The original children’s library was on the lower floor of Knight Memorial. The children’s room was framed by bookcases on every wall, with large windows and generously sized window seats. A separate section, the Story-Telling Room, housed a real fireplace that was lit in winter and decorated with delicate tile renderings of Mother Goose and other characters from children’s literature. Every Saturday morning, except in summer, dozens of children crowded into the space to enjoy tales from children’s literature.
The thoughtful layout of children’s library and its collections reflected a very sincere desire on the part of the library’s founders to help local children; surveys of public schools had shown that Elmwood children read less and at a lower level that of students in other parts of the city, and this had motivated Mrs Frederick (Emma) Shaw and other philanthropists to raise funds to make the original library in Elmwood possible.
The separateness of the children’s area also reflected the then contemporary view that children should not disturb adults. In 1927, architect Edward Tilton wrote:
Children are restless, and in a library they must be segregated from the adults either on the opposite side of the building under supervision of the main desk, or in another story. If in the basement, especial care should be taken to make the rooms damp proof, airy and light. This position permits.. direct entrance from the outside. If placed in an upper story the children should not enter the adult sections of the building.
He also wrote, reflecting the class and social attitudes of the day:
Ever-increasing thought and effort are being expended upon this department to cooperate with the schools in developing good citizens. Branch school work has grown to large proportions. Publishers are specializing in juvenile books issued in such numbers that shelf room needs frequent expansion. After school hours the children crowd to the library, and it is noteworthy that the parents of the majority are of foreign birth... the children must wash their hands before handling books, a useful lesson in cleanliness, which results in many improved homes.”
The Children’s Library was relocated to the main floor in 1980 to save costs. Most of the original Children's Library is now occupied by the Knight Memorial Entrepreneurship Center, which serves new and growing businesses in Providence, thanks to generous funding from the Papitto Opportunity Connection.
The other wing of the lower level is occupied by the Auditorium, which continues to provide meeting space for a busy schedule of public meetings and events to this day.
