Lovely little library…read more The first library came to Rochester in the late 19th century but the present library build wasn't constructed until 1976. The library and grounds were a gift to the town by Dorothy Bray Plumb in memorial of her late husband, Joseph H Plumb. The building is very pleasant and blends in well with the area. Certainly not the largest library but they make room of the space they have. Stacks of books, periodicals, computers and ever a little telescope are hanging around, just begging to be used. A very pleasant and homey library that invites the visitors to slow down and linger a bit and definitely has a feel of someone's house. And to make the library even cooler, the portraits of both Dorothy and her husband, Joseph are hanging up on a wall to greet and welcome the strangers that come to their library.

I see there hasn't been a review in years, so I wanted to show my appreciation for an amazing…read morelibrary downtown!! The staff is extremely friendly, and it is so cozy and relaxing inside. They have a large selection, and I love to come here and just browse. If you are downtown New Bedford, make sure to venture inside!

Art books and…read morewhales The New Bedford library is a massive edifice but not particularly beautiful or aesthetical pleasing. Huge blocks of granite piled together and some powerful looking pillars in the front. However since this is New Bedford, the land of Moby Dick, several very interesting statues about whaling grace the front of the library. Actually rather stern and brutal looking but then I guess whaling was never a pleasant vocation. The inside of the library is stunning. Lovely and graceful staircases and wonderful lights and windows. This is definitely one of those libraries that is more art museum that a place for books. But along with the art and antiques this library does have books. A whole lot of books. All the usual best sellers and useful modern books but also an amazing collection of very, very old books. A very cool library that is definitely that is a lot more than just a place to go for a book. A beautiful place that is fascinating to prowl around even if you don't want to read.

I visited this library today for the first time. I was drawn in by the old beautiful building from…read morethe outside. They have a gazebo outside that I could picture would be nice spot to sit and read in, in nicer weather. When I walked inside, I was greeted warmly and all the staff that I encountered were friendly. To the left was a room with a table and a fireplace, all decorated for Christmas. It was nice to look at! The library itself is small, but offers a good variety of books. Downstairs is an entire Children's section of books, but also includes a few different play areas. I loved this idea and could see kids having some fun here! This was such a great atmosphere, and I'd definitely be back again.

In praise of…read morePenny The Swansea Library is a wonderful old building. It was built back in 1899 out of huge blocks of lovely granite and just oozes charm and character. Friendly, comfy, useful and interesting. On of the most charming things about the library is Penny the kitty. She is about 14 years old and has spent her entire life in the library; There have been other cats calling this library home before Penny and it's been quite a while since there hasn't been a kitty here. Unfortunately early this year a rather self centered and attention seeking individual with a long history of litigation and desire to get his name in the news decided that he was offended by the presence of this quiet, clean and gentle creature and that Penny had to go. He threatened to sue the library, town and just about anyone else he could think of if Penny wasn't immediately removed from the library. No debate, no compromise. He didn't like Penny so she had to go. Didn't matter what anyone else thought. Fortunately it turned out that little Penny had lots of friends that were willing to take on the arrogant bully. The articles about Penny and the lawsuit went viral and thousands of signatures and letters started pouring in demanding that Penny be allowed to stay in her home. The support for Penny was overwhelming and all the attention made the lawsuit and man seem ridiculous. So as bullies usually do when people stand up to them, the self centered, attention seeking guy decided he was getting far too much attention and stopped his lawsuit. So Penny still sleeps quietly in her little box over the heating vent. Unassuming and beautiful she represents everything good about the library and small town. Good people did something and this time evil and arrogance did not triumph.

A library made of…read morestone Dighton Public Library is a rather small place but with a very cool exterior made of field stones. I tried to find out exactly where the stones came from but nobody know. I suspect they are local, possible taken from the river in the back. This library was built in 1910 and like a bezillion other libraries was a generous gift from the well known philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. It shows signs of it's age and could use a bit of TLC, but is still an impressive little building. The main floor is rather crowded with all the usual library stuff and the downstairs is the children's room. When I was there they were preparing for a Halloween party and expected lots of the local kids to attend. Like many small town libraries it serves a place where people in the community can get together, socialize and learn. Both of the librarians I met were exceptionally friendly and pleasant, taking the time to give me all the information I wanted and showing me around. I also met several local people in the library that seemed happy to tell me about the history of the town and area. This is a small but very gregarious, homey and neighborly place to spend some time. It's definitely the type of library where everyone talks and nobody is going to hush you for making too much noise. A place to learn things that aren't in the books.

