A true hidden gem! This building is gorgeous with stained glass and beautiful trim. I love having…read moreso much historical significance being preserved beautifully in our area! The librarians are so friendly, knowledgeable and helpful both in the main and children's libraries. They have the best of both worlds with the small town charm and connection to the county library system so you can request anything your heart desires!

Beware...if you need to focus, you're rolling the dice. Sometimes it's good and other times it's…read morefrustrating!! Seems like it's gotten worse. This has to be the most inconsiderate customer population in the surrounding area. Why do people feel they need to have conversational talk--in person & on cell--in a library!! Don't bother taking to the staff, totally useless on this issue. They don't want to hurt snowflakes feelings. I've talked to the staff in person and sent numerous emails/feedback submission thru the BCLS online system. Will it hurt to place simple table signs to keep your tone to a whisper and no cell phone conversations (only in the lobby area). I'll be satisfied with a regular announcement on the PA, at least your brain will zone that out over a short period of time. I think I will start a campaign, take and post a picture of self-centered, inconsiderate, and annoying people so I can share it with the library staff as evidence to change their policy and enforce it.

Me(32) and my nephew(3) came in 4/15/25 3:20-4:25pm He really likes playing with the marbel run…read morethat you have for the kids. We have come in almost once a week for the last school year. The librarian that we always see is amazing She makes my nephews day. The librarian today (who's desk and computer where facing the sitting area where the marbel run is, not the computers for library patrons.) was not a lovely person to meet. So when we met this librarian to ask her for marbels for the run, she had spilled beads allover her desk the floor ext. My nephew did not hesitate to help got too big hand fulls for her it was cute. She then went on to ignore us as she picked up every bead. Then when she finely helped us(shoving her hand in her desk and pulling out 2 marbels shoving them in his face and saying you can have this) it was a disgusting, the diference in what i have always bin met with at this library was night and day. I explained that the other librarian lets him pic the marbels and also lets us take 4(We have never lost a marbel and if you want me to bring marbels just ask) so after agreeing she slams it on the tabel in front of my nephew like a child. so not to say this interaction with this "adult" killed the mood for my nephew, the marbel run he was asking to play with all week we played with for mayby 10-15 minutes because of this, then when my nephew gave back the marbels he came back almost crying because of the interaction, at another point he is siting on a chair by your back window and he puts his head in one of the small metal square(left and right bottoms of the window screen) cus he wants to crawl out the window rather then walk out the library past her. I had to carry my nephew out of Burlington County Library in not a fun way but to make him feel safe and wanted. And at the end of all this he told me "im done with the librery, i dont want to come back." And those two sentences are why you got this review. also that librarian should not be in the children's section if she is going to make children cry.

I hadn't been here in years until recently. I'm a member and that gave me the advantage of being…read moreable to search online for records I was interested in so that I could save the call numbers and save some time while there. I found the staff to be friendly and very helpful. Many of the records I wanted are in the closed stacks. You fill out a form with the call number and your name and sit at a table in the reading room. Seats are numbered and the number goes on the form and they will bring the record to you. You can do 3 at a time. If you want them to hold something you were looking through for the next day, they will hold it for you. You are allowed to take your computer, papers and phone. You can take a photo of any record which is helpful. The reading room has a lot of books. There is a family room with many books organized by family name so easy to search for a family you are looking for. Many of the records they have are not available elsewhere and may include handwritten notes a family member wrote on paper or you might find a full book on the family you are looking for. You could easily spend days and days there. There is a charge of $8.00 for non-members to enter while members are free. If you are researching Pennsylvania history or families in the area (including Delaware and New Jersey), you are bound to find something useful in your search. I appreciate that they are digitizing more and more records for those of us that don't live there and seldom can get to HSP.

