**** This library has MOVED to 464 S Old Middletown Rd…read more **** I visited the new location yesterday and started a new Yelp page for the new location yesterday. I also reported the old location closed yesterday, and added tips to announce the new location on both the old and new pages... but then today, Yelp MOVED MY PHOTOS to the listing for the old address. Odd, isn't it? Repeatedly these things happen to me on Yelp, and repeated reach-outs to the local Yelp woman go un-helped. I work hard to contribute to Yelp and it's clear that my input isn't valued at all by Yelp. So this is for the legit users who care about my attempt at helpful content... The new location of Middletown Free Library is now near Wayside Market, and Bortondale, the former Penn-DOT DMV. Currently, you need to look for signs for Roosevelt School, because there is not even a temporary banner of signage indicating that the library is here. When you pull in, make sure to drive to the rear of the Roosevelt School on the right of the school (from the road). Look for the book deposit box, and the entrance is there. Again, signage is still in the works. This is the brand new space, much larger than the old one. I was speaking with the librarian at the circulation desk and we guesstimated that the whole 2 floors of the old location could fit in the ground floor of the new space! But, the new place has a second floor, currently under renovation, so it will be drastically larger than the former space. The children's area is separate from the main library space, with a glass wall to keep sound contained. This was great at story time with Mr. Jason, because the kids had their own place to be themselves. Singing, banging on drums, bubbles, etc. After story time, extra toys came out, and my toddler had a ball. Mr. Jason really gets into his stories, and the kids can't help but become as enthusiastic as he. On the way out, the librarian had chocolates and candy canes to give us, which was so sweet. I took tons of pictures of the new space but Yelp seems to have a problem with that, so you'll have to check the old page for the DOZENS of pictures they moved. I don't have time for the bs anymore.

Spacious library with LOTS of places to read and work quietly. Plenty of FREE parking. THIS is the…read morelibrary to go to if you are in the Media-Swarthmore area and need a nice place to read and do work. The only issue is that Google Maps will take you to the wrong entrance (next to the fire station). Instead, you have to take the next exit and drive around. There is a small lawn sign for the library, which is easy to miss, but if you see the school, the library is on the backside, so just drive around. You won't regret it!

Dudes- did we know there were FREE activities for children (and others but I just went for BB…read moretoday) at the library? And that we're not restricted to our own town's library?? Well there are and we aren't! My sister suggested we go to one last week and I did a little digging on their site. Queried children's events and there you have it! Infants' play group on Thursdays at 10am. I never remember the library has awesome programing. I was the first mom/baby combo the so we had free reign on the climbing toys, stuffed animals, balls and books for a few. Two other little girls crashed our solo party and that put the space at about capacity for the roaming walking babies. It was a good time had by all. Cheers to you for doing your job, Delco Library system. Someone please remind me to keep going!

Media's new library has achieved the inglorious distinction of blowing a huge and expensive…read moreopportunity for greatness. First the positive. The exterior architecture is a fantastic attempt at retaining the borough's brick past. This building could have been thrown up with cheaper construction materials like vinyl siding, or fake brick like some other homes popping up in Media, but they used the real deal. Good ole brick. The building is visually appealing with a nice porch on the front. The sidewalk utilizes stamped concrete brick impressions. While not real brick, stamped concrete brick is better for maintenance, liability, it mimics the look of brick effectively and has more appeal than just a concrete sidewalk. There are awkward exterior elements though. Why they did not build a deck or outdoor porch on the rear 2nd floor of the building is beyond comprehension. If it was money related, understood, but I hope the architect left the possibility down the road to allow for this with no structural changes needed. The front also has two oddities. On the side of the porch is a patio with etched bricks with names of the donors. Nice idea, but functionally weird. No seats, benches and symmetrically out of place. Seems like someone threw a dart at the plans to pick the spot to put the "donor brick patio." The other oddity is the 2nd floor porch that never was. There are doors opening to a porch that can accommodate about one half of your foot. Odd. Overall though, the exterior is to be commended for its adherence to Media's brick legacy. The inside is what makes this love story turn into a mystery. When you walk in, you are overwhelmed with the antiseptic, white bland interior of what could double as a hospital waiting room. This looks like the result of design by committee when communal input in the floor planning process sucks the life out of the project (either that or a completely unimaginative and boring architect). With many fantastic libraries to draw inspiration from in the area namely Bryn Mawr's new library, I find it disappointing that Media did not go all in and do something as amazing, or at least compare itself to other great local library offerings. There is no aesthetically, inviting quality interior spaces to relax with a book without feeling like you are a patient of Nurse Ratched. Its all very stark. Book rows, computer rows, a long "technology" bar with stools that I still don't know what purpose it serves. The children's room lacks imagination and playfulness. They carried over the one bathroom plan from the old library which also is a disappointment. During the construction process, the size of the hole in the ground suggested a huge basement with high ceilings, that would make a great computer lab or rentable meeting or party space. Reality? Its storage. The 2nd floor is equally perplexing. It's a series of again, oddly sized mundane rooms with zero personality. One room that has a glimmer of personality is the room with a conference table that houses the double doored, half inch porch that overlooks Bryn Mawr Running Co. Expectations for this place were large. Media was going big and it was going to be great. And while the exterior dazzles, the innards of the building couldn't be more boring. (A situation that could be improved with guidance from an interior designer.) This new Media-Upper Providence Library serves a purpose, use the computer or get a book/movie and return it. This inside of the library was built with the same approach as buildings built in the 70's and 80's, utility. As for a warm, inviting place for people to come, use the computer, read a magazine, spend time inside; I'd rather go to Taylor Hospital and pull up a chair at Intake, for it has more charm.

