The Becket Athenaeum is more than a library. It is a living, breathing, center of community involvement and engagement, predicated on the notion that when a community’s needs are revealed, particularly in small, rural areas, it is the responsibility of institutions like libraries to harness the community’s existing strengths and create a space and a haven to meet the revealed needs. All of the library programs and services are offered free of charge and have been carefully researched, developed and implemented based on the real, documented needs of the community.