Portsmouth Public Library is the public library of
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...
. Established in 1896, the library's mission is to provide popular media materials to the public as well as to supply information and access to reference works. It also does community outreach, attempting to provide services and material to foster an appreciation for reading and learning in youth as well as offering activities engineered to appeal to older demographics. It is located at 175 Parrott Avenue.
Services
The library is open 7 days a week, from 9–9 Monday through Thursday, 9-5:30 Friday, 9-5 on Saturday, and 1–5 on Sunday (the library is not open on Sunday during the summer months). It hosts computer stations with a variety of applications and library databases, as well as internet access. The building and its immediate grounds provide wireless access as well. It also provides printing and copying services.
The library makes available special passes for free or reduced-price admission to a variety of regional resources such as Museums and Art Galleries.
The library, which is handicapped-accessible, contains three larger meeting rooms available to the public as well as three smaller study/conference rooms on the premises. It has seating areas scattered throughout. The library includes a café.
Facilities
When the library was first established in 1896, it was located in the old
Portsmouth Academy building at 8 Islington Street. In 1954 this building was joined to the adjacent
Benedict House. This facility housed the library until 2006, when it occupied its present facility.
The new library, an $8 million construction project has
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a Green building certification systems, green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating ...
(LEED) certification from the
U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), founded in 1993, is a private 501(c)(3), membership-based non-profit organization that promotes sustainability in building design, construction, and operation. USGBC is best known for its development of t ...
. It is the first municipal building in New Hampshire and among the first public buildings in
New England
New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...
so certified. According to the Portsmouth city website, the library scored "high marks in the areas of energy conservation, recycling, building materials selection, and daylight and views".
Special Collections room
The library's Special Collections room focuses on
primary
Primary or primaries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels
* Primary (band), from Australia
* Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea
* Primary Music, Israeli record label
Work ...
and
reference materials related to Portsmouth, but also includes material on
Rockingham County,
Strafford County and, in
Maine
Maine ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the United States, and the northeasternmost state in the Contiguous United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Provinces and ...
,
York County. Among the collections are such documents as
vital record
Vital records are records of life events kept under governmental authority, including birth certificates, marriage licenses (or marriage certificates), separation agreements, divorce certificates or divorce party and death certificates. In some ...
s,
map
A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships, commonly spatial, between things within a space. A map may be annotated with text and graphics. Like any graphic, a map may be fixed to paper or other durable media, or may be displayed on ...
s and historical newspapers.
[.]
The library also includes several unique collections, including:
*Henry Clay Barnabee Collection: Material belonging to or related to actor and singer Henry Clay Barnabee (1833–1917)
*
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Records: Documents of historical interest compiled by the Portsmouth War Records Committee during World War II
*Art Collections: Including but not limited to
watercolor
Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...
s by Sarah Haven Foster (1827–1900), drawings by Helen Pearson (1871–1949),
works
Works may refer to:
People
* Caddy Works (1896–1982), American college sports coach
* John D. Works (1847–1928), California senator and judge
* Samuel Works (c. 1781–1868), New York politician
Albums
* ''Works'' (Pink Floyd album), a Pi ...
by Susan Ricker Knox (~1875–1959) and paintings by
Russell Cheney
Russell Cheney (October 16, 1881 – July 12, 1945) was an American Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and New England regionalist painter.
Early life and education
The youngest of eleven children, Cheney was born in Manchester, Connecticut, ...
(1881–1945)
References
{{Authority control
Buildings and structures in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Public libraries in New Hampshire
1896 establishments in New Hampshire
Libraries in Rockingham County, New Hampshire
Tourist attractions in Portsmouth, New Hampshire
Library buildings completed in 2008