Maury Loontjens Memorial Library used to be called The Narragansett Public Library for years…read more Recently (maybe 2 or more years ago,) the name was changed to memorialize someone who if you asked anyone on the street who he was wouldn't have a clue. That is okay though because in Rhode Island everyone who knows this library will still be calling it the Narragansett Library until the day everyone remembers it was called that dies. That's how Rhode Islanders operate. This library used to be a rinky-dink place with only about 2 rooms. It has expanded into 5 or more since the 1970's. I'm estimating this so don't take my word for granted. I just know, growing up that this was a cute little library that wasn't very big and wasn't very active. Now it has 4 basic computer/internet classes and shows movies on Tuesday nights. It has Book Clubs and Book Talks, story times for preschoolers and kindegarteners, a Scrabble Scramble, card crafting, tutorials on e-books and even a "friends meeting". Much much more than 20 years ago I'd say. Like most libraries, their website is full of things to do as far as the library goes. You can even temporarily apply for a member card. One of the better ideas is an account that helps you remember that your borrowed books are coming due. Sign up for an Elf account to help yourself remember! Like all libraries too they have an online book search. You don't just get a list of books from The Narragansett Library, you get a list of all the books from all the libraries that are connected with this library through the Ocean States Library Catalog. Although the building has grown the atmosphere hasn't changed much. They've added a little area where you can sit on a comfy couch or relax in some stuffed chairs to read the paper or a book. They have the computer rooms in the back as well as the stacks. Yes of course technology has been accepted into the libraries now. I still would rather read a book with pages than an e-book. And I still consider the library one of the better public places where quiet is encouraged and children should be watched. This library is small but it is located next to the Narragansett Fire and Police stations in The Pier. It is down the street from the Narragansett Town Beach too. I dare say that this is probably one of the best places to relax inside and out. There is a public bathroom outside in the parking lot as well as one inside the building. The Pier Marketplace is next door (but not full of any really useful shops anymore.) For a relaxing day take a walk on The Wall then come to the library and read a book or the paper. You can also use the computers if you wish to jump on the Net.

A very strange…read morelibrary The Robert Hall library was built back in 1896 and has seen several additions and renovations that no doubt contribute to it's odd configuration. It received a new wing in 1930 that now serves as a children's room and another wing was added in 1952 on the east side. In 1991 more renovations were completed that added a small two story addition at the back of the building. Lots of changes over the years. So the library seems very convoluted but in an interesting and bizarrely aesthetic way. The building is different from most libraries and has some cool and steep steps you must get up in the front although a handicap access is in the back. Take a good look and you will see the massive granite foundation, the cool stone chimney and the clapboard shingles. Once inside the main room has a fireplace and an impressive bay window that gives some nice views of the surrounding woods. Lots of cool pictures and art are scattered about the library and you must walk careful to squeeze through some tight spots and get around the usual small library stuff. The parking situation isn't very pleasant because you basically park on the street and if you are coming from the west you have to get across four quickly moving lanes of Rt 1 to get over to the library but with a bit of care it can be done. It's worth the trouble because this is one of those cool, little libraries that doesn't really look or feel like a library. It has the ambiance of a private home that some nice person invited you in to share some time with. A private home that just happens to have an awful lot of books.

Being the nerd that I am, I came here the day after my birthday. Since last year, I've been…read morechallenging myself to visit all public libraries in the state of Rhode Island. This was the 11th one I visited. My friend and I came on a Saturday morning. I don't think they have a parking lot, but we found street parking right by the entrance. It reminded me more of an admin building when I walked in. To the left is a book sale, and to the right are the stairs to the main floor. There were lots of happy kids in the children's section. Down the hall, they have the walls lined with lots of information, including subsidized tickets to different events and places including the bird sanctuary nearby. They also have an extensive and well diversified library of tools and equipment to loan for a week including sporting gear, home repair tools, yard tools, games, and even a telescope. I was impressed. On my way out, I also saw a an ad for a free account to Mango through the library, which is a language learning platform (perfect for my journey to learning French).

