Today I stopped by The New Britain Public Library to look for some cook books and for some fun new…read morebooks to read to my class. I haven't been to this library in a long time, since I was in college and avoided paying the extravagant prices the school bookstore charged for the classic literature books. The large windows and the construction of the library make it obvious, it has been here for a long time. The library first opened in 1853. I first went to the children's department. This area of the library was filled with kids playing with wooden blocks and legos, as well as a plethora of books categorized by interest. I selected around five brand new books for my class. They also have computers and movies in the kid's department. The adult section was much quieter and I couldn't hear any of the noise coming through from the adjacent children's area. I took the third floor on the elevator to find the area with the books that interested me. This was a super quiet space with shelves and shelves of organized books. I found two. They also have a selection of magazines, puzzles, CDs and DVDs available to borrow. I was very pleased with my experience at this library today.

The New Britain Public Library is beautiful building with stained glass windows and gorgeous…read morearchitecture. The staff is well informed and friendly. And their children's department is one of the best I have visited. Sometimes I like to take my laptop there, sit by the big windows, take in the natural sunlight and get some work done. It's a great place.

Plainville Public Library came into fruition in 1894. The building it's currently housed in opened…read morein 1931; after many renovations, it has expanded to fit more books for the growing population. There are meeting rooms, children's room, fireplaces, and many seating areas. There were plenty of parking in the large parking lot; there were two electric vehicle charging spots as well. The building was large and inside was spacious. It's a very nice library but I noticed the hours are more limited compared to other libraries I've been to. I went on Friday at 3:45 and they were closing at 4. I went downstairs to the children's room. There were many books, computers, and toys. The area was spacious and a great spot for the kids. There was a train table, play kitchen, and coloring table. The librarian downstairs was friendly and I checked out a few books. I was able to drop off a few books upstairs the front desk. Overall, it's a nice library!

I'm always jealous of places where people get out of their house so much, there's a significant…read moreamount of people even at the library. The parking lot is a good size to accommodate this crowd - the children's library is downstairs and the adult on the ground floor. It's huge and open, although with a substantial amount of books on the shelves (enough to where they have two small shopping carts available for patron use). There is a puzzle lending section, and for the month of February they have displayed a "blind date" book table where all you know is the genre of a mystery book to try. They also have display cases spread throughout the library with birds eggs that (if I'm reading their display cards correctly) are over 100 years old, and a copy of the Gutenberg bible. It's looks to be a great asset to the town!

What a beautiful Greek revival style building! It was built in 1917 and was the main library in…read moreFarmington until 1983. There is a playground and ample parking. Like other libraries, this place is a great resource for the community. The children's area was nice. There were plenty of books and some computers for them to use. There was a separate room with toys, magnetic tiles, dollhouse, and more. Overall, a beautiful library and the kids and I enjoyed our time there.

A lot more than…read more just books There are lots of libraries in the state of Connecticut. Huge efficient ones, small quaint ones and cool historical ones. But there are few libraries anywhere than can match the resplendence, elegance and comfort of the Barney Library. Built back in 1919 and called the Village Library until 1999, the Barney Library was the main library in the town of Farmington until 1983 when a much more modern and larger library was completed. Fortunately the Barney Library was kept open and given three million dollars in renovations. Walking into this library is an experience. You immediately notice such niceties like fireplaces, wooden floors, antiques, spiral staircases and artwork. One of the cool librarians that works here told me that many people ask if the building was once someones private mansion or residence but no, it was built as a library from the very start. Of course the Barney Library has books, computers, and all the other mundane things found in typical libraries. It also has plenty of programs for kids and various lectures and demonstrations. However if you go up the grand spiral staircase you will find something not so typical. Several beautiful rooms that hold art sales and concerts, complete with a kitchen and stunning antiques. The Barney Library is a very special place. Perhaps not the most efficient library around because of all the open spaces and gorgeous paintings and antiques that prevent certain areas from being packed with books. That doesn't matter, it is a library that takes you back in time, when libraries were much more than just a place to find a book.

It's a free-for-all institution for the whole entire community of Newington…read more They have a lot of non fiction volumes plus they have a beautiful Children's room. They also have an ongoing book sale. The Library hosts a book sale twice a year at the Senior Center P S. They changed the address from Cedar St. to Garfield St. in 2020 several years after the Cedar Street driveway was blocked by concrete.

