward 2 in the city, beginning his climb up the political career ladder. He later became mayor of Northampton, then served as a state senator and Massachusetts Senate president before moving on to become lieutenant governor, governor, U.S. vice president, and then president following the death of his predecessor Warren G. Harding. He then was elected president in his own right in 1924.

Beginning in 1920, then-Vice President Coolidge began donating several documents and memorabilia to Forbes Library, laying the groundwork for what later became the library’s museum. He continued to donate further material throughout his presidency until his death in 1933, and the “Calvin Coolidge Memorial Room,” the first iteration of the museum, was created at the request of his wife, Grace Coolidge.

Along the walls of the museum are mementos of every step of Coolidge’s ascent. They include newspaper clippings, political cartoons, and even the presidential portraits of Coolidge and his wife, painted by Howard Chandler Christy. The museum also contains several gifts the president received during his time in office, including a war bonnet belonging to the Sioux tribe and numerous nonfiction books on subjects including religion, history and technology.

The goal for the library is to raise $30,000 to develop and put out the proposal, with additional fundraising likely needed once a design firm is found. According to Bartlett Nelson, the library has already raised roughly a third of the money needed, and hopes to put out the proposal early this fall.

“We’re really just looking for a modern, better user experience,” she said. “We’re excited to see what some of the possibilities will be in terms of what can happen in that room.”

In addition to teaching visitors about Coolidge, the museum room also doubles as a hosting space for a variety of other activities at the library, such as book discussions and a ukelele group. The museum’s standing committee also holds public meetings in the museum and over Zoom every first Monday of the month.

Alexander MacDougall can be reached at amacdougall@gazettenet.com.