Pollard Memorial Library

Solid library. I come here to study on nights I can’t seem to focus in my condo. There is adequate seating and its clean, however finding working laptop plugs can be a bit of a challenge. The staff is friendly and have always been helpful when I’ve been in desperate need o the laptop plug in unicorns **the ones that actually work. It can get a little wild some days, where kids come in and make noise and it makes focusing hard. The staff usually seems at a loss and allows the horse paly. This has been something I’ve seen 1 too many times which is why this place doesn’t get 4 stars.

There are some heavenly librarians, but then there were are rude ones also. The collection is good.

My favorite library in the world — because it is where my love for reading really soared. Love the downtown location, and they have pretty much everything.

I love this library. Love to sit in the same building where Kerouac did his reading in his formative years.

They totally renovated the library a few years ago. It took a couple of years to do and it was worth it because it looks great:
Marble stair case
historic paintings
Imari porcelain vase, standing over 5 feet high, made in Arita Japan
free tutoring to students and ESL students
free movie night (independent movies)
borrow movies for one week
free internet access
free museum passes
nice children’s room and collection
There are many nice story hour and activities for children. Just beware of that one nasty, old crow. She warns the kids not to talk while she’s reading. The kids are 2, 3, 4 years old. Some of them will talk. One woman dumped her maybe 4 year old daughter there once and went upstairs to the adult collection. The daughter kept talking and the Old Crow kept getting aggitated, telling her not to talk. The Old Crow, with a disgusted look on her face, put the book on her lap and crossed her hands over the book and sat silently, seething.
The Tyngsborough library story book reader is much better. She accepts that kids will be kids and when a child interjects, she rolls with it and talks with the kid, then continues on with the story.

Hmm. I guess the fact that I’m the one adding this listing to Unilocal says a lot about the current state of Lowell. Once the stomping grounds of such intellectuals as Kerouac, Whistler and even Poe, for a time, the library is now mostly a tomb and a shrine to days gone by.
This library is so spectacular though, it’s part of the reason we moved here to begin with. The service is so-​so by library standards (my mom was a librarian for 10 years, so I’m picky), and the computer search system is AWful, but you can just wander around in it like it’s a giant old mansion and let the books find you.
There are HUGE historical paintings on the main floor of old revolutionary stuff, plus a few artifacts from the bygone era. The library is also a memorial to fallen soldiers, and their hallowed names grace the walls and halls of the buiding and stairwells, casting a ghostly reverence on passers-​by.
Outside, it looks like some sort of gothic cathedral, complete with relief scuplture and some old cannons from our bloodied past. Inside, there are 5 floors of books, books and more books, plus the ghost of Jack Kerouac wandering around. Say hi if you see him.
As libraries go, the audiovisual section is rather poor, but they have a huge children’s section. Great place to take your kid on any rainy afternoon and let them delve into the depths of their own imagination.
Here are some stats and info tidbits from their website:
From its first collection of 3,500 volumes, the Pollard Memorial Library today houses a collection of approximately 236,000 volumes, plus videos, CDs, DVDs, microfilm collections and museum passes. Membership in the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium gives Lowell residents direct access to the holdings of 35 libraries in the region. Circulation of materials amounts to almost 250,000 annually, with approximately one-​third of this activity occurring in the children’s collection.
Although the library as an institution was established in 1844, this building dates back to 1893, and it’s still in great shape. The attention to detail regarding the interior (and exterior) ornamentation is breathtaking. Plus, they have on display the largest piece of porcelain to ever come out of Japan, in the form of a huge vase on the main stairwell.
Park downtown or in a garage and walk, though, since the parking situation is pretty non-​existent. There’s a bus stop right in front, but don’t be put-​off. The main entrance is around the side for nwo, since the front doors are closed off for some reason.
Also, they have weird hours, closing at 9 M-​Th, but then at 5pm on Fri and Sat. See the website for more details on events, hours and library materials.