Newport Public Library
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Newport, Rhode Island, United States of America
| Newport Public Library (RI) | |
|---|---|
 | |
 The Newport Public Library | |
 | |
| 41°28′57.65″N 71°18′44.07″W / 41.4826806°N 71.3122417°W | |
| Location | 300 Spring Street Newport, Rhode Island, United States of America |
| Type | Public Library |
| Established | May 4, 1870[1] |
| Collection | |
| Size | 145,121 (2024) [2] |
| Access and use | |
| Circulation | 222,945 (2024) [2] |
| Population served | 24,672 (2024) [2] |
| Other information | |
| Budget | $1,655,585 [3] |
| Director | Joseph Logue |
| Employees | 23 (7 librarians, 16 other) [4] |
| Website | www.newportlibraryri.org |
The Newport Public Library is a public library located in Newport, Rhode Island, United States. It was chartered by the State of Rhode Island in 1869 and officially opened on May 4, 1870, as the People’s Free Library. Its initial collection combined the holdings of the Newport Free Library and Townsend’s curated collection, with librarian Elma M. Dame serving in the role.[1][5]
A predecessor to the institution, the Newport Free Library and Reading Room, was established in the summer of 1865 by Sophia Louise Little and Daniel Parish Jr. They opened the library above a plumbing business at 236 Thames Street, near Gidley Street. Their goal was to make literature and learning accessible to a wider community. Later that year, Parish returned to New York, leaving Little to manage the library on her own. Under her leadership, the library gained traction and contributed to increased literacy and public engagement in the area. The Newport Free Library and Reading Room is the first public library in Rhode Island and served as a model for others in the region.[5][6]
The library's first location was the Rhode Island Union Bank building on Thames Street. In 1914, it moved to the Edward King House, and in October 1968, it relocated to its current building on Spring Street.
