The architectural details of this wonderful institution are unconditionally impressive…read more Thank goodness Hartford preserved this building that has been used as a city hall for many, many decades.

Unfortunately, I am disappointed with City Hall for not making it known that a silent, recorded…read moremeeting would be going on the day of my wedding. As someone completely new to this whole process, I was under the impression that I would have access to all parts of the second level for photos but that key piece of information was not relayed to me or my partner during the long process of planning. There were multiple but minor errors as well that gave me the sense that communication was not a strong suit within the event planning department. Upon confirmation for my wedding date, the wrong time frame was made for the reservation. It was quickly resolved so I thank them for that but then the number of attendees on the City Hall Rental form was also wrong. I was constantly double checking their work and what I needed was for all my information for my wedding to be handled with care and looked over with more detail. However, because the wedding was small we were able to find spots to photograph everyone without disrupting the guests and still enjoying the special moment. Also big shout out to the sweet security guard Jeff for being so helpful and welcoming on our wedding day!

The Cheshire library has an area where they sell books, DVD's CD's, and audio books. On the main…read morefloor there is a very large children's room section with many programs and events. The lower level has an ample amount of public computers, quiet room,study rooms,newspapers, and magazines.There is also a, fax, scanner, and copy area available at very reasonable fees. The staff are friendly and extremely helpful. Parking is in the rare building.

Lots of interesting book displays and a decent selection of board games plus an ongoing book sale.read more

We have been visiting this library for years. Mostly the children's library and it has always been…read morea great experience. Our daughter's first teachers were here during Busy Bee's play/learn group and learned so much. We are so grateful for that experience. Many interesting and fun programs over the years from craft projects to fantastic performances. The staff are amazing humans who put 100% into everything they do, not just for the kids, but the whole family. Very knowledgeable and supportive. Great books of every kind, including tough subjects and how to talk to kids about anything: bullying or bodies or big life changes. The adults area is great and I have enjoyed taking my laptop and doing quiet work by the enormous windows at the provided desks- that have outlets! Overall a very enjoyable community space, highly recommend.

I would like to call out the great work the librarians in the children's section! I bring my 2…read moreyear old great granddaughter to dance with Miss Shianne, art with Miss Diana and story with Miss Corine. Also there was a problem with a little one and Miss Corine defused it and handled the situation with much compassion and expertise. All the woman have helped our little one from being shy to wanting to making friends and participating in the events and open play. An amazing crew, couldn't be more grateful that they are apart of our community.

Meriden Library is a lovely place. There is always a very warm welcome. The staff are very caring…read moreand go above and beyond to encourage children to love books and to listen to and read stories. They encourage the children to borrow books and to be involved in the scanning and stamping process. This is wonderful for the children, who are invariably very happy and excited. We take our granddaughters to "Story time" on Mondays at 2.15. Kerry is a very skilled storyteller and she is so good with all the children. After the story, the children do some painting, which they all love. We are very grateful for this lovely facility. Thank you for all you do to support the children, parents and grandparents (especially grandparents!)

Note -- the building was under construction…read more Looks like the grand re-opening is in a couple weeks. There were renovators all over the place & that should've been my cue... or that the parking lot was COMPLETELY EMPTY. Parking lot was large in size and could accommodate quite a few people. (Maybe 40-50 cars?) Will be back when I'm passing through the area. This seemed to be the best reviewed library around and I will update my review when I've had the chance to experience the place a bit more.

This is a five star location because it's a library, and provides books and a safe space for the…read moremasses. But their use of metered parking has me seriously on edge. I wouldn't go to the library at a time when the meters are in effect, or park across the street by the 99 Restaurant where there are no meters. Anyway, besides that, the library is a combination of old building and newly renovated. There are ghostly rumors about the old side, where the reading room is, but they seem to be rather peaceful spirits. I would be too in such beautiful and austere surroundings. The librarians seem mostly friendly, with very tight reins. The elevators and restrooms require their engagement. I can appreciate that. There is a security presence in the building but they fly below the radar.

Worse experience ever. The staff is loud and do not use their indoor voices. They can be heard…read moretalking and laughing that has nothing to do with the job. Patrons come into the library and are loud. They use their phones. They eat and drink, spilling soda all over the computer. They are regulars and are very disrespectful and downright abusive. The staff sees it happening. and says nothing. If you are looking for a library that's quiet, this is not the place you want to go to.

Thomaston is a cute former factory town. There is still a running train as part of their Train…read moreMuseum. The town was originally part of Plymouth, and known for cheaper clockmaking. The town got the Thomaston for Seth Thomas, reasonably well know clock maker, although his company apparently no longer run in the United States. The actual town is pretty walk-able with lots of sidewalks, and room for parallel parking. They have some decent restaurants like Crabby Als, and an opera house for theater. Further from the historical side, they have lots of plazas with parking (and multiple pizza shops). There are entrances and exits from Route 8 bookending the commercial center of the town.

Lots of stuff in a…read more small space The first idea for a library in Andover started in the 1860's or so. However it wasn't until 1896 that some books were donated and received a real home in a room at the town's conference house. Not the best solution but certainly better than nothing. Finally in 1927 a generous patron named Elliot Skinner gave five thousand dollars for the construction of a permanent library and building dedicated to higher learning. The small brick building is still standing and doing what it was designed to do. Certainly not a stunning structure at first glance, the building does have a pleasant and useful appeal. It is quite amazing how much stuff they manage to cram into the rather small library and still manage to have space to move around. They make use of every available spot. Some cool old antiques and interesting thing to look at, the library has a very homey and comfy feel. Lots of local history and even some genealogy as well as the usual eclectic variety of materials than small town libraries tend to have. You are guaranteed to find some interesting books and meet some fascinating people in a library like this.

BPL Atrium Library opened in August 2023 because the two libraries in Bloomfield closed for…read morerenovations in June 2023. (McMahon Wintonbury and Prosser). McMahon Wintonbury is slated to open in March 2025 and Prosser is slated to open in Summer 2025. The current temporary location is located on the Cigna campus in the former MetLife building. Don't make the same mistake as me and turn onto the wrong street, which is the location in the back of the building; it's the second street on the right. The parking lot was spacious and the building was large. Once you enter, there is a friendly library employee to the right that will give you a pass and open the gate for you. The lobby is huge with lots of natural light, tables, water fountain, and an escalator (there is an elevator too). Once you take the escalator to the second floor, the library is on the right. It's an open air library and it was spacious. It appears to be an old office with tons of cubicles too. We were greeted by a friendly librarian. The kids section was a decent size with plenty of books and toys. My kids loved the area. They also have the self checkout which is amazing and I wish my home library had it too. There was a box that prints out a story on a receipt paper, that was pretty awesome. This is a nice temporary location but I look forward to visiting the newly renovated libraries once they open.