Penn Wynne Library holds special memories for me. I am 64 now , but I first started walking over…read morethere when I was about 6 ( I lived only a couple blocks away ). I'd be on the 1st floor, walk up the steps to the 2nd floor and read and do homework, and I absolutely loved doing the summer reading lists EVERY SINGLE SUMMER ! Ahh, good memories !!

Very helpful librarians. They have a good reading area with toys and comfortable chairs to sit…read more Would recommend.

Lovely library with plenty of (shaded) parking! I attended a…read morecraft program here (paper quilling) and the class space was open, airy and had plenty of light from the floor to ceiling windows - very inspirational space to create. The library itself is packed with sections at every turn and plenty of options - lots to discover and plenty of reading spaces if you need a nook to get lost in a book.

The inside temp is again 65 degrees on wednesday january 15th. the staff say they have no ability…read moreto raise it, and have been sending emails to the county officials to get it fixed.

this is why more people don't use public libraries. A live band calleed "meeta" is performing at…read more11am. loudspeakers. deafening. they have a giant sign showing how to find them on facebook. this is a library. 11 am on friday. where were we supposed to go for peace and quiet? Does "meeta" have influential friends which book them gigs at the library?

It's hard to give a library a bad review because how bad can a library be right? Well in comparison…read moreto the network that makes up the Delaware Library System this one is better than some that I frequent but not among the best. The structure itself is beautiful but getting into the parking lot is tricky. The logical turn to enter the parking lot doesn't really take you to the librarys parking lot and there is no signage that could say "not this parking lot here, keep going straight and THEN turn in here" Inside there was plenty of lounge seating including a really cool bench that wrapped around a big column (someone should take a pic, I forgot) but the computer area was cramped. I found the books I was looking for with ease but honestly the real disappointment was the DVD collection. It could have been great but I'll never know because you can't simply browse the titles by scanning quickly with your eyeballs. No, the DVDs are in rows one in front of the other so you have use your fingers to flip through each stack to see exactly what is there and this includes multiple copies of the same title. Who has time for that????

Passport Service Office…read more They have the rudest most unhelpful person working there to run the passport office. Yes, we were 10 minutes late however her lack of any iota of customer service was shocking for such a nice library and other very lovely librarians. This lady could not answer any questions in regard to the form and made no effort to be helpful in any way. She kicked us out 20minutes later as appointments are apparently only 30 minutes on the dot. It is also $35 processing fee per person applying, I guess that's the price for extra rudeness.

Called on a Thursday afternoon to see if I could come in for a Passport photo and application…read moreprocessing. They were able to accommodate my last minute request and took me on Friday morning. My appointment was for 10:30 and I was in and out in less than 10 minutes. Everything was very straightforward and the processing fee was $35 and the library charges another $10 for the photo. I highly recommend coming to the library over waiting at the post office! Everyone is very friendly and accommodating!

