r/Libraryporn

West Hartford Public Library in Connecticut -- main branch

This wonderful library building has been around since 1937 which replaced a nearby smaller library building (erected in 1917) which is still around town.

It is one of three libraries for the West Hartford Public Library system. It is one of the busiest (also among the best) libraries in the great Hartford area (maybe around Connecticut overall)

This library is huge in a welcoming environment for the community and it does look nice. It offers a lot of things at this library which include a Noah Webster sculpture that's out front of the library, a big Seed Library, an ongoing book sale, a Big Bird sculpture in the Children's room, a special room for pre-teens (or simply Tweens) inside the Children's room, a special play area for preschoolers, Cozy Corner for kids, Teen room, Makerspace, and so much more.

It also has a mural out on the side entrance featuring three wonderful women as well which I think looks interesting. There's also an entrance to the library through West Hartford's Blue Back Square shopping center

Overall, I think this library is beautiful and it is a cool place to hang out, read a book or borrow one.

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!

P.S. I was here on Saturday and got my library passport stamped for Passport to Connecticut Libraries month long program.

Seen at the public library in South Windsor, Connecticut

Support libraries

I enjoy so much sitting in there and think of all the knowledge stored in those pages that are hundreds of years old

The downtown branch of the Hartford Public Library System in the city of Hartford, Connecticut

This library has been around on Main Street since the 1950s. The library received a major expansion and renovation sometime in the late 2000s. Unfortunately, a pipe burst on Christmas Eve in 2022 destroyed most of the interior of the building however most of the library's entire collection was saved from destruction. It took nearly two years to get the library to reopen to the public following this situation. The ongoing reopening efforts are currently in stages with the main area reopening first then the children's room in different phases. The Second floor of the library (some nonfiction collection and YA books) were reopened a month ago. The library will fully reopen to the public on June 1st with all floors reopen simultaneously for the first time since late 2022.

The library looks nice and it is a clean environment. The staff are courteous and friendly in a world class manner. Their customer service is sufficient.

It is also home of UConn Library with some of their collections housed in the basement of the downtown library location. There are also DVD slot machines for movies as well as 24/7 locker for curbside pickup at the side of the library near the below ground entrance where the parking garage for the library (leading to the library's side) entrance is located.

The ground floor is home of UConn Library collections, the main floor is home of computer stations, some categories of nonfiction books and paperbacks, new books, Library of Things collection, and more. The Second floor is home of YouMedia room for teens, and some other collection of nonfiction books. The upper floor is home of the Children's room and the Gallery.

The foyer at the front entrance to the main library is the home of the library's cafe.

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!

P.S. I went here on Saturday to get the library passport stamped for Passport to Connecticut Libraries month long event.

Pretty neat

I had a chance to check out two brand new library buildings that were recently built and opened to the public last summer that replaced older library buildings on those two sites in the town of Bloomfield. When both libraries were being built during the 2023-25 timeline, the MetLife Building in Bloomfield was a temporary home for library collections. I really like both libraries especially the Prosser one. Both of them are cool libraries.

The Prosser one is huge and really wide and it is indeed modernized. The Prosser library has an outdoor parking garage which is interesting. I've never seen a library building with a parking garage attached to it. It holds over a dozen cars with some handicapped spots.

The Wintonbury branch is nice but it is a small library (I get it is a library branch for the Bloomfield Public Library System). It's modern but it's a typical newer library for what it's worth seeing. What I don't like about the newer Wintonbury library is that it has bookcase shelves of books for adults in both fiction and nonfiction where you have to bend down a little to visualize see and pick up a book at the same time and can be quite hard for older people with mobility issues to kneel down. Overall, it's a very good library for the neighborhood especially around Blue Hills area.

Overall, both libraries are modernized to better serve their patrons during present times. They're both cool. The library staff are really good people at both libraries.

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!

