James Blackstone Memorial Library

Gorgeous building with tiled floors and frescos on the ceiling depicting the history of «books.»
There was some sort of lecture going on while I stopped in, and that makes me curious about other lectures.
They offer an impressive list of passes, and have a 3d printer available.
Only negative was their outdoor lights were on full blast during the day. What a waste of public funds. :(

I love this library. Thank you James Blackstone for giving branford such a great place. Fantastic architecture and a great meeting place. Stonycreek granit everywhere gorgeous cathedral ceilings.

Best bathroom of any library. Pink Stony Creek granite floors with superb mosaic tiles. A large fiction section and a nice place on the main floor to sit in overstuffed chairs by a fireplace and read magazines. Excellent take out policy for CDs too. Very friendly and helpful librarians.

A massive, extremely impressive building that just happens to be a library. It’s over a hundred years old and obviously built when money was not a concern. If I was in Branford when a natural disaster or nuclear war broke out this is where I would run. It looks like it could survive anything.
The inside is gorgeous and it feels more like a museum or cathedral than a library. The actually library stuff is pretty good too. Lots of room to spread out or find a quiet area. Good selection of periodicals and new books as well as research material. For a small town Branford sure has one hell of a library.

This is the best «town» library I’ve been to.
Although big city libraries offer extensive collection of books and citywide programs, I found them to lack a certain personal touch that I appreciate in small town libraries.
But this library has it all.
It has the grandeur of a city library. This building is over 100 years old with beautiful Greek architecture. It has ionic columns, marbles, mosaic tiles, and a rotunda under a beautiful dome. Its many collection of books, magazines, dvd, cd, books on tapes are well organized and easy to access. It has a quiet study areas both on the first floor and second floor, especially for reading enthusiasts. It hosts diverse programs to both children and adults.
Above all, it has a small town feel with excellent staff members who are readily available, and willing to help in any way.
Large and distinguished+ personal attention= Branford Library