Needed to do some literary research today, and the only library anywhere nearby who had what I…read moreneeded was Bryn Mawr's Canaday Library. I am a local resident, and am not currently a student anywhere, so I called first to see what access was allowed to me. Swarthmore, Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges work together for inter-library loaning on the Tri-pod system, which is an online catalog of all their collections, accessible to any i-net user. You don't have to be a student to visit the libraries and read, but you do need a school card to check out. I had used Tri-pod to ascertain which library had what I needed, before calling for more info. (According to my local township library, there is an inter-library loan process which would allow me access to Tri-pod items and be lent something through my library, but, since it takes over a week to process, I have not personally done this. I am relating the info I was given, but I do not know for sure how much access is really permitted via inter-library loans, to libraries outside the three Tri-pod schools.) I was very impressed with the politeness and helpfulness of the young woman who answered the phone at the Bryn Mawr science library, however, I ended up calling her only because I could not get a live soul on the line for Canaday, even after multiple calls, and leaving a message. That part was a really poor experience, especially when we finally got there and saw FOUR staff members sitting at the circulation desks, doing nothing but their own classwork, while on duty. Come on. This would not fly at other libraries. I even called McCabe at Swarthmore just to see if they had someone answering at that time, and a very helpful young man was live on the other end, ready to help me, so Canaday, seriously, answer your phone! The helpful staff member at the Bryn Mawr science library told me that "Visitor Hours" for Canaday Library, which I guess are different from student hours, are 8-6 M-F, and 10-5 on Sat. Upon visiting on a week day, it was well after 6pm when we left, and they were making no signs of closing, so I assume they run late for students (normally campus libraries are open until closer to midnight) but would like visitors to leave earlier. For safety reasons, especially since this is a women's school, I can certainly understand and respect that. The library was organized and clean. I did not see any features on display, such as an art collection or those snazzy decorative architectural niches, that many other academic libraries have. Normally a school library is a showplace, even at private schools, on an upper school level. While I like looking at the neat things academic libraries normally display (glass cases of rare books, Native American artifacts, antique local photography, etc.), it was also a little refreshing not to have the pomp and circumstance, and we certainly did not explore the entire building, so I could be missing something outstanding. But for what we saw, it was a plain old library, with books as the main event. I hope to have more time to explore next time. For the section of literary journals where we were, it was very inclusive of all I needed, and actually had several other literary reviews that were really helpful as well. Definitely strong on their collection for all my research purposes, and then some. I had a positive experience, as well, speaking to the main reception at Bryn Mawr, another student who was very helpful. I call there to ask about visitor parking and she patched me through to Campus Safety / Public Safety, who unfortunately did not have a name for the lot, but confirmed what I saw online on their interactive map, which called it "Campus Center Parking," off of New Gulp Road. I posted a map with visuals to help anyone needing to know where this is. This was my first time at Canaday. When I took some undergrad classes at Penn, and then grad classes at Penn and Rosemont, I had always used the HUGE library at Penn, or McCabe Library at Swarthmore College. I have to say I really like McCabe, and that is normally my go-to when I have a choice. They have the perfect aesthetic for a college library (decor combo of tasteful architecture, sculpture, art, and an amazingly comprehensive book collection). But, while I didn't feel as at home at Canaday, I did feel comfortable enough to get work done there, which is the whole point. All in all it was a strong positive experience at Canaday. The Bryn Mawr campus, like many, has a strong Gothic architectural influence. I also cannot help but think of Katharine Hepburn, one of their most well-known alumni. Katharine's "Bryn Mawr accent" is a joy to watch, as it comes and goes, when she thinks about using it, in her earlier movies, especially "Philadelphia Story." It is so shamelessly snobby, but ballsy of her, which makes it hilarious at the same time.

I love working at the Bryn Mawr College Libraries, which are open to the general public. In…read moreparticular, the Science Library (Collier) is a beautiful, quiet place to get work done, and parking is easy and free in the visitors lot. Carpenter is quite pretty too (but the chairs aren't as comfy). Beautiful campus, and easy to get lunch/coffee at the student cafe.

I LOVE public libraries! A long awaited, must needed library in Middletown is finally here! I grew…read moreup in Middletown without a librarian and now work at my local library in my city, so going back and finally visiting this space a year and some change after opening was so amazing! The space is stunning and gorgeous and huge and better than I could've imagined with every resource a library could have! Private study rooms, an advanced makerspace, a colorful childrens section, and an extremely helpful and welcoming group of staff, plus, of course, so! many! books! Whether you're a young family, a student of any age, or a wfh adult, go support this gorgeous place by visiting, checking out a book, or attending one of their dozens of unique events! I loved this space- this library was so cool!

Quiet, warm, well stocked, and (wo)manned by exceedingly helpful people: so, everything a small…read moretown library should be.