Parking is easy behind the building. Staff are always so kind and sweet. The children's area is…read morealways such a treat for my kiddos to go visit and enjoy a little play time with friends.

WiFi rugs and…read more books The Clark Memorial Library has been around since 1880 and although the original certainly had books and probably rugs, I suspect it didn't offer free WiFi back then. The building is rather small but has a cool unsymmetrical shape that becomes very obvious once inside. Certainly a lot nicer and aesthetically pleasing than the efficient squares and quadrilaterals that most public buildings have become. In additional to the free WiFi, the library also has the usually collections of videos, DVDs. Cd's, periodicals and of course books. Thoroughly modern if somewhat diminutive. Of course being located in a rural community the library also serves as a center for the chess club, story hour, various bake sales and adult craft groups. They even have a textile collection of some cool rugs hanging off railings and walls. Certainly not the largest library around but one that offers a lot of services and programs within it's four walls. Of course the people working there are always pleasant and friendly in an unassuming country sort of way and will assist you in any way they can. The Clark Memorial is a small library that still manages to offer a lot.

We love the charm and quaintness of this library but the staff are incredibly rude and unwilling to…read morework with members. If a certain book is taken out that has special features library staff should make that member aware of the features rather than assuming the member knows how to use it and then charge outrageous late fees with no shame. We will not be going back.

A long time ago, in a…read moreplace far, far away Many libraries in New England go back quite a ways. Books were somewhat rare and expensive and the average person had access to very few so the idea of libraries caught on quickly. Many of the early libraries were roving libraries where a person went around with some books and an individual paid to keep the book until the roving library returned. The idea of "free" libraries was a somewhat new and radical idea that took a while to catch on. The very first roving library in Little Compton was way back in 1811. Perhaps this was because Little Compton is on a peninsula and very isolated and hard to get to or maybe the people around there really loved books. Move permanent places to keep books developed over the decades until the Brownell Library was finally constructed in 1929. The library is a pleasant brick building with the usual books, magazines and computers but it also has a cool fireplace, some antiques, interesting paintings on the wall of early librarians and of course the guy who came up with the money for the building, Pardon Brownell. The library today is a cozy and friendly place with some helpful, knowledgeable and amiable librarians. Little Compton is one of those "you can't get there from here" places but the Brownell Library is such a cool and unique New England library that it is worth the trip way out to Little Compton to visit.

Nice new building lots of books…read more comfy chairs and a big lizard Exeter Public Library was opened in 2004, which makes it the youngest library in the state. Everything is still very clean and smells really nice. No disgusting stains on the carpet and no wads of gum under the tables. The kids haven't had time to mess it up yet. Hopefully the floods of the last few days haven't washed it away. The library isn't particularly large but does have a decent selection of new books, periodicals and reference sources. Not a lot of cool ancient books or historical material but considering the age of the library that isn't surprising. The library is spacious and well lit. Not a bad seat in the house and lots of comfy chairs and places to spead out. The people working here were very gracious and helpful in answering my stupid questions and seem pleasant and amiable. Outside is a nice size parking lot and even a playground for kids that need to burn off some energy before going into a quiet and confined space. The library has the usually bake sales, used book sales, plant sales and you can even get a tote bag and a crummy t-shirt with the libraries name on it. Various lectures and some cool music performances are held. The library is a nice place to stop when going thorough the small town if you need directions, some reference materials or to use a nice clean bathroom. They even have a cool lizard and some nice plants. It might be the newest library in the state but it is also one of the friendliest and most pleasant.

If only there were 10 stars. This tiny place is the hub of the community. Its library service is a…read moresliver of what goes on here: concerts, cooking classes, a kids' postcard club, Italian lessons, yoga, art exhibits, adventure lectures, live streaming, movies, guitar lessons, crafts, story hour for tots. A cozy, comfy setting with working fireplace and native plant garden in the back. Private library open to the public, OLIS member, meets all RI state standards, including handicapped access. WiFi available. Open 1:00-6:00 M-F; 9:00-12:00 Sat. Closed Sun. All state library cardholders welcome, but do join the Willett anyway ... your support is vital.