As a hardcore researcher and genealogist, I borderline dread having to go to HSP to do any…read moreresearch. I say borderline because it's not 100% bad, but some staff members have a tendency to treat the public like children. They expect you to know things, even if you haven't been told what to do ahead of time (where to read books from the stacks, how to handle certain items, etc.). Yes, some things are common sense, but giving the public a little friendly guidance goes a long way. But the major turn-off for me is the exorbitant fees they charge for just about everything - from admission for non-members to copies to membership fees. And goodness forbid if you want to use a photo for a book from one of their collections - that's hundreds of dollars and a slew of conditions attached to it. It's $75 to become what they call a "Researcher" member. That only entitles you to 20 visits to the library per year (that's not even 2 visits a month!). You'd have to fork over $130 for a "Patron" membership to get 50 visits a year to their library (you want unlimited visits? Be prepared to part with anywhere from $500-$999, according to their membership brochure). Why I'm steamed about the amount of money they charge for services is only because they have materials donated to them, so they pay nothing for this stuff. They have the collections of the late Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies (that I never see displayed or talked about) as well as the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania (which handed over their collections to HSP in 2006), both of which were donated, and then they want the public to pay a mint to get copies? And as prices have risen, their hours have been reduced. They're no longer open on Saturdays and they have only one late night per week (Wednesday). If you're going to raise prices, put in some extra hours somewhere. (And be forewarned that if the person at the reception/cashier desk doesn't like you for whatever reason, they can actually deny you admission.) On the other side: Many staff members are knowledgable in helping researchers locate the information they're seeking and, sometimes, may offer them other directions to go in case they came to a dead end. They also have a wide variety of collections, *some* of which can't be found anywhere else (mainly because of the aforementioned acquisitions). They have cemetery records and the records of some funeral directors (such as Battersby) and churches (e.g. Christ Church) as well as an entire room dedicated to published family genealogies. I can take the bad with the good, but at the rates HSP charges, this historical goodie is a once-in-a-while treat, not to be used regularly (and it shouldn't be that way).

William Penn Statue - The statue of William Penn is very nicely crafted and feels dignified, which…read moresuits such an important figure. It is located in a good spot and fits into the historical context of the city. I liked that the surroundings are well maintained, allowing visitors to stop for a moment and take in the history. It's a rather subtle but valuable landmark that is definitely worth seeing.

Nice little base close to home. Commissary has such wonderful prices! Dad uses pharmacy but closed…read moreon weekends.

I worked from this location all day Tuesday. It was excellent. Quiet and did my three private Zoom…read moremeetings without disturbing anyone, and with enough power outlets to keep both my laptops and my phone charged. The library is quite big and not too crowded. There were a few individuals wandering about, but there were typically only two or three patrons and a half dozen librarians. I had a good experience working in a peaceful environment near a large window. Five stars! [Review 18270 overall - 143 in New Jersey - 1792 of 2022.]

staff is extremely rude, condescending & overall not customer oriented. When correcting someone…read morethe proper etiquette is to say excuse me & then politely ask the individual if they were aware of the policy. If the individusl was not aware of the policy you politely inform then. You don't accuse them of anything & you do not talk down to them.

I can speak to the adult programs , they are genuinely terrific and cover tons of different areas…read moreand the instructors are knowledgeable and they really have something for everyone . Great for bored adults of any age group . The facility is pretty great as well , the only exception is that the handicapped auto dooropener . The employees shut it off now again for seemingly no reason as they have an on off switch for it , that door is hard for both seniors and the disabled to open .

Kid programs are run well. Plenty of supplies. Staff very nice to the kids. Kids come home very…read moreproud of what they made. Friendly environment.

The Stenton House is the historical home of James Logan the Secretary for William Penn. This home…read moreis on beautiful grounds located in the 'Logan' section of Philadelphia. It is a gem hidden behind stone walls and high greenery. Throughout the year there are tours guided by staff and/or volunteers. The history told and the condition of the home is captivating also very interesting. During several holidays commonly celebrated such as Easter and Christmas they hold an open house with 'free' tours and events. Yes I said the F word, FREE! A week or so before Easter they hold a large Easter egg hunt along with arts and craft activities. My favorite time of the year to visit the Stenton House is Christmas, they a host a 'Holiday Tea'. The tea is delicious, the tea sandwiches are divine and the deserts are beautiful it's all very unforgettable. I would highly suggest you check their website for events, tours or how you can help them to continue to serve the community. The staff and volunteers are so gracious, helpful and welcoming. Please consider Stenton House if you want to see beautiful grounds, learn Philadelphia history or have a spot of tea (in December).