Quilts fountains and…read morefires The very first idea of a library for the city of Gloucester probably started back in 1830 when the intellectuals of the area got together to form a lycem to discuss and debate the important issues of the day. Some famous fellows like Ralph Emerson, Henry Thoreau and Oliver Wendell Holmes were part of that lycem. By 1850 or so it was obvious that a library would be a nice thing to have so a collection of books was put together. The books didn't have a permanent home and were just moved where ever there was space. This work well until about 1871 when a fire destroyed most of the books along with a good portion of the town. Fortunately a generous individual named Samuel Sawyer came forward and gave money to replace the books. Sawyer liked the idea of a library so much that in 1884 he bought a cool old house to permanently house the books. Of course this became the library and it was appropriately named the Sawyer Library. Over the decades the city of Gloucester grew and the need for a larger library was apparent. So around 1976 extensive renovations and additions were started and the old library greatly increased in size and efficiency. Additional changes continuously take place to keep the library modern and useful. It's pretty obvious where the additions are but the library is lovely and has a nice courtyard and fountain out in front. The massive and elegant town hall looms right across the street. The inside of the library is very pleasant and has many library quilts hanging off the walls and lots of cool places to study or do research. Of course a library in a town like Gloucester has to have a great genealogy room. A lovely, unique and historic library that continues to be a place where people can explore, study or just have fun. The idea that started back in 1830 is still alive inside it's walls.

I am new in town and joined the library on its reopening day. I visited twice and requested some…read morebooks from other libraries. When I came through the front door on my third visit a librarian recognized me and asked if I had picked up the two books that had come in. She went to the hold shelf and picked out my name. I was shocked that she not only remembered my face, but my name after one interaction. Experiences like this reinforce our decision to move to Gloucester.

A library by the…read moresea This quaint and lovely library is actually in a town really called Manchester By-The-Sea. I guess they really wanted every to know that the town is indeed right on the ocean. The library was completed in 1887 and is built from New England ashlar stone. Designed by the famous New York architect, Charles Makim, it is a wonderful and lovely library that has hardly changed during the decades. A children's room was added in 1965 and some renovations done in 2005 to bring it into the 21st century, but most of the library still looks, feels and probably even smells like it did when it was built. A relatively small library, it's certainly not a place to find some obscure tome or do some serious research. It is a great place to relax and enjoy the anachronistic ambiance and décor. All kinds of cool paintings, sculptures, lighting and woodwork all over the place. Everyone here is friendly and talkative and it's as much as a meeting house as it is a library. Small, cramped, and difficult to walk in places upstairs, there are books and stuff placed where ever there is room. A very, very cool and unique library, one that seems so right for a quaint and odd little town called Manchester By-The-Sea.

Beautiful library in the heart of downtown Arlington center. The building is stately and a good…read moreplace to work, read, and do research. The Friends of Library sale on the fourth floor is also a good resource; some really interesting books you can get for $2.

I've driven past this library for decades but never went inside until the past few years. After my…read moresecond visit to,look around, I just had to get myself a library card here. Besides being an architecturally appealing building, I love the layout and offerings. I've found books, and other items that other libraries either don't have or are hard to get, being checked out frequently. I recently discovered their nice DVD section. I found all seasons of Get Smart and rented them all over a period of about 5-1/2 weeks. They have a decent selection of Blu-Ray discs as well. The first room on the left as you enter is where they keep newspapers and periodicals. It's also a wonderful spot to sit and read. There's a small but adequate metered parking lot behind the building , which is managed by the Town. There's on-street metered parking as well. Just a block or two away, you'll find free parking on the side streets. They also offer passes to museums and some other local attractions, although, in most cases, the discount is somewhat less than those available from the Boston Public Library. The advantage is this is both easier to get to and park at. They do also offer,some virtual passes that you can easily obtain online. It is near at least two MBTA bus routes (77, 87). The staff is very helpful and friendly. They are associated with several other libraries within their network as well.

this library is classy inside and kept in great order. friendly old woman working. nice and clean…read moreambiance. would recommend overall

I really like how organized the children's books area is laid out and also how the books are…read morepresented. Very clean and fun toys for the kiddos to play with.

they have an easy online order type system but i find it not to be the most user friendly. loraine…read moreder & kim claire have been great over the years!! for children there are programs with rewards/schedules to make reading more fun. they have butterfly cocoons hatching sometimes, and other fun activities like painting pumpkins.

Great service , lots of help from the workers highly recommended. If you need a library in the area…read moreplease go here

Very very friendly and helpful staffs. The children's…read morelibrary is on the ground floor, stroller and wheel chair friendly. Offers toys, coloring, story times, DVDs and children's books. The children's bathroom is always clean(there is a changing table). There is an elevator in the building. First floor has DVD for adults and second floor has computers. You can get discount coupons from library for museums in Salem and Boston. We come here very often and staffs are just Always friendly and I felt very welcome.

I was passing by and decided to stop by. This library is in the middle of a neighborhood. It's…read moregorgeous you can see it from far away. It looks like it used to be to be a house and they turned it into a library. As soon as you walk in there in there is a staircase to go upstairs or downstairs. This place is bright nice and open . It's very clean and they have a lot of new books. I went on a warm day and the air was blasting. Very nice library highly recommend checking out if you're in the area.

A sweet little library located in two rooms on the first floor of the local Town Hall. There isn't…read moreroom for too much other than shelving in the space, but it is bright, clean, and well-kept, and there are a few chairs scattered here and there throughout. There's a table in the main area, but when I said I was looking for a place to do a little work I was invited to sit in the (very nice!) teen room if needed since school was in session. There's also an outdoor patio with a couple of benches and a truly lovely view down across some fields and marshes. Staff were really friendly. The other reviewer seems to have either attached the wrong example photo or misused the word "bombarded". As mentioned, I was there when school was in session, so no teens at the time, but certainly the teen space isn't very large and could get quite crowded and possibly noisy if bombarded by a bunch of kids all at once. However it's the one space that's in a different little room from the rest of the library, so staff seem to have made an effort to both keep teens from interfering with other people and give them their own space that kids that age really need and want. If the reviewer's intent was to show how full the shelves were ("bombarded" with books?), shelving throughout the library including the teen room was pretty full, but that's the reality of most very small libraries trying to maintain a robust and diverse collection that has something in it for everyone in town. It didn't look overstuffed, messy, or crammed in.

overall wouldn't recommend this library. the upstairs is blocked off so can't see in the upper…read morefloors of the building only the 1st. the young adult section is completely bombarded as you can see in the photo. smh. there's atleast a pretty good view off the back porch but you could get basically the same view at the park.

Great library! On Sundays they print out the NY Times Sunday Crossword and the Boston Globe…read morecrossword. I went to the mezzanine and sat in a chair looking out the window and did them. The views from the mezzanine are awesome. They also have a ship replica on view. Tip: if you need to go to the bathroom when visiting PTown, this is where to go.

We bought a Christmas ornament in one of the little artist shacks near the marina and one of the…read moreartists told us to go and check out the library in town. We took his advice and walked there. He was right. It was absolutely stunning. There is a huge sailboat inside the library covering almost all of the inside, surrounded by books. It is absolutely beautiful.

this is a nice library. hours are pretty good. ambiance is clean and quiet inside. kept in great…read moreorder and friendly staff. would recommend

I am adding to a previous review because I want to call out a current employee for exceptional…read moreservice. Kristen, the reference librarian, is amazing. She has helped me with copy and print services, answered my questions and found my keys and remembered who I was (I had only been there a few times) so when I stepped out of the elevator she waved me down to return them. I have observed her with other patrons and she is equally as helpful with them.