At this time in my life, I'm becoming somewhat of a library connoisseur. I usually go to the…read morechildren's section because they always have good play areas for kids. I even like read to my kids there sometimes (when they want to listen). The rest of the library is upstairs. Simsbury Public Library is definitely one of my favorites. Once you walk in, the childrens section is on the left side. The employees were very friendly. They have up to date technology, which is convenient! There is a kiosk you can check your books/items out with. Don't forget to download the Libby App, you can borrow audiobooks on there. Also, you can reserve items and they leave it in a lock box outside and you can pick it up after hours. The library is a great resource; they offer programs, services, computer access, museum passes, workshops, and career/business centers. I highly recommend it.

The Simsbury library childrens section staff are excellent. The library has daily programs for…read moreyoung children. The programs are fun and engaging for young children. I have been bringing my 22 month old here since he was 6 months old. Ms. Stephanie and Ms. Katie are very friendly and knowledgeable about children's books and activities. I feel so very fortunate to be able to bring my grandson here for all the great activities they have!! Thank you Simsbury library!

A small town library but it has everything you would need in a library!…read more Getting a library card was easy; just fill out a form and show them proof of residency and an ID. You have to live in the town to get a library card from there but you can use it throughout Connecticut. The Librarian was friendly and helpful. The library was clean and organized. There was a teen section as well as computers for your use. I went to the preschool/toddler section and it was a good size. They had tables with puzzles and a mini play kitchen area. It was nicely decorated with kid's artwork. My toddler had a good time! They also host a number of events such as story time for kids 1-3 years old. This is also across the street from Canton Intermediate school which is convenient.

I took a trip to the Simsbury Free Library (SFL) the other day, and it was a super interesting and…read moreunique place! Here's the scoop: SFL is located on Hopmeadow St. right in the heart of Simsbury. It's just down the street from the Simsbury Public Library, which is NOT affiliated with SFL. While the public library is run by the town, SFL is a non-profit that is not funded by the town. Parking is available nearby on the street, or there is a small lot on the right side of the building. One inside, you'll be greeted by the extremely friendly and helpful staff, who will take the time to show you around and tell you all about the history of the library. SFL is noted for its genealogical research resources, housing a robust collection of family surnames, histories, and genealogies, as well as CT town, county, and other New England state histories. They also have DAR lineage books and other hereditary journals. The employees and volunteers have created marriage, death, and obituary indexes for Simsbury. Ancestry.com Library edition is also available for use by patrons. On the Saturday's that they are open (2nd and 4th Saturday) they have a professional genealogist on site who will help you trace down your family history! Besides the genealogy resources, the SFL has a beautiful glass panel memorial dedicated to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. out in front of the building. I learned that MLK actually lived and worked in Simsbury for two summers when he was a teenager. A group of Simsbury High School students researched MLK's life while in Simsbury, and this later became the inspiration for the memorial. Lastly, there is a cool exhibit on William Phelps Eno, who was the original architect of traffic regulations and transportation engineering. He developed regulations like right-hand driving, one way streets, traffic lights, driver's licenses, vehicle registrations, and more! These are just a few of the cool and educational things you'll find at SFL. Make sure to check it out for yourself!

Definitely one of the nicer libraries I've been to. There is even a seed library in there. On the…read moreleft side when you first walk in, there is a children, teen, and middle school section. On the right side, that's the adult section and there was a seating area and fireplace. The librarian and staff were friendly. The parking lot had plenty of spaces and even an electric vehicle charger. In the children's area, there were computers, train table, blocks, play kitchen, and magnetic tiles. The library was very clean and organized. There are plenty of events, activities, and services; check out their website for updates. Overall, one of my favorite libraries I've been to so far.

This library is set far back from the chaos that is route 4. Inside it's very scholarly but fun!…read moreHow else do you explain study carrols with bright green chairs? There are many sections to sit and read quietly, a self service check out, and an electric car charging station outside. It is next to several sport related fields. They also have a lovely Friends of the Library association who do book sales and (if memory serves) a cookie walk.

Love this clean, bright, welcoming public library where locals are getting tutored, using the…read morecomputers, reading, generally taking advantage of a valuable community space together. Always glad to see public libraries doing well.

I've frequented this library quite often since moving to CT. Mainly because they have a children's…read moresection at the lower level. We took the elevator to this level; there is a tween/teen, toddler, and baby section. The baby room is locked from the outside but you can reach over to unlock the door; this is for babies and crawlers. They had some baby toys and books in there. The toddler section has a mini kitchen, fake groceries, baby dolls, doll house, Legos, and toy cars which kept my toddler busy. We put away the toys we played with before we left just to be courteous. We had to print out some paper and it's 10 cents a page. Keep in mind when putting the quantity in the computer, it doesn't specify dollars or pages; it's actually quantity of dollars not pages. This location is nice because it's walking distance to all the stores and restaurants. Overall, a clean and organized library!

Public libraries are supposed to be a hub for sharing words, music, and culture. It is not supposed…read moreto be about banning words, music, and culture! Musician Pamela Means was supposed to have a concert on March 28, 2026, at the Beekley Library. Before the concert, Pamela was sent an email, which was apparently written by the library board president to not play "certain songs" (see second screenshot) in order to not offend certain Republican board members. Pamela's response is in the third screenshot. Libraries are supposed to be about supporting culture, not banning it! Do not support this library.

