Fairfield Public Library, Fairfield, Connecticut

Fairfield Public Library was the second stop of our road trip to ALA’s 2025 Annual Conference in Philadelphia. Pictures of the children’s room caught our eye as we were researching libraries to visit on our drive. But we are getting ahead of ourselves!

When we first entered the gorgeous brick building that is the Fairfield Public Library, the window into the art gallery tempted us to investigate further. The space is well-lit, and its design makes one feel they are in a professional gallery. It houses pieces by several artists, but the works of Jean Benoit and Clayton Liotta were particularly stunning. 

The main floor housed a variety of services. Fiction and non-fiction titles, large print, the teen department, study rooms, computer services, periodicals, and a service area to assist in audio and vision needs. We were most impressed with this last one! The reading area where newspapers and magazines are kept also has a beautiful piano. One can only imagine the concerts that can happen there!

After meandering around the first floor, we finally made our way to the second. There we found the children’s department, the original reason for our visit!  The lovely play space might have been the most impressive part. Speaking with a children’s librarian, we learned that the different play forts were based on various areas around  Fairfield. The castle, train station, country store, town hall, and lighthouse were all completely charming. We explored the castle, because how can one not explore their inner royalty, and we saw a large bay window overlooking the library’s solar panels. The rest of the children’s room was equally delightful.

The second floor also had rooms designed for programming. We noticed that the program spaces had interactive displays where one could scroll to see what activities were taking place in that specific room. The signage we had seen so far was fun and descriptive, but this bit of technology really wowed us! The last area we toured before leaving were the lower stacks. An area that was considered a “silent zone.” A helpful spot if you need to get work done without any distractions.

Our visit to the Fairfield Public Library was an impressive one. The different spaces really reflected patrons’ needs and were pleasing to the eye. Overall, just a beautiful building and great library experience!