The library is quite large, as one might expect for a city as big as Fall River. This structure…read moreopened as the public library in 1899 and was recently updated and restored. In addition to the usual stacks of books, the library has computers available to be used plus wifi access, digital media to be borrowed and lots of space for study. I found a quiet study room under the back stairs that was first-come first-served and spent about three hours there, working and having my work Zoom meetings. Plenty of power, no noise and I was not disturbed. I was even able to keep my sneaky water bottle with me and didn't mind since there wasn't anything I could possibly damage with spilled water. Great space and a fabulous resource. [Review 18641 overall - 1221 in Massachusetts - 2163 of 2022.]

As a newcomer to Fall River, I've found that the library's atmosphere is great, a lot of books to…read moreread, comfortable chairs and tables, friendly and helpful staff. I've been to this place a few times and I wish I could go again to do my readings.

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.

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.

I'm challenging myself to visit all public libraries in the state of Rhode Island this year and I…read morestarted with Barrington Public Library--I unknowingly set the bar high for the other libraries. I had reserved a room online and the staff was really helpful in helping me find the room. They do hold your reservation for up to 15 minutes if you're running late. The study rooms are spacious, a bit modern, and they even have more upstairs. I found that there were lots of different seats and sort of study spots around the library--wooden chairs, couch like chairs, tables, darker spots, spots by the window, etc. I loved that they had a puzzle that you could help with. I also think it's neat that they have a zone for each age group and it's nicely decorated plus clearly marked sections for different genres and type of books. I took one of their newsletters and quickly found out they have lots of activities each month, some of which I plan to attend. I was also in shock to find that they have a very nice auditorium where they have speakers but also show films. There was lots of parking, the outside of the building is nice, there are some cafes and stores nearby, and they even have a museum in the basement for the town of Barrington (although it does have special hours of operation). I love forward to coming back eventually and seeing how they decorate and organize according to seasons.

Such a good playground especially for a wide range of children. I love taking the kids I babysit…read morefor here because they have two sides of the playground, one for babies/toddlers and another for ages 5 (ish) and up. Makes it very convient to have a little bit of everything for everyone. Theres picnic tables, benches, and covered seating avaiabvle which is super nice.

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.

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.

Stones clocks and…read morespirals The Swansea Town Hall is a lovely old building constructed in 1890. It is a very vertical looking structure made from local field stones. A stunning and lovely sight to anyone that loves old stone architecture. The stones are rough and of different types and colors. Gives the building such a cool texture and look. With it's very narrow and vertical shape it reminds me of an miniature version of a medieval cathedral. The huge but not functioning clock almost looks like a giant eye peering out of the top. The inside is surprisingly small due to the narrow space. Just a bunch of administrative offices and people going about doing their jobs. Everyone was pleasant and friendly and enjoyed talking about the great place they worked. I did find a cool spiral staircase that led upstairs but it was just for storage and all the doors were locked. Not even sure they was a way to get to the very top. It didn't matter. The glory of this grand old building is seen from the outside. A town hall to savor and appreciate. Their kind will not be built again.

Beautiful town with the most gorgeous historic district right on Main Street in December they have…read morea holiday event when they close down the main street and you can walk along it and visit the library and fire station and some of the homes that have been decorated and offering treats

I am came today to do a campus tour of this college ,it's accessible through SRTA transit system #8…read more,it is a beautiful refreshing campus I wonder if it's due to it being spring, everyone was willing to help to give me information on how to attend here.

Love the staff at this library - super friendly…read more It's a small library with not a huge selection in general but especially non-fiction but I don't fault them for that because I bet they would expand if they could. Special shout out to all the librarians there who select the children's books to put on display on the top of the shelves. They always make great selections and they are constantly getting new Children's book - nice work! They are also always hosting different events for the community. I don't want to knock other libraries but Westport has the friendliest librarians compared to neighboring towns. Anyway, people should read more.

Sleek and clean…read more The Westport Library was built in 1971 and was expanded and renovated a couple of years ago. It's a very clean, spacious and modern looking library that's extremely nicely organized and well thought out. A library that it's easy to feel right at home after only a few minutes. The first thing you notice as you walk toward the doors is the unusual sculpture near the front of the building. It really shines when the sun hits it and does go nicely with the design of the building. The inside of the library has a nice children department and community room with lots of events and programs going on. All the periodicals, best sellers, new books, computers and historic references are easy to access and logically placed. The Westport Library is a nice community library that offers a pleasant environment to study, read or just attend a lecture or program.

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!