In 1906, New Hartford's Licia & Mason Beekley Community Library was founded. The building it's in…read morenow, opened in 1996. The building is really pretty and reminded me of a house. Inside was pristine and had its own unique look to it. The librarians were helpful and friendly. It's been a goal of mine to visit as many libraries as possible. Since CT is currently doing the Passport to Libraries event, it's been a great incentive to visit as many libraries as possible. There were plenty of parking and it wasn't busy on a weekday. We explored the children's room because at every library, that's where we tend to stay the longest. There were plenty of toys, train set, tool set, books, stuffed animals, and an art table. If you've got kids, I highly recommend it. Every Thursday, they have storytime at 11 am for children ages 0-3. The library is a great resource; there are many programs, events, and random things you can borrow besides books. Overall, an organized library with many perks and we shall be back!

Driving across rural Connecticut when my wife texted to give her a call. I'm not one to be…read moredistracted as driving on these sorts of roads - deer pop out of the trees and all sorts of risks. So I stopped here to simply use this parking lot. And with that done, I thought I would step in to check it out. Holy smokes! This is an amazing library and there were two amazing librarians working today that were super awesome. Downstairs, a massive "maker lab" with paper crafting, a laser cutting machine and a 3D printer. What? Yes! Upstairs, a big space filled with books and DVDs and computers. Not really a great place to "work" from as they didn't have study carrels but a great place to study or just do library things. Look at where this place is on the map. It's way out of place and it's five stars awesome. If you are ANYWHERE near Granby CT, you owe it to check this place out. [Review 1686 of 2024 - 93 in Connecticut - 22709 overall]

I did not expect to find the Farmington library as part of a larger town government complex. If I…read morewere a betting person, I'd blame the seventies. The outside of the building is very austere and gray. There is a fair amount of parking available, so watch out for pedestrians. The building itself is huge; there is a map in the lobby and it is helpful. The lobby has so much on its own - a used book sales area, movies, space to sit.... There used to be (if memory serves over several years) a coffee station but now holds maps for planning information. There is, off the lobby, also a whimsical duck statue. The Friends of the library do a book sale once a year. On the last day, it starts as a normal sale, and in the afternoon goes to $10 per bag you fill with books. There is a gap between those two sales, and a place to queue until the bag sale opens. You're not going to pull one over on the Friends and sneak in as the first part of the sale ends. You'll be asked to wait outside.

Definitely one of the nicer libraries I've been to. This was located near the Farmington high…read moreschool and town hall. This review is mainly for the children's section. The area was large and it's on the left side when you enter from the main entrance. There were two Librarian who were friendly. My toddler wanted to play with the trains set but you have to get the trains from them. After you're done, just return them to the librarians. They are also participating in the 1000 books before Kindergarten program like Simsbury library is doing. You read to your child and each milestone (ie. 100 books read), you get a free book. I think it's neat that they let you borrow bags of toys. There are computers with educational games for the kids. There is a storytime area that has a painting of a large dragon and puppets to play with. A play kitchen is also available to play with. Overall, a great spot to bring your toddlers and older kids, because there's a tween area too.

This review is specifically for the kids section on the second floor. I've read reviews that they…read morehad a huge section designated for kids, so I had to check it out. Once you walk in from the parking lot, take an immediate right up the stairs (I don't know if there is an elevator). This floor was huge! Biggest kid section I've seen. The Teens room had their own room. There were multiple study rooms which is pretty awesome, I haven't seen those in the libraries I've been to in the past. There's an art studio as well. The kids/preschool section was nicely decorated. The books were organized and they seem to have a huge collection of childrens books. My toddler loved the play kitchen; there's a puppet section under the tree, a play boat with fishing toys, blocks, chess table, computers, and magnetic blocks. We spent over an hour there and it's a great place to take the kids. I see that they have many events planned that's posted on their bulletin board. I will be back for sure!

The Avon library is a beautiful facility. The staff who work there are so welcoming & could not be…read moremore helpful! What an awesome service to have on the community!

This is a very nice library with a average sized children's section. It is located in the complex…read morewith other town buildings. There was plenty of parking. The Librarian was very friendly and greeted us when we walked in. You can't miss the book tower in front of the librarian desk; my toddler and I were in awe looking at it. The children's section had a big fake tree that a child can go in. There were computers, Legos, train table, dollhouse, and other toys. There was a tween reading area. Although, this was not the biggest library, it was indeed lovely. I noticed a trail out back and had to check it out. The trail is called Doreen's Nature Trail and it was peaceful and neat. It is in memory of the former Library Director that tragically lost her life. Overall, this was definitely one of my top 10 favorite libraries I've been to. I wish my local library had a trail in the back!

I went to the Library in East Granby for a quiet space to do some work. There is a large blue…read moreturkey right in front of the library. This is in honor of East Granby originally being named Turkey Hills. The inside of this library is very well kept, with a grandfather clock that immediately caught my eye. There are some beautiful plants and a nice amount of sunlight coming through. They have a self serve coffee and tea station. The books are nicely organized and there's a substantial amount under every author. They also have an area for kids and teens. As well as quiet areas where you can work on your computer. The kids area is a lot of fun, with a large "tree", the kids can go inside of to play. The books are also plentiful in this area. They also had a selection of books for sale. Here I found a book that I was very interested in a number of years ago. It probably would have been $1 if I wanted to purchase it. I sat down and read about 20 pages, and decided it's a bit too sad to fully involve my self in it right now, so I put it back. This library is quite a nice one in the small town of East Granby. Be sure, you're going to the library not the town hall, as they're right next to one another.