Love this library! Plenty of parking. Great selection of books. The staff is so nice and…read morepersonable! I also love the online system- for hold requests and renewals especially. It is so easy to request books and you get a week to pick it up. I love the rapid read section as well if I really don't want to wait for a high demand book. The only thing I would suggest is to modernize this library as it definitely is in need of a sprucing up to make it more inviting- kind of hard though with all the renovations going on at the town hall next to it (construction city). All in all it's a great perk of this town. Very happy to have this library close by.

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!

A historically beautiful structure that houses Connecticut's Supreme Court and the state library,…read morelocated in the Capitol area of Hartford. This would be a great place to learn and view some of the historical pieces that defines the state of Connecticut. You can also sit in a Supreme Court hearing and take the tour of the state library, which contains state and federal legal publications dating way back to the late 19th century. The state library is open to the public and has wifi and outlets, so you can definitely use the space to bring your laptop/tablet and do some work. Great place for school groups to take a trip to, or even for families looking for something educational to do.

Beautiful building inside and out , built in 1854 . interesting architecture . It's not a library…read moreof leisure books, but that of records of various things such as historic documents, law, court records, Public records, land records, genealogy , you can look up your family tree here especially if your a CT resident , they have archives and archives of records very neatly organized, very clean building , metal detectors and security guard(s) . You can also find various test exams manuals here. Getting a library card is easy, just file out a simple application and have I.D. You can find the rights and claim of citizens, and the history of Connecticut and its people . Free wifi. computers access , book scanner . Parking is on street, parking meter . The gated parking lot is for employees. Nice staff members. They also have a museum in the building that closes 1 hour earlier than library

I stopped by the Cora J. Belden Library in Rocky Hill to pick up a book for my book club. I have…read morenever been to this library before. I thought it was interesting that this library is located amongst the houses, for some people I'm sure they could walk here with their eyes closed. Right at the front of the library they have a hold box. I could be wrong with the name, but this is where they hold your book, and you could pick it up even when the library is closed. I walked inside, there's book sales and community events posted. I went to the computer to search where my book is located. According to my search result, I went to look under fiction. It wasn't there. There were other works by the same author. I went to the front desk to ask for assistance. The lady started walking towards a totally different direction. She went to look under Mysteries, I found it under New Releases. She explained that they're going through a new system, it might be difficult to find some materials. She was very helpful, despite me finding it. They also have a spiral staircase leading to the children's department. I typically love to explore the children's area, I was in a rush this time. There were some noisy kids having a fun time. I had a successful first time at the Cora J. Belden Library.

A pretty library with friendly staff - they have nice open areas to read and research, and even…read moresome art on the walls. Parking was plentiful with an easy in and out; there was even a knitting group meeting outside when I pulled up! They seem very community oriented.

The most recently renovated branch of the Hartford Public Library, Park Branch. Now called Park…read moreStreet Library at the Lyric. The area is very inviting and clean. Plenty of room to sit down and read a book. The branch has many programs too. There are a few parking spots in the back opening on Broad street but mostly occupied by staff. There are plenty of side streets to park at though.

This library is located on the site of Glastonbury residents, Harriet Welles and Sturgis P. Turner…read more After her death, the land their home was located on, was donated to the town so a library could be built on that site. It was dedicated to Mrs. Welles, her first husband, and their family in 1952. Expansion continued throughout the years as the town grew. It looks like a large house with a giant tree out in the front. There is also a patio area. My family and I really enjoyed our time in this library. It's modern and spacious. We loved the children's area; there were Legos, mini playhouse, train set, toy kitchen, and computers. The librarian was very helpful and friendly. Similar to other libraries, they have many events, classes, and resources. It's a great asset to Glastonbury!

Love this place!…read more Note there are only two public computers & printing MUST be done from these two computers. 2 hour limit and then 6 study rooms available by reservation (also for 2 hours) Printing in black and white (either standard paper size or legal size) is 20 cents Printing in color is 50 cents Easy enough -- cash (10$ bill or less) or coins only

This library is top notch in every way. It is also very enormous. One full very large floor for…read moreonly kiddos. The second floor is for teens and adults. The staff is great, and they have lots of events.

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.