Thomas G.
Yelp
This is what a library should be! And a wonderful example of modern, Scandinavian architecture, right down to the democratic way it sits right on prime harbour front property, available to all!
The library actually consists of two parts, each on their side of the harbour road: the new building, which is the awesome, black one on the water's edge, and the old one, which is further back, and reaks of Ivy League atmosphere (in the good way, not the musty books kind of way). The two are connected by a walkway across the road, brigding old and new beautifully.
The new part is all glass and steel, and a lot more hustle and bustle that you'd expect for a library. And a pretty good café and bookstore. A library with great architecture, good coffee, and books and stationary for sale?! What's not to love??!
There are study halls in both buildings, with the new ones being moderne, and the old ones being old-school. If you're in the new ones, you can't help feeling like you're sitting at MIT, studying to be the next NASA engineer, and if you're in the old ones, you feel like you're at Oxford or Cambridge, becoming wise as to ways of the intellectuals of eras past.
What's funny about this library is that they don't have a lot of books on display. But that's because most of the books they have are in a storage area behind the scenes (peek through enough locked doors with windows and you'll find them), but everyone of them can be checked out using their computers, or via their website. Some of them, the rare ones, can't leave the premises, so must be studied in one of the study halls, and others, the rarest ones, can't be accessed without special permit and a specific purpose. I'm sure somewhere in there is the Necronomicon!
There are often events here, some of which are free, some have a cover charge. Check their website or the posters in the lobby for upcoming events. And even if you're not into that, go here for the architecture, the presence of the water, and just to instantly feel smarter.