Very kind staff and lovely area. Helpful and didn't charge us for the use of a pod like Maine…read morelibraries usually do. My son needed a place to have a remote meeting

lovely staff and lovely library. incredible at working with the community and giving opportunities…read moreto patrons

Windows and parks…read more The Lawler Branch Library is one of the four libraries in the city of New Bedford. It was built in 1960 with money donated by Sylvia A.H.G. Wilkes and is located right next to Buttonwoods Park. The library is fairly large for a branch library and is basically one large room that has all the separate areas just delineated by a bit of space and some signs. The library has some cool windows and the whole building kind of reminds of me of an old fashion gymnasium with a pool or basketball courts inside. Definitely a unique but pleasant look for a library The inside is very clean and convenient with working wifi and everything you would except from a modern library, just not as much of it as in one of the larger libraries. There is even a meeting room for events and groups. Not a huge, historic or architecturally impressive library but a very nice branch library located in a very convenient location.

One librarian for two…read morelibraries Freetown, Ma isn't a very large place but it does have two cool libraries, one of each end of town. On the west side is the ancient Guilford Hathaway Library with no running water and crowded and spooky interior and on the east side is the "modern" James White Memorial Library. The James White Library was established in 1947 and still looks a lot like the original house. In fact if it wasn't for the small sign it would be impossible to tell that this was a library. Just kind of blends right in with the neighborhood. The inside is small, just basically one room, but they manage to get almost 25,000 volumes in here as well as the usual magazines and computers. It even has running water and real bathrooms. The library has the usual programs and events and even had a very cool therapy dog come in to assist in a kid's reading program. Both of Freetown's two libraries have the same librarian and she goes back and forth between the two. The libraries of course have different hours but it is still quite a chore for the librarian to keep up with things. Somehow she manages to remain very friendly and helpful in the small town library sort of way and even remembers what library she's in. Freetown has two interesting libraries and one very cool librarian.

This is the library branch of the NB Whaling Museum, housing (I believe) all of their written…read morecollections - logbooks, historical documents, a lot of art, most of it sent over from the Kendall Whaling Museum when it was absorbed by the NB Museum. I can't imagine anyone comes here who isn't doing specific research on whaling, but appointments are pretty much required and there's also a $10 per hour fee if you're not a museum member. Both of the librarians here were extremely helpful and really passionate about the subject. The patron-accessible library is limited to mostly the reading room, which is spacious and quiet with lots of tables. Most of the delicate, rare-books stuff is in the back, so you'll need to specially request a librarian to get it for you, but I was just impressed with the general-knowledge books they had outside in the cases for anyone to browse, comprising a very in-depth overview of whaling worldwide in themselves. The library I believe also houses the Melville Archive, so 19th century literature nuts might also like to pay them a visit.

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.

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.

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.

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.