History
The Southwest Branch was established in 1929 at 448 New Britain Avenue and was the predecessor to the Goodwin Memorial Branch. It closed during the Depression, but a bequest from George R. Goodwin and his sister Mary Goodwin Bingham made possible the construction of the present building at 460 New Britain Avenue in 1941. The interior of the building was renovated in the early 1980’s. Plans are currently under way for major renovation/expansion.
Branch Facts
Size: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,200 sq. ft.
Holdings: . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,173 items
Public Access Computers: . . . . . Nineteen
Hours open: . . . .. . . . . . . . 38 hours per week
Attendance: . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,520 visits per month
Circulation: . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,006 items borrowed per month
Program Attendance: . . . . . . . . . 237 attending programs per month
Reference, Information &
Reader Services: . . . . . . . . . . 980 questions answered per month
Population Served
Population:. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,930
Census Tracts: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5045, 5046, 5047, 5048, 5049
School Age Youth: . . . . . . . . . . . 3,560
% of Free and Reduced School Lunches: . . . 89 %
% of Adults with High School Education: . . . 61.6 %
% of Owner Occupied Housing: . . . . . . . . 48.4 %
% of Households with Access to Vehicles: . . 78.6 %
% of Single Headed Households with
Children Under 18 Years: . . . . . . . . . 33.9 %
Community Information
Businesses: . . . . . . . . . . 60+
Churches: . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Educational Institutions: . . . 7
Parks: . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Social Service Agencies: . . . . 6
Community Relationships/Services
The elementary schools located in Goodwin’s neighborhood are Batchelder, Hooker, Kennelly, McDonough and Moylan. Teachers are encouraged to bring classes to the Branch. The Branch staff also visits neighborhood elementary school classrooms and has participated in school open houses. Teachers frequently borrow books for use in their classrooms.
Secondary schools in the area include A.I. Prince Regional Vocational Technical School and the Flatbush Avenue campus of Capital Community College. Trinity College is adjacent to the Behind the Rocks neighborhood.
Local preschool groups, including St. James Head Start, Warburton Community Day Care Center and Hyland Early Learning Center, visit the Branch for story hours and to borrow books.
Behind the Rocks/South West Neighborhood Team members have participated in meetings and/or events of the Behind the Rocks/South West Neighborhood Problem Solving Committee, Neighborhood Revitalization Zone Planning Committee, Hartford Areas Rally Together (HART), Southside Insitutions Neighborhood Alliance (SINA), New Britain Avenue Merchants Association, Southside Family House, Southwest Senior Center and Bulkeley High’s 21st Century Learning Center. We have collaborated on programs and shared information.
Noted Trends
The Goodwin Memorial Branch is located on the dividing line between Hartford’s Behind the Rocks and South West neighborhoods. The South West neighborhood is a low-density residential neighborhood. The Behind the Rocks neighborhood contains a mixture of multi-unit housing complexes and one- and two-family housing units. In recent years, the area has been undergoing a major reconfiguration of its once densely populated Charter Oak Terrace and Rice Heights public housing projects into new, low-density housing. Trinity College and SINA have plans for neighborhood revitalization that include the Zion Street area. A neighborhood committee is working to develop the area along the South Branch of the Park River into open, green space with recreational uses.
Branch Initiatives
The Branch collection and services reflect the needs and interests of a changing neighborhood population. Collection development has resulted in more Spanish language and multimedia materials. Personal computers are available for public use. Programs for entertainment, information and enrichment for all ages are held throughout the year.
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