Providence Public Library

There’s something about walking into this building, it’s like stepping back in time. I have been coming to the PPL since I was a small child. The building is such a beautiful, historic marble structure. There is on street parking and the library is right on the bus line as I remember riding the RIPTA there many times. Staff are friendly and helpful, suggesting books and searching and order other selections on a recent visit. The children’s room has lots of activities and an array of play areas for youngsters. The library has varied hours and is a great place to visit on a weekend afternoon. Check out their website for a calendar of activities and events too. I love this library.

Opulent
and
grand
The Providence Public Library opened back in 1900 and is a great example of the golden age of library building. Inspired by the Venetian Renaissance style, the building is massive, elegant and a reflection of the end of the Gilded Age.
It’s actually difficult to appreciate the outside of the building because it is sprawling and the location makes it hard to really get a good view of the whole thing but once inside the care and detail of the workmanship because obvious.
The library was mostly funded by a generous gift of over a quarter of a million dollars by the very wealthy John Nicholas Brown but ended up costly almost four hundred million dollars, an extraordinary sum at the time.
The building is construction of huge blocks of granite with limestone trim and marble details. Wonderful and amazing staircase wind through the building and incredible detail is carved into the high ceilings. A fascinating place to just walk around and appreciate the beauty of the architecture and design.
The library is a much museum as a place for books and has displays of various artifacts and art scattered about as well as an impressive local history and old book collection.
Like most city libraries parking can be very iffy and because of it’s size and shape the organization of materials is in an unusual and rather chaotic manner and it can be challenging to find things. These huge old libraries always have a lot of dead space so you might have to ask for assistance to find certain items.
A wonderful library that was built in the days when aesthetics were just as important as pragmatism. When the actual building was just as important as what was inside. A beautiful library to be appreciated because libraries like this will never be built again.

the Providence Public Library is excellent. under new leadership, they’ve embraced new ideas and technology, making it more and more relevant in this changing world. i am especially excited about their attention to local music and its history.

A great big maze of books and history.
I enjoyed wandering the stacks, looking through their selection of very new and verrrry old books of all varieties. They have a very large selection of dvds and cds as well. Clean bathrooms. Cozy reading rooms. Taking the stairs up and down the many stories of knowledge filled floors is a great way to kill time and stay warm when waiting on a table or before a play downtown. There is a really cool room (the Rhode Island room, I believe it was called), was a reading room but also had locked cabinets full of genealogy and history books from lil’ Rhody along with other museum type documents and artifacts. Very cool.
Libraries are always great for picking up a book or using the computer, but this library just felt like it had more going on than most. I could spend hours in the PPL, reading, perusing, and learning. Not to mention it is one of the few places downtown where you can utilize the facilities with out buying something.

For reading and borrowing books, this library can’t be beat. I love how quiet it is, and I especially love the collegial feeling of the Great Room near the DVDs.
There are a few factors that make this library less than convenient, but they’re not likely to change. First is the parking situation. Not impossible, but sometimes tricky. Also, the only entrance (that I could find) is on Empire Street. It’s a regular-​sized double-​door situation, but what about that grand-​looking «entrance» on Washington St. with all the columns and gorgeous staircase? And last, the hours. I’m sure funding is tight, so they’re just doing what they have to do, but the hours are so inconsistent that it’s impossible to remember when it’s open.

It’s on the cusp of 4 stars. The 2 things hindering it from being 4 stars (or above) include [but are not limited to]:
1. Organization: DVDs, CDs, audiobooks are weirdly organized in a pseudo-​alphabetical manner. You will definitely need the librarian’s help.
2. Actual Service: This is a library so people don’t expect good service. HOWEVER, it is still an institution so it is a business (NON-​PROFIT). With that being said, I expect some good service, dammit! And not dirty looks when I smile and ask to check out a few books.
Other than these two things, AMAZING! Quiet so it’s a great place for some peaceful studying rather than going to a coffeeshop to study (seriously…douche). Collection of books could use a little update but… what are you gonna do?

I was recently a ceremony musician for a wedding here, so my review is only for the venue. It is beautiful! Very classy with nice details that were just restored. What a cool place to have a wedding! The staircases and multiple levels certainly made for a dynamic ceremony and the acoustics were nice. The colors are pretty neutral and wouldn’t limit your color scheme, so that’s a plus for a wedding or whatever event happens to take place in the space. A cool spot I never would have guess existed because I’m used to looking at the less-​than-​classy façade of the Empire St. side.

Our taxpayer’s money at work. You can get free DVDs, Music CDs, browse an borrow books, magazines, etc. Great resource…

I started using the library again after a 20 year hiatus. Nothing much has changed, but I see they no longer make you rummage through those dewey decimal files, they now have computers that tell you where the book is! Whoa.
This library is old, dated, and unattractive. Well, the building on the outside looks old yet nice. But it works! They have a room with a bunch of public computers. Their hours are strange, it isn’t a 9 – 5. More like a noon to 8pm. Just check the hours before you go there.
They do have a drop off box outside and you can renew your books online (everyone else is probably used to that but it’s been awhile for me).

I’ve seen plenty of libraries that are new, gorgeous, and jam packed with top-​of-​the-​line technology. The Providence library is none of those things, and yet it if you come here with the right expectations you’ll be mostly pleased.
The library is located downtown and is spread out across a couple of floors and some different rooms and hallways. Great if you need to go find a place to hide and hunker down to study.
It has that nice old-​book smell.
They do an OK job of buying the new releases and NYT best sellers.

This is the central branch and the closest branch to me, still I try not to frequent it because of the following issues.
1. Parking: Located right in downtown Providence, it is really hard to get a parking spot. When all I want to do is drop off a book and pick up a book (15 minutes max) it’s not worth it to me to drive around and around looking for a spot and then have to feed the meter once I find one.
2. The way the DVDs are laid out is awkward. I would rather them stacked on a shelf, than having to flip through each little box. In general, the DVD selection is random and for the most part on the older side.
3. There is always a wait for computer usage.
4. The audio book selection is not that extensive.
All of these problems stem from the fact that this library is frequented by a lot of people — which is not something that I want to see change, I just want the central branch of the Providence library to be equipped to handle this usage.
Now, what I do like about this library is that it is walking distance from my house, and there are so many little tucked away spots that I can set myself up in to do work and not be bothered by anyone. I also like how the library puts together nighttime events (movies, speakers, etc).

At a time when most libraries are trading in their images for «suburban coffee shop/​library» this location stays true to its roots. I love reading a book in the stacks on the upper level. Nobody bothers me and I don’t have to worry about moms with toddlers who think the library is a babysitter while they sip their lattes and talk about coach purses.
I usually have to request books from other locations to pick up here, but this is by far my favorite Prov location.

A nice historic building that is either ill-​suited for the task of being Providence’s central library or ill-​utilized in its current state. Wings have been added/​remodeled without consideration for the style of the original structure, creating a disjointed feel throughout. Some of the prettiest spaces are almost completely devoid of books (despite containing shelving and having plenty of room), while dim corners are crammed to the point of overflowing. The resources – from the collections themselves to the number of computer terminals – are quite limited (notable exceptions to this rule are the well-​stocked children’s library and the awesome collection of old records). The rather cold staff offers very little support in navigating the whole mess. At least the borrowing rules are fairly lax, allowing for a decent amount of material to be kept for a reasonable length of time. I’ll be taking out my four records per week for as long as this library is around.