Needed to do some literary research today, and the only library anywhere nearby who had what I…read moreneeded was Bryn Mawr's Canaday Library. I am a local resident, and am not currently a student anywhere, so I called first to see what access was allowed to me. Swarthmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges work together for inter-library loaning on the Tri-pod system, which is an online catalog of all their collections, accessible to any i-net user. You don't have to be a student to visit the libraries and read, but you do need a school card to check out. I had used Tri-pod to ascertain which library had what I needed, before calling for more info. (According to my local township library, there is an inter-library loan process which would allow me access to Tri-pod items and be lent something through my library, but, since it takes over a week to process, I have not personally done this. I am relating the info I was given, but I do not know for sure how much access is really permitted via inter-library loans, to libraries outside the three Tri-pod schools.) I was very impressed with the politeness and helpfulness of the young woman who answered the phone at the Bryn Mawr science library, however, I ended up calling her only because I could not get a live soul on the line for Canaday, even after multiple calls, and leaving a message. That part was a really poor experience, especially when we finally got there and saw FOUR staff members sitting at the circulation desks, doing nothing but their own classwork, while on duty. Come on. This would not fly at other libraries. I even called McCabe at Swarthmore just to see if they had someone answering at that time, and a very helpful young man was live on the other end, ready to help me, so Canaday, seriously, answer your phone! The helpful staff member at the Bryn Mawr science library told me that "Visitor Hours" for Canaday Library, which I guess are different from student hours, are 8-6 M-F, and 10-5 on Sat. Upon visiting on a week day, it was well after 6pm when we left, and they were making no signs of closing, so I assume they run late for students (normally campus libraries are open until closer to midnight) but would like visitors to leave earlier. For safety reasons, especially since this is a women's school, I can certainly understand and respect that. The library was organized and clean. I did not see any features on display, such as an art collection or those snazzy decorative architectural niches, that many other academic libraries have. Normally a school library is a showplace, even at private schools, on an upper school level. While I like looking at the neat things academic libraries normally display (glass cases of rare books, Native American artifacts, antique local photography, etc.), it was also a little refreshing not to have the pomp and circumstance, and we certainly did not explore the entire building, so I could be missing something outstanding. But for what we saw, it was a plain old library, with books as the main event. I hope to have more time to explore next time. For the section of literary journals where we were, it was very inclusive of all I needed, and actually had several other literary reviews that were really helpful as well. Definitely strong on their collection for all my research purposes, and then some. I had a positive experience, as well, speaking to the main reception at Bryn Mawr, another student who was very helpful. I call there to ask about visitor parking and she patched me through to Campus Safety / Public Safety, who unfortunately did not have a name for the lot, but confirmed what I saw online on their interactive map, which called it "Campus Center Parking," off of New Gulp Road. I posted a map with visuals to help anyone needing to know where this is. This was my first time at Canaday. When I took some undergrad classes at Penn, and then grad classes at Penn and Rosemont, I had always used the HUGE library at Penn, or McCabe Library at Swarthmore College. I have to say I really like McCabe, and that is normally my go-to when I have a choice. They have the perfect aesthetic for a college library (decor combo of tasteful architecture, sculpture, art, and an amazingly comprehensive book collection). But, while I didn't feel as at home at Canaday, I did feel comfortable enough to get work done there, which is the whole point. All in all it was a strong positive experience at Canaday. The Bryn Mawr campus, like many, has a strong Gothic architectural influence. I also cannot help but think of Katharine Hepburn, one of their most well-known alumni. Katharine's "Bryn Mawr accent" is a joy to watch, as it comes and goes, when she thinks about using it, in her earlier movies, especially "Philadelphia Story." It is so shamelessly snobby, but ballsy of her, which makes it hilarious at the same time.

I love working at the Bryn Mawr College Libraries, which are open to the general public. In…read moreparticular, the Science Library (Collier) is a beautiful, quiet place to get work done, and parking is easy and free in the visitors lot. Carpenter is quite pretty too (but the chairs aren't as comfy). Beautiful campus, and easy to get lunch/coffee at the student cafe.

Really cool place to browse and support local business. Kids loved all of the cool stones and other…read moreunique items.

Randi is wonderful and so is her shop. She is knowledgeable and has wonderful classes. It is…read moredefinitely worth the drive for me. I'm so glad I found this little shop. Her readings are also 'spot on'.

What a lovely garden that is free to the public! I was too busy admiring it with my family to take…read morepictures. The ambassadors at the front were so helpful knowing it was our first time visiting, and we also met some staff to thank them for maintaining it so well. I'd love to come back for a formal tour in the future and see the mansion. We'll be back!

This is a marvelous place to drink in nature and all its wonders. You can't help but feel renewed…read moresurrounded by such beauty.

