Portsmouth Public Library
The Visionary
This library is everything. They have everything. For the seacoast, this is the big one. Dover has a bigger population, but their library receives less funding and lacks a key advantage - Portsmouth’s Public Library is directly next to the public middle school. Every library is going to have its own culture, its own niche. This location comes with some very specific advantages and disadvantages.
I can’t find a concrete list, but with some quick googling, Portsmouth has one of the biggest library budgets in the state. This is clearly reflected in the wide array of program and resource offerings. Because the location is so central for many NH communities, it is noticeable that many of the programs and resources are only available to residents or non-resident library card holders. Okay, that makes sense, but it’s worth noting when talking about what they have to offer to people outside the city. In a perfect world, every library would be as robust as Portsmouth - it’s a model worth striving toward. There is so much available that there’s just no way I can reasonably fit it all into the format I have here.
When you enter through the main doors, the children’s room is to the left of the staircase. The storytimes are fantastic. They have a ton of space and there is always a huge turnout. The format is clear and easy to follow with song lyrics on the overhead projector so that everyone can join in.
Building Amenities
Not only is the building itself beautiful, but they manage to pack in a number of amenities into a relatively small land area. There are 3 larger conference rooms, 3 smaller study rooms, a quiet desk/study area, couches and armchairs throughout the building, and even a specific cafe area to sit and have your lunch/snacks. There are both vending machines and a Keurig machine.
Just listing these out really doesn’t help to explain the scale of the library. It’s very big. I took all of the photos in half an hour, but I easily could have spent an hour to get more angles and be more intentional. They have a lot and this can’t be stressed enough.
Bonus: outdoor solar device charging station + bike tune-up tools
Children’s Room
The children’s and teen area are interconnected a bit at this location. However, the diversity in offerings is really what sticks out. There is a playroom with rotating themes that the staff clearly puts a lot of time and thought into. There is also a train table with puzzles for the smaller guys as well. Several computers are available in between the children’s and teen sections with lots of seating in between.
Collection
They have everything that you’d expect one of the larger libraries to have. The part that sticks out is that they have a lot of legal self-help resources available. It’s not just the book selection or movie selection, but they have an impressive number of community help services available - even on site. Their library of things is also very impressive.
Programs/Events
Look for yourself. They’re packed. The storytimes are open to the public luckily. This is probably only an option for them because of the huge conference room that they have next to the children’s room. Some more unique offerings are the foreign language groups, tech talks, and writing clubs.
Friendliness
It’s a big library. No matter how comparatively well funded it is, every library in the country is underfunded for how much our librarians do for us. I say this because the staff is almost always busy. They are go-go-go from the first few minutes that they open until close. I have never had anyone be dismissive or blow me off at this location and they really do try to go above and beyond with requests for help/assistance. I should also note that they were gracious enough to give me access before they opened to take some photos.
Parking
There’s a ton of parking! BUT - the parking lot is shared with the middle school and there is a playground with sports fields across the street. Depending on the time of day and year, it can get quite full. I have never NOT found parking, but there are days when it’s a little bit annoying to navigate.
175 Parrott Ave
Portsmouth, NH 03801
Phone (603) 427-1540
Fax (603) 433-0981