I love this library and they have one of the best prices for books during their big book sales…read more Also its quiet and easy parking

I feel like an update is called for, especially after reading a disgruntled 1 star review that is…read morevery subjective and not( in my opinion) representative of many patron's experiences here. While I sympathize with that person's situation, a bad Yelp review will not remedy those conditions, nor will it accurately portray how good this library is. Since my first review I have visited a handful of other NJ libraries and feel that this branch exceeds almost all of them. As with many things in life, it is the little details that matter. Starting at the entrance, and even at the exit doors( which are somewhat interchangeable ) you encounter book shelves containing FREE books. The subjects vary widely but I like to take a minute or two to scope out the selection. I have found some gems too!( most recently a very clean copy of Hawking's " A brief history of time") As another reviewer noted, there is almost always a book sale going on, the costs are about $1-$3,these books are in very good condition and are organized by subject or genre. As far as their book catalogue goes, most of my favorite fiction authors are represented, and the more contemporary ones are updated with their newer works in a timely manner. Older and critically acclaimed authors are also present, and their better known titles can sometimes be found with more than one copy. Recently I've been taking advantage of their DVD selection and find it to be much better than most other libraries. They seem quick to acquire new releases and many popular premium channel series are available. Skip RedBox and come here if possible. There are many programs and events to attend here as well, mainly for children but adults are not left out. They are now doing Saturday afternoon screenings of various movies, some for the whole family, with others being more R rated.( a recent screening of " American Pastoral" comes to mind) I have found the staff to be very friendly and often find myself discussing books, movies or authors with them. There are plenty of work stations, some with computers and others set up for you to use your own. And some pretty cool seating options too, think cozy couches and big Papasan type cushion chairs. Heck, there's even a table with a communal jigsaw puzzle awaiting completion. As I stated in my prior review, I hope that Mercer County residents and visitors utilize this resource. You might hear me complaining about how my tax $$$ are used, but not in reference to our libraries. 4.24 RIF Yelps

Loveliness and happiness surround you in this quaint little village. People smile at one another…read moreon the streets, and there are wonderful (albeit few) restaurants to visit. One warning: I'm told that if you speed by even 1 m.p.h., the officers are waiting to stop you from disturbing their wonderful town!

I would definitely recommend to anyone passing through off the highway to stop in this little…read moreborough for breakfast or coffee. There's even an antique shop and a couple of other stores and restaurants. The scenery is beautiful and the town itself is very quaint with much to offer, including local's recommended bike shops and a spa!

I don't think we would have seen it had we not been on an Old City walking tour. It's through a…read morepassageway between the B. Free Franklin Post Office and the Franklin Court Printing Office. The Benjamin Franklin Museum is also in the courtyard. There's really a lot of Benjamin Franklin history in this area since his house was at this location. It was torn down in 1812 because his descendents could no longer maintain it. It wasn't until 1950 that the National Park Service took on the excavation project that would eventually expose the foundation of his house and uncover many artifacts. The "Ghost Structures" that you see today were created as a way to preserve what was found. It was so cool to see the floor plan of the house, and to walk over the various rooms of what was once the Franklin home. His grandson's print shop was also uncovered. I must say that Independence National Historical Park, as a whole, really surprised me. There so much to see and learn. It's a lot to cover in such a short time. I think another visit is needed in the future.

I must say it is such an honor to be able to visit something so significant to our nation's…read morehistory. And Ben Franklin was such a wonderful wordsmith! I'm amazed, how many of her things come from his witty mind. I am a big fan of the printing press and post office too. It's complementary to visit the printing press and the grounds are so wonderfully maintained . It's very special place and I'm a big fan .

Has it's good points and bad points but this will always be home. Turnpike roads were extremely…read morewell keep heading up north and back. Rest areas very well lit and clean. Taxes are too high and our roads are overcrowded.

I must say, I was very surprised about the well organization and how fast the whole citizenship…read moreinterview took. I was called for 10.30AM and was there by 9.45. At 10.45 I was called and by 11AM I was in my car. The person interviewing me was very nice and the waiting time was just enough to review the questions one last time. You will have to take off your shoes and empty your pockets, to go through the metal detector. What was the best thing about doing the interview in this town, is that I was offered to be sworn the same day, which I did. The ceremony was very emotional as anyone who will finally become a US Citizen, will have worked at it for a while. Make sure that you see the entrance of the building along the main street, and not on the side.

I was awed by the professionalism shown by each and every personnel in this location. I was super…read morenervous but my interviewing officer Mr.Cooper helped me at ease. Study the civics part and you will be good. Whole process was less than 2 hrs.

I know libraries aren't the "sexiest" thing to review on here. We all too often take these…read morewonderfully invaluable resources for granted: whether it's "out of sight, out of mind," or "hey, libraries have always been there, they're not going anywhere." Having lived in half a dozen other states let me tell ya: NJ has some great libraries. We all bitch and moan about taxes, isn't it great to know there's a tangible community asset provided in return for said monies? We're in some dystopian times, so it's refreshing (even comforting) to be reminded that one of society's great equalizers remains available for all to access. As far as COVID logistics: books can be reserved online and "contactless" pickup can also be scheduled there. As an older millennial, I went hybrid by reserving my book online and once an email informed me it was available, I called and spoke to an actual living, friendly human who proceeded to reserve a 15 minute time slot for my pick up. The librarian assigned me the number "2." To pick up, simply head to the rear of the building where you'll encounter a table under the portico. Here, you'll find your requested book (with your name affixed) next to the number 1, 2, or 3. Its location will correspond with the number provided by either the website or the friendly librarian via telephone during the final step of the reservation process. Upon leaving, a librarian came out and actually thanked ME. This felt a bit strange for a multitude of reasons. Rather than an entitled "hey, I'm a taxpayer," I thanked her in return. After all without free and fair dissemination of knowledge and truth, where would we be? That is something I hope to never find out.

Received my library card today and I had an excellent experience. I started the registration…read moreprocess online and completed it in-person. The nice librarian, Lindsey showed me how to use the Libby app and rent books onto my Kindle. Super cute small town library

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).

The Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce advertises itself as the place where businesses can go…read moreto meet each other and network. So since I rather fancy myself to be an entreprenuer, I figured I would call on them and check them out. As it turned out, the level of customer service was excellent. I was greeted at chamber offices by Martha Coakley, who was helpful enough to give anyone with a service-related phobia nightmares. She cheerfully and relentlessly explained the advantages of Chamber membership to me until I felt like a boob for not having joined directly upon graduating high school. Furthermore, she had distilled useful information from my confused rambling during our initial phone conversation and had an entire package specially put together just for me. I felt quite special. The Chamber is set up so members can interact with each other, and find the types of businesses they are looking to do business with. With a pretty comprehensive schedule of events, they succeed in creating some powerful networking opportunities. The added bonus of having Chamber guidance with these events makes them less confusing and more productive than the average networking party. Also, the divergence of types of event means that no matter what the profession there is a event that will appeal. Martha explained this all to me in clear fashion, and mentioned that as an added bonus my business would get extensive usage of the Chamber's meeting rooms and facilities in Center City. I would definitely advise the serious business person to check out the Chamber. The networking is great, and so are the people.