One of two popular public libraries in town, the Whiton Memorial Branch Library features the latest "best sellers," both in the realm of fiction and non-fiction, as well as an extensive collection of audiobooks, compact discs, DVDs and magazines. A separate Children's Services area includes a Storytime Room, a collection of more than 10,000 children's books and an assortment of puppets. The library is named for Francis Whiton, whose family maintains a fund that pays for renovations to the building, which dates to 1932.
Pequot Library, 720 Pequot Ave. in the town's Southport neighborhood, is a privately-owned library that is open to the public, and it receives more than 100,000 visitors a year. It is one of three libraries in Fairfield - the other two are Fairfield Public Library and Fairfield Woods Branch Library.
Pequot Library was founded in 1889 by Elbert B. and Virginia Marquand Monroe, who lived in Southport. Frederick Marquand, Virginia's father, was a successful businessman and left his mansion in Southport and his fortune to his daughter, and it was from those assets that the Monroes started Pequot Library.
Pequot Library opened its doors to the public in 1893 and it has undergone several renovations since then. The library has about 110,000 books in its general collection, plus a large special collection that includes a total of 36,000 rare books, manuscripts and other material on life in the original 13 colonies in America from pre-colonial settlement through 1898.
The library also has a children's department, which includes Belle, a bunny rabbit, as its mascot; an auditorium; reading rooms; and periodical rooms. The library has public desktop and laptop computers with free Internet access and free Wi-Fi.
Pequot Library receives less than 25 percent of its operating budget from the town of Fairfield and state and relies on the remaining 75 percent from contributions and fundraisers.
One of the library's best-known attractions is its Annual Summer Book Sale, which draws book dealers and book lovers from as far away as California. It's the library's biggest annual fundraiser, and the sale in 2009 had more than 140,000 books.
Donations for the book sale, including compact discs, DVDs, record albums and tapes, can be dropped off year-round at Pequot Library.
South Windsor Public Library provide a vast array of services for South Windsor residents. Books, magazines, periodicals, videos and audio materials may all be checked out, and numerous computer terminals are available for public use. There is also an entire room devoted to children. Many programs are featured in the community room at the library.
Located on Union Street in Vernon, the Rockville Public Library was founded in 1893 by local textile manufacturer George Maxwell. The library, which is open six days a week, participates in the Bibliomation system and offers programs and events for teens, adults and children. For more information about the library, visit the Rockville Public Library website.
Wood Memorial Library serves as library, museum, archive repository, art gallery, cultural center, recital hall and meeting hall. The library has stood for more than 80 years, and even though there is a more modern library near the center of town, people still go to this library to read and look at the historic building.
Mark Twain Library is the public library of the town of Redding. This library features work tables, a children's wing, a meeting room, a copier, a printer and 11 computers. Books, DVD's, videos and CD's are available to check out here. Wi-Fi is available in all rooms of the library.
The Bethel Public Library not only houses tens of thousands of books, newspapers and periodicals, but also provides the community with music CDs, audiobooks and movies, as well as large Internet research databases. It sponsors programs targeted at adults, teens and children, such as computer classes and story hours. Throughout the year, the Bethel Public Library also holds several fundraisers and book sales. The library building itself was built in 1842 with Greek revival-style architecture, and was donated to the town of Bethel in 1914 by the original owners, the Seeyle Family. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977 as The Seeyle Homestead.
The main branch of Ferguson Library holds around 500,000 books, but that is just the beginning of what this library offers. Several times each week, the library hosts free classes in a wide range of computer subjects, from basic Excel to Internet skills to Word in Spanish. For job-seekers, listings of local businesses with open positions are available. Although food and drinks are not allowed in the library, the neighboring Starbucks is connected to the lobby.
The Weston Public Library, located at 56 Norfield Road next to Weston Town Hall, offers residents books of a variety of genres, magazines, newspapers, WiFi, and more. The library has seating areas in which library-goers can read in a quiet atmosphere.