There isn't too much in Saunderstown that's the same as it was in the 1960s. The road I grew up on…read moreis still dirt, but the pasture next to my childhood home, once filled with gentle music from the bells on Mr. Newcomb's sheep, is now occupied by a mini-mansion. My childhood home expanded and looks like a Cape Cod on steroids. The once mostly abandoned summer homes on Narragansett Bay are winterized and occupied. It is unlikely that quite so many families harvest quite so much from the bay as we did....quahogs and mussels and steamers and flounder, or that doors are left unlocked for days, weeks, years, or that mothers don't worry much if, on a summer's night, a 9 year old is so busy capturing fire flies that it is a long time after dark before they come home. I am hopeful that children still get to have a childhood in Saunderstown, that they are encouraged to go barefoot all summer, to be outside all day with few in and out privileges, to climb on the rocky shore, to learn to swim and sail in the cold bay waters, to play tennis and climb trees and ride bikes with wild abandon, to cross neighbors yards in noisy tribes, declaring an ancient right of way gives them the right. I am even more hopeful that the Willett Free Library, my childhood sanctuary, remains a welcoming and treasured place for every kid in Saunderstown - a remarkable village comprised of a post office, a yacht club, a church and a library. Reading and learning and self teaching are earnest New England occupations, and the kind librarians of the 1960s thought very carefully of all of their patrons as they added each volume to inventory. I can still see Mrs. Taylor, one of my favorites, lovingly caressing a book, thinking of the homes in the village it would visit, knowing who should be sure to get it next. I can taste the excitement and anticipation on each dash to the library, trying so hard to remember to slow my pace to respectable library standards before going up the front stairs, not flinging the door open or letting it slam, to gently place the returning books on the counter, and to politely greet the librarian and fellow readers before diving into stacks. I am pretty sure the spirit is alive, as the website for the library says "Our flag depicts a sailing ferry built by Stillman Saunders. At his home, a "Circle for Mutual Improvement" was formed in 1885; the beginnings of this library. When the flag is flying, the WFL is open". I didn't know that the library started in somebody's house, but it is not surprising, as story hour and reading never began and ended at the library in my childhood; it was alive in the home of Anna and Winslow Ames, with Anna's loving story circles for carefully selected, well behaved children, at bedtime every night in almost every home, ...in books traded from one house to another....words have always been woven through the village, spoken and written, the Willett Free Library being just one of the many places where books were honored.

A library where George…read morereally did sleep This building is old, really old, that much is obvious to the most casual observer. So much history is contained within those venerable walls that I wouldn't be surprised if the whole structure simply explored with all the speeches, words and great things that were said and done here. The original building was built back in about 1775, yep that's old. Back then they didn't have planes, trains or even many roads to transport materials so most of the wood and stone for the building's construction came from local sources. That was the only way to do things back then. The building originally served as a country court house and also as one of the first five state houses for the very first general assembly. And yes a guy name George Washington did really sleep here as well as other great Americans like Col John Trumbull, Gen Horatio Gates, Col Tench Tilghman and a whole bunch of continental troops just looking for trouble. In 1876 the town decided to change the entire building to conform with the rather somber Victorian styles that were popular at the time. Lots of alterations were made, including moving the cool old, funky belfry to the very top of the roof and changing the old gable roof with a mansard. Other dramatic changes were made inside so that the old original building was no longer recognizable. In 1895 a new court house was built and the first floor became the new library. More renovations, some pretty involved took place over the years but the building retains it's unique and very cool look. It still serves as a modern and useful library but the whole place is just so cool the fact that the building serves as a functional library is irrelevant. There is history in here, the walls and floors are literally dripping with it. Some of the most important words in American history just might have been spoken here. Listen careful and you just might hear ol' George and his buddies still speaking.

Wow. They erased my review. I guess the reason is that was not a good one.I heard…read morethey can erase any bad reviews as long as they pay some kind of fee to yelp. That makes sense I guess.