The Roanoke Public Library is a wonderful resource for the community. Located in the Downtown Roanoke area, in a building that went through renovation from the original, it maintains the classical relaxed look, yet at the same time, it has those modern touches that has kept it up with the times. It now has a Virginia Room where people can do research on the history of Roanoke, among other things. And around this area it has meeting rooms where one can reserve to do research or to meet. Besides the traditional bookcases with books, the library has an extensive computer area located in the Darryl G. & Young-Ja Howery Mezzanine, as well as a cellphone charging station. I tried charging my cellphone there with the cords provided and a notice came up on my phone that this cord was too slow to charge my phone and to try to use another one because with this one it would take 8 hours to do so. This is one of the reasons I only gave this library a 4 star rating. The intention to provide modern services was there but not the execution. I brought it to the attention of the librarian to see if it could be corrected for the future with better charger cords, or even better, with devices where you can rest the cellphone on them and they would automatically charge the phone. I'm sure that after the Library Director reads this review he will follow-up because he is a very knowledgeable individual and wonderful human being. The librarians here are all very friendly and helpful. In the basement of the library the Blue Ridge Literacy is located. This is a place where among other this they teach English for free to immigrants new to the area. A reality that I can not leave behind is that many of the homeless of our community frequent the library during the day as a refuge to keep cool in the Summer and Warm in the Winter. Something that the library could do is have a station with booklets and information to help these write a resume, and look for and apply for a job using the computers. It could also offer workshops in one of the meeting rooms to teach and develop the skills needed for them to overcome the adversities that lead them to be homeless. Throughout the years the library has played very important roles in the community, and through creative thinking and innovation, it can find new ways in the future to meet the community's need head on. read more