The Library Where You Cross the Border Between the Shelves

On Caswell Avenue in Derby Line, Vermont, a black line runs across the floor of a public library. North of the line is Stanstead, Quebec. South of it is the United States. The line runs through the reading room, under the tables, and past the circulation desk.

The Haskell Free Library and Opera House was built in 1904 by Martha Stewart Haskell, whose family had property on both sides of the border. She apparently chose the site deliberately — or at least, the family accepted that the border bisected the building. The opera house stage is in Canada; the seats are in the United States. A performer taking a bow technically crosses international territory.

For most of the library's history, this was a gentle curiosity. Canadians and Americans walked in freely through whichever door was closer. After September 11, 2001, border enforcement tightened. US Customs and Border Protection eventually required that American visitors enter from the US side, and Canadian visitors from the Canadian side. A surveillance camera was mounted on the street to monitor who crossed.

The library still holds books from both countries, subscribes to both sets of periodicals, and is governed by a binational board. It remains open to the public — with its line on the floor, its two entrances, and its reading room that belongs, simultaneously, to two nations.