The Mary J. Etter Public Library in South Windsor, Connecticut

This public library in South Windsor has been around at Sullivan Avenue since 1979. It received its expansion in the late 90s. This library is really huge and holds a lot of books and movies. It also features a library bookstore that is hosted by the Friends of South Windsor Public Library, a Free Books area, a Makerspace, a wonderful mannequin in the Adult's Department, a Plant Clipping Station, a Solar Charging station outside the library, and so much more to offer.

At this time, the library is holding a month-long student art exhibit that features artwork that South Windsor students made. It is also home of baby chicks that hatched in that special case in the Children's room.

This library is nice and it is huge for a library building. It is one of the favorite libraries that I have visited because they a lot of interesting stuff that I enjoy seeing every time I visit this library plus they have a lot of interesting books that I like to read as well. They also have a lot of movies as well.

This library was recently named in honor of a long-time library director Mary J. Etter, who represented the library from 1985 until her retirement in 2023.

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!

Welles Turner Memorial Library in Glastonbury, CT

This library on Main Street in the town's center was built in 1939 that honored Harriet Welles Turner Burnham (as seen in her portrait). The library has had two rounds of major renovations / expansions over the years. The latest expansion was completed in 2022.

It features a charger for electric vehicles in the parking lot, three wonderful reading rooms, an ongoing book sale, a ship boat on display, a locker for curbside pickup outside the main entrance in the side of the library, a self checkout, puzzle swap, and many more. It also features a Glastonbury Chair which was used by King Henry VIII in Glastonbury, England back in 1504.

It's a really nice library that incorporates both classic elements of the library and modern architectural design into one huge building. The library staff are nice and the customer service is efficient that makes this library a great place in a welcoming environment for the Glastonbury community.

There are also two private libraries in Glastonbury, one in East Glastonbury and another in South Glastonbury.

Overall, it's a wonderful library!

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!

P.S. I visited that library on Sunday afternoon to have my library passport stamped there.

Wethersfield Public Library

This library sits next to the town hall. It was built sometime in the 1950s. The mural that is above the foyer entrance has been in the library forever that it seems. The library overall received a major renovation in the late 2000s.

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!

P.S. I visited that library on Sunday and got a library passport stamped here for Passport to Connecticut Libraries month long event.

C.H. Booth Library in Newtown, Connecticut

This library was built in 1932. At the time, it was considered a modern library with many things that most libraries didn't offer back then. This library features a wide variety of local history exhibits depicting the town of Newtown and the state of Connecticut.

The building has three stories which includes the top level that is home of reading rooms, local history exhibition, reference desk, library bookstore and nonfiction books. The main area of the library features the circulation desk, fiction books, Teen area, movies and many more. Downstairs is home of the Children's room. This library also features a Library of Things collection and coffee station as well.

The library received an expansion back in the late 90s to better serve the community for the 21st century retaining the entire square footage of the original building.

I drove all the way from my neck of the woods which is over an hour away from this library to get my library passport stamped for the month long Passport to Connecticut Libraries program. Also had my copy of the Connecticut 169 Club book signed as well.

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!

Southbury Public Library in Southbury, Connecticut

This library was built in 2006 to replace an older library. The flooding of August 2024 impacted the library which destroyed the library's basement (where the Friends of Southbury Library used to have a library bookstore, remember that?!?) however the entire main library area (as well as Children's room) were safe and were not affected by the flood. It however took about a year to get it reopened as a result with reassessment. Safe and sound!

It's a wonderful library which seems somewhat like a luxury home style feeling in a welcoming environment. It features an ongoing book sale, a cozy reading room with a fireplace, a special Teen area, a grandfather clock and so much more to offer.

The library staff are nice and helpful. There are a lot of books and movies at this library.

On the other hand, It's been a hot minute since I saw a Cherry Blossom tree. I fell in love with it when my local library has one out front each Spring.

P.S. I came all the way from my neck of the woods, driving about an hour to visit one and few others around that area on Saturday April 11 to get my library passport stamped for the Passport to Connecticut Libraries month long program. I also brought my copy of the Connecticut 169 Club book to have it signed.

Feedback is appreciated. Enjoy the album!