I went in to use the restroom and a friendly staff member directed me to head right past the desk…read moreand take the hallway to the left. As I came out, I saw my husband reading out loud. Someone had spotted books about mushrooms. I knew we were going to spend an hour here to decompress, and explore what books have to say about the temperate rainforest which surrounds our tents. If you have a child who loves books, look no further. The displays are super engaging with an i-spy rainbow theme featured by the front door (as of August 2021). There are board books in a basket for toddlers to choose from, and a cushy bench on which to share the joy with a very young child. After half a century I have not seen such a simple and elegant solution. If you do not not have a scanner at home, there is a dedicated machine you can use for an hour. Same idea for internet access; they have five or so workstations. If you seek warmth in the winter there is a fireplace and couch nearby. In the summer they have air conditioning. The magazine selection includes lots of home spun goodness about fishing. To save funds you can read newspapers here. This is the definition of what an excellent inclusive community resource can be.

One cool thing is that they have a VHS machine at the Port Angeles location so you can transfer…read moreyour tapes to computer files.

(This review pertains to the Port Angeles branch.)…read more The kids' area has a puppet theater, playhouse, puzzles, and more, in addition to books. Before we had the internet set up at our house, I came here to use the wireless network and was able to get some work done while my son played. The kids' librarians are super friendly and helpful, and can take you straight to the "books about dinosaurs" without consulting a catalog.

Small town library vibes. Road tripping and in need of internet access. And came across a library…read more Small parking lot and of course the much required immediate access to internet. And what a pleasant surprise to. A gorgeous building with tall ceilings and lots of natural light. Magazines to borrow and of course books. The librarians here were also super friendly about arriving sort of in a panic to get online. Immediately offering their conference room for my meeting. Thank you! And of course a clean bathroom. Excellent last minute pit stop for road tripping to the coast. SYOY!

I stayed in Forks when I was visiting Olympic National Park and the Hoh Rain Forest. It was kind of…read morea trippy town to stay in. Forks was big into the timber industry in its early days before the industry declined. They are also known for their abundance of steelhead trout and salmon in nearby rivers. Forks is one of the rainiest towns in the U.S. It is located on Washington's Olympic Peninsula and has a population of around 3,000 people. When I arrived in Forks, I began to notice two big obsessions in this town - Sasquatch and Twilight. Forks hosts annual festivals dedicated to both of these things. I have never read or seen the Twilight movies, but the town of Forks happens to be the setting of the series. Even though the movies weren't filmed here, a number of locations in Forks were used in some scenes. As I drove around town, I started to see Twilight gift shops, signs and merchandise everywhere. The visitor center has Bella's truck and a gift shop that sells merchandise. I observed groups of fans that traveled to this town just to do self-guided tours of Twilight filming locations. I didn't realize those movies were such a big deal. Forks was close proximity to many of the stops that I did in Olympic National Park. The beaches near Forks like Rialto and La Push are just beautiful. There are a number of good places to eat here too. Sully's Drive-In was a popular hang-out spot. I also found a couple of coffee shops that I enjoyed. Forks is a small town that can be driven through in less than ten minutes. Everyone that I encountered in town were really nice.

Small town feel with everything you need. If you are looking for a stop along your trip through…read moreOlympic national park this is a great place to regroup. The town is centrally located near several key areas of the park and about a half hour from the ocean. You could spend a day exploring checking out the twilight museum, getting a bite to eat, and shopping along the Main Street.

I like the fact that there is free internet here, but usually, in the mornings and around lunchtime…read morethe download speed drops off, sometimes to zero. Does anyone know why this happens?

Like the fact that I can simply click on "GVPL" and connect to wifi. No hoops to jump through like…read moreopening up a web browser that then redirects me to a login page. No barcode numbers & passwords to enter. Nice spot to turn into workspace when in town. The Internet can slow down to a crawl at time so be prepared to use up some of your cellular data as a hotspot or there are other wifi locations around. It is near many restaurants when you need a break. I do find that this library is lenient on ringing cellphones, loud chatter other library disturbances.

An amazing local library with helpful staff and a lot of great nooks to curl up in with a good…read morebook. Has event rooms and a lovely outdoor rose garden for you to read in as well. Parking onsite and a place to lock up your bikes is helpful too.

Really cool capital building right off the dock area. Lots of great artwork and other items that…read moredraw the attention to a very important looking building fair governmental looking, but also has been around for a long time. It shows the importance of this building and their connection to the government. There is a great totem pole in the front as well assome statues to recognize important leaders. Built for Queen Victoria, however, she never made it there.

Amazing Legislative Assembly with so much history. Been to Ontario's in Toronto and Quebec's in…read moreQuebec City as well as Ottawa's temporary locations so was nice to see this. My mom and I did the self guided tour and actually got to see the assembly in session so they took our phones but was even better than just going in and taking pictures.

The Hoodsport library is quite a bit smaller than other public libraries I've frequented in the…read morepast. But don't let that deter you from visiting them. There is an amazing view over the Hood Canal. A telescope is available to use. Friends of the library have a couple book shelves near the entrance doors. There you will find books for sale. $2 for hard back and $1 for paper back. This is an honor system. You will find a locked mailbox with a slot to place your money to pay for the books. I recently purchased 3 children's hardback books that I mailed to my grand girls back in Kansas. I know they will adore their gently loved books. You can sign up to receive a card that allows you to access the library during hours that is closed to the public. There is 24 hour surveillance. My husband and I both have the after hours cards and have utilized this benefit. We have sent a printing task to the library and were able to go print the task at the library. The two gentleman that works there are extremely knowledgeable and willing to help patrons. Another super appreciative benefit is to create your library portal. You can search for titles or subjects and genres and request to have them delivered from other Washington libraries to the Hoodsport one. You will receive notifications when the pickup is available. How cool is that? The friends of the library group have sales every so often where you are encouraged to come peruse through books and other media for purchase. Keep informed. There are different social groups that meet at the library, such as crafting socials. I've also seen other class offerings there such as bereavement support or suicide prevention. Lastly I wish to highlight something I feel so passionate about. In one corner of the library, on top of one smaller wooden shelf, you will find free boxes of Narcan. Narcan reverses the effects of opioids. One can never be too careful in these days and times. It's better to be prepared and have one box available and not need it, than to need it and not have it. I encourage you to consider having one box of Narcan in your first aid kits. I purchased one for our household a little over a year ago at Fred Meyer and it cost $55. Thank you state of Washington for offering this free, life saving medication.

Small and quaint library with an insane view. I would be here all the time if I lived here. So many…read morehot books readily available!