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.

We love the charm and quaintness of this library but the staff are incredibly rude and unwilling to…read morework with members. If a certain book is taken out that has special features library staff should make that member aware of the features rather than assuming the member knows how to use it and then charge outrageous late fees with no shame. We will not be going back.

A long time ago, in a…read moreplace far, far away Many libraries in New England go back quite a ways. Books were somewhat rare and expensive and the average person had access to very few so the idea of libraries caught on quickly. Many of the early libraries were roving libraries where a person went around with some books and an individual paid to keep the book until the roving library returned. The idea of "free" libraries was a somewhat new and radical idea that took a while to catch on. The very first roving library in Little Compton was way back in 1811. Perhaps this was because Little Compton is on a peninsula and very isolated and hard to get to or maybe the people around there really loved books. Move permanent places to keep books developed over the decades until the Brownell Library was finally constructed in 1929. The library is a pleasant brick building with the usual books, magazines and computers but it also has a cool fireplace, some antiques, interesting paintings on the wall of early librarians and of course the guy who came up with the money for the building, Pardon Brownell. The library today is a cozy and friendly place with some helpful, knowledgeable and amiable librarians. Little Compton is one of those "you can't get there from here" places but the Brownell Library is such a cool and unique New England library that it is worth the trip way out to Little Compton to visit.

What a sweet little library! I found myself in Downtown Warren a few days ago with some time to…read morekill, so I decided to Google Maps where the local library was. Turns out that it was a convenient two blocks away from the Coffee Depot where I was hangin', so I decided to take a stroll and check it out. The George Hail Free Library may be small-ish, but the building itself was gorgeous (according to the librarian, it's about 132 years old!), and it was fun to walk around in the Beauty and the Beast-esque space and channel my inner Belle for a bit! There are amazing stained glass windows and meticulously preserved vaulted ceilings. It's almost reminiscent of an old church from the turn of the century. Pretty cool! The library is undergoing some repairs and renovations to the upper floor and the roof, so the shelves on the first floor are jammed with fiction and nonfiction books. It was a little bit cramped to walk around, but I managed. I unfortunately didn't have enough time to sit and read, but the worn leather chairs near the periodicals section looked inviting, and I will definitely take a seat there next time! The George Hail Free Library is part of the Ocean State Libraries system, so you can take out any of their books or media and return it at a different library in the system as well. Very convenient and much appreciated! A hidden historic gem in Warren that's definitely worth a visit!

A stunning memorial…read more Back in the early 1880's Martha Hail decided she wanted a lasting memorial to her husband, George Hail, so she decided to donate money to have a library built in his honor that would have his name on it. Like most of the grand libraries built during this time period it was more than a place for books. It was a stunning building made of blocks of granite and constructed in the Romanesque Revival style that seemed popular at the time. The library was complete in 1888 for a total cost of around 16,000 dollars. Seems like a ridiculously low sum now but back then it was a whole heap of money. Several other wealthy people also donated money for the completion of the building. The library is indeed stunning, both inside and out. This period of grand library building sort of reminds me of what the Egyptian Pharaohs were doing in the 4th dynasty, building massive memorials that would last forever. It not exactly forever, then for a long, long time. The library is wonderful to look at from the outside and the inside is just as amazing. Beautiful stain glass windows, lovely staircases, beautiful furniture and art and even a cool owl watching over things. The library was renovated in the late 1970's and much of it was restored to it's original appearance. It is truly a beautiful library to admire from both the inside and out. It might not last as long as the pyramids but it will definitely be around for a long, long time.

Had the opportunity to spend some time in the library while touring the Salve Regina campus. This…read moreplace is simply breathtaking! The campus is primarily old mansion and then in the middle of it is the modern religious structure. Really large tinted windows make the inside fee open, but there's no harsh glare or heat while you're sitting and reading. They had an extensive selection of large scale children's books, the kind you would want if you were hosting circle time to 20 kids that need to be able to clearly see the illustrations. Also got to see the scarf (sash? Not sure of the correct word) that the Dali Lama gifted to the school when he gave a speech here. How cool is that? This space alone almost convinced me to attend this university. Now if I could just afford the tuition...

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.

Being the nerd that I am, I came here on my birthday. Since last year, I've been challenging myself…read moreto visit all public libraries in the state of Rhode Island. This was the 10th one I visited. Since it was a Friday morning, there weren't many people there. However, when we first walked in, we overheard someone teaching little kids Spanish in a very animated way; it was very cool to see important programs like this in action. We were planning on spending some time here reading, so had my book with me. A friendly librarian stopped me to tell me how good the book I had was which reassured my decision to pick it up. We went down an aisle that led to the children's library. They had fun little puzzles and announcements on the wall. I noticed that in one section, the books had stickers on the spines to categorize by genre which was really cool. I also saw they had Viola Davis' memoir, so I snatched that quickly. In the distance, we saw a table covered with a huge coloring page and color pencils. We spent about 20 minutes coloring, which was very therapeutic and fun. When we got up, we noticed a shelf with a bunch of items to loan for a week including tools and equipment, health and fitness stuff, fun and games, and electronic and technology. To give an idea, some stuff I saw included: hopscotch set, leaf blower, therapy lamp, and power drill. They were organized by category which was very helpful. The staff here were very friendly and we were very impressed with this library. They also do have EV parking/ charging stations which is cool - it might be the first library I see with that feature.

It's weird to review a library right? I'm going to blame it on COVID, like I do everything…read morenowadays. Just kidding. BUT this library really has been a lifesaver during "these trying times". They have great COVID procedures if you must enter, but they also offer curbside services - and best of all, they make these amazing craft/learning kits for preschoolers all the way up to teens. Entertaining kids this past year has been such a challenge and the letter packets this library makes for preschoolers are so fun and creative. My kid loves them. And every single librarian we've met outside the library has been friendly - even the poor gentleman who came outside in snowy, 21 degree weather to bring me a letter packet. Thank you Middletown Library! Saving parents sanity, one craft kit at a time.

It is a lovely neighborhood library. The staff is always helpful. They have a large area just for…read morechildren.

Lighthouses computers…read moreand books The Riverside Library is a new library that was completed in 2005. It's a simple but attractive library on the outside and clean and well organized on the inside. It's immediately obvious that this is a new and well designed library. Lots of computers for public use, a large community room, a wonderful kids area with lots of cool toys and stuffed animals and several interesting displays. Perhaps the most interesting things about the library was the Pomham Rocks Lighthouse display. Several lovely models of the old lighthouse and information by the Friends of Pomham Rocks Lighthouse Association. A very nice and modern branch library that has friendly and pleasant librarians, useful conveniences and amenities and a wonderful display of lighthouses.

This is my childhood library. I have seen it change only for the better over time. I grew up at…read morethis library. I owe everything I am today to this library.

A beautiful historic library. Incredible Interlibrary loans service. I often bring my laptop here…read moreto do work.