Our family LOVES the Dighton Public Library. Although small its heart is as big and as good as it…read moregets. You can truly get any book you desire by simply placing it on hold from another library and getting it sent quickly and efficiently to Dighton Public Library. The staff is very welcoming and loves to see us come in and we feel so welcomed. My children (ages 9, 7 and 6) have also become much better readers because of the Children's Librarian there. She has shown them titles that they'd never seen before and made them new and different and FUN to try to read. Some were a hit, some were not but she provided the kids with options of topics they truly uniquely enjoyed. My history buff found a series he fell in love with and he reads every night because of it. My youngest is reading above his grade level as she found him some fantastic funny books and he adores them and my gregarious middle child- my daughter who lives and breathes art- has been shown some of the best books she's ever read. We do not live in Dighton. We actually come from a neighboring town with a much newer building and a much larger space BUT the staff is not welcoming and the children are better "seen and not heard" there. It no longer became fun to go to the library so we'd heard such wonderful things about the Dighton Public Library we thought we'd check it out and now its OUR library of choice. Thank you for making going to the library fun again. We get there once a week or more. Fun events for kids, great staff and best of all we feel welcome to learn, read and be ourselves. THANK YOU to the Dighton Public Library for renewing our trust in libraries again!

A library that never…read morechanges I love tiny, old libraries and they just don't come any tinier or older than the Guilford Hathaway Library. It was constructed in 1895 with money donated by Florence Hathaway in memory of her father and I suspect it hardly changed over the decades. The library is indeed tiny and absolutely filled with books stacked everywhere. It's difficult to walk in some areas but the diminutive place has to make use of every nooks and cranny. Old books, new books and some unique old stuff occupies every shelve and they even have room for a few computers. The library does have electricity but no running water and no bathrooms. It smells old and stuffy but in a pleasant sort of way. This is a place that the local people of the village of Assonet probably think of as their private library. The building certainly looks like it needs some care but that's part of the charm of this place. Cool stone walls surround the ancient building and I suspect they were just found in the area and piled up to make the walls. The name Assonet actually means something like "the place of rocks" in the local Wampanoag language and there is certainly no shortage of them scattered around the village. Another more modern library was built in 1947 on the other side of town but the Hathaway Library still carries on much the way in always has. You have to occasional duck, turn sideways and step over things in this place but that is part of the fun. There aren't a lot of materials compared to most other libraries, no bathrooms and not a whole lot of room but this library certainly has it's own unique and anachronistic charm.

Time to retire…read more The Essex Public Library is a cool looking stone library that isn't very large. Built like it could last forever, unfortunately or perhaps fortunately it won't. At least not as a library. The cool looking stone part is fine but the isn't very large part is what dooms it. I'm sure it will survive as something, it is just to cool looking to destroy, but it's library days are almost gone. The library was built back in 1939 and the massive stone walls survived whatever nature could throw at it with ease. Cozy and very pleasant inside, the venerable old library just could expand no further. Just no more room to put computers and other new necessitates. So it was decided to build a new library that is much larger, more convenient, more user friendly and much more modern. It is scheduled to open in 2014. The old library is not very easy to get into, steep stairs get slippery in the rain or snow and it must be difficult for anyone with a handicap to manage. The library is wonderful once you manage to get in, cozy, comfy, with a great sense of history. The stairs down to the kid's department has a fantastic mosaic covering both walls. Absolutely stunning to look at, I hope this somehow makes it to the new library. Yeah, a new library is needed and will serve the community much better. But seeing this building retired will still be sad. Hopefully it can be turned into some type of museum or educational edifice. Time passes and the old fade into the mists of time and the new takes over. Doesn't matter if it's a building or a person, time will always have it's way.

It's a place where I can focus to read and make a work or thinking in create something. I enjoyed…read morethis space for a long time in my first visiting to Tiverton.

Today was my first time going to this library. I was definitely impressed, it's a lot bigger than…read moreit looks and the selection of books is pretty extensive. I've already borrowed my first book!

A good library with usable computers and patron friendly printing…read more Because I have no internet or equipment of my own, I have been using Massachusetts local libraries is several Eastern counties for overba decade. Most are at least usable, some are outstanding. This one is up there in top 10% overall. Thank you Wareham Free Library on Marion Rd.

While out for a walk around Bristol, we took a warming break at the Rogers Free Library. Beautiful…read morelibrary with a gorgeous 1877 exterior and a newly renovated interior. I loved these beautiful old books that were still on the shelves. Very clean and comfortable. They also offer a small selection of books for sale.

The old and the new…read more Rogers Free Library was always a very cool place to look at books. Built way back in 1877 out of brown sandstone, it had a very dignified and pleasantly archaic look about it. However it was small and just didn't have enough room to hold many books or other typical library conveniences. Finally a couple of years ago the town decided to do something about their charming if diminutive library and expanded the original library into the long out of business Bristol Furniture Company building right next door. In fact the two old buildings were actually touching so turning them into one larger building wasn't a difficult as it sounds. The results are fantastic. The area of the library has more than tripled, giving room for many more books, several new meeting and study rooms and very importantly 50 new computer stations open to the public. The two buildings blend together seamlessly and you can't even tell exactly which one you are in without stopping and thinking about it. The great thing is that the library still has that great small town, very inviting and comfy feeling. Definitely not sterile, static and homogenized like many more modern libraries. Modern technology can never replace the great feel of being in a old building. The Rogers Free Library is a great example of how to do something right. They manages to add the new without losing or sacificing the old. It always was a great place to read a book, now it's even better. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jOVmwyYJuEE&feature=related This youtube video is in honor of Lydia L, The Space Cowgirl from NY who has some of the coolest videos on Yelp. The old and the new.