WHAT A BLAST. We came here for my birthday kind of ironically because online we saw reels saying it…read morewas the "weirdest museum ever," and thought it would be kind of funny/maybe even creepy. Little did we know it was actually FASCINATING; it was so fun to admire every last piece in the museum. The tram guide was great, the pre-recorded audio is helpful and interesting, and the collection is so varied and extensive that you can't help but love it. The pipe organs - fabulous. The walkable "toy box" collection was great after the tram. Overall, I'd recommend this to anyone - it was soooo fun.

What a fun thing to do! We didn't know what to expect and want to say we all really enjoyed the…read moreexperience! Admission was reasonable and enjoyed the self-guided part while waiting for the next tram departure time. There was everything you could imagine - except one thing! A TELEX MACHINE (which I used to operate). When I asked the staff if they had one none of them even knew what I was talking about (early 20's)! We took the tram tour and really enjoyed it. The tram moved at a nice pace so you could really take in everything. So much to see - everywhere. It was a really fun way to spend a few hours on a rainy day! But I urge you to visit rain or shine!

Love the Ardmore Free Library. It is small but they are very helpful and they make the most of…read moretheir limitations. They kids section in the basement is a huge hit with my kids and even their daycare comes for story time occasionally. I'd donate money to them but my wife more than makes up for that with the amount of fines we pay for late returns. Not enough wonderful things can be said about their staff. Always helpful, always kind... So happy to have them as a cornerstone of our community.

My library cards are current in GA (from where I moved), FL and as of today, Montgomery County, PA…read more Each system operates differently-- all with merits. Some, more so. Dating back to 1926, the Ardmore Library is small, charming and the oldest in the county. Despite its size, you're not restricted by what's there; you can go online and reserve books from any local branch. Two things in particular struck me: 1) if there's no hold on a book, it automatically renews -- with a few exceptions -- after three weeks. Apparently, this will happen twice. 2) you can go to the library and get free three-day passes to participating museums and gardens. Have a back-up, since there are a limited number of passes, sometimes only one per library per venue. The people working here are very nice and in a city where one should know how to parallel park -- that wouldn't be me! -- the library has a parking lot.

I take my 2 y. o. granddaughter nearly every week. There are so many wonderful things to explore…read moreand learn from. They have a walking path through the woods with a natural playground and sandbox, a bird house building to watch and interactive displays, a mini zoo inside a house with small animals and activities including a treehouse. They also have weekly activities and seasonal events for elementary school kids. My granddaughter calls Briar Bush "The Animal House" and loves to put a donation in the collection box before we leave.

They were so friendly and it was a great little center to see the local wildlife and learn. We…read moredidn't get to do the whole path with a stroller but it was nice and shaded on the trail so even on a hot day it felt cooler.

I have seen and heard about Merritt Gallery since I moved to the area about year ago, but this was…read moremy first time going inside. It is an impressive, contemporary space with a very wide selection of art including wall and free-standing sculpture. When asked for prices the range was quite wide from $900 to $50,000 (yes, $50k). Given some of the pieces displayed and artists represented I imagine that range goes well beyond $50k as names like Picasso, Matisse, and Warhol come up on their website. The gallery has three locations and represents around 175 artists meaning that what you see in store is only a very small sampling of their actual collection. Though I always am looking for new pieces for my collection, today I went in to have a small print framed. Caitlin, one of their consultants, ably showed me an incredible selection of frames ranging from contemporary to hand-carved, hand-detailed wooden frames worthy of the Louvre and works of art in and of themselves. Having chosen to forgo a mat (not needed with this piece) and a fairly simple thin frame, the price caught me off guard: $216. While the financial part of my brain said "no!" the artistic side said "give it a try." I paid the fee and was told my print would be ready in about two weeks. Caitlin offered to have it delivered to me and installed which I may take them up on. Conclusions: Merritt is a great gallery and framing shop. The price lowers my rating to 4.5 stars (I'm a budget conscious art collector). The only issue I had was when Caitlin and I went upstairs to figure out my invoice she left my print exposed on a framing table. I didn't think much about it till I had left, but I wonder when/if someone went down and secured the print from damage. This lowers my ranking to 4 stars. Otherwise a good experience.

my husband and i just moved from an apartment into a house and needed new artwork to fill up the…read moreextra space. i had been to the merritt young gallery in ardmore, and found out that they just opened a new gallery in haverford, just called merritt gallery. i talked to one of the consultants, marcie, and made an appointment with her to bring artwork to my house! it's one thing to see the art in the gallery, but the fact that she brought it to my house really let me see the possibilities! marcie was really helpful and has a creative eye. she was able to suggest paintings that i originally wasn't so sure about, but now that they're here, we absolutely love them!!!