The Greenwich Library system is appropriately described as the cultural and intellectual crossroads of the community. It provides superior library services and is Greenwich’s pre-eminent resource for information and knowledge.

There are four locations—the town-supported main library with its satellite community magnets of Byram Shubert and Cos Cob branches and the independent Perrot Memorial Library which primarily serves Old Greenwich.

In offering free and convenient access to information, the libraries promote a love of reading and research and the joy of lifelong learning and engagement with the arts, sciences and humanities.

At each venue, the staff is committed to guiding patrons--individuals, businesses, schools and municipal government- to timely and accurate information to further the educational, social, cultural and economic advancement of the community.

In addition to a continuously updated Web Site, the Greenwich Library operates a book van delivery service for older adults and a new 18-seat Technology Training Center creating an environment where staff and patrons empower themselves through a practical understanding of contemporary technology. The center offers hands-on programs and lecture demonstrations to teach computer basics, software programs, Internet searching skills and how to utilize the library resources.

In the latest year for which complete figures are available, The Greenwich Library recorded 674,793 in-person visits to the three libraries—up 3.1 percent or about 20,000 visits and participation of 45,838 in educational, cultural and recreational activities.

The figures also show an all-time high of 471,757 virtual visits through the Web site, an increase of more than 17 percent compared to the previous year. “Keep Posted,” the library’s newsletter, placed first again in the Connecticut Library Association’s annual print publicity competition.

In the course of the year, the library also launched “Kids Online,” a graphical and fun-to-use catalog portal, as part of the Children’s Room Webpage redesign. Further, a single database was established for the 89 databases to which the library subscribes, allowing for easier searching and browsing.

More than 50 authors made appearances at the libraries, among them former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, James Baker, Walter Isaacson, Susan Cheevers, Pulitzer Prize poet W. D. Snodgrass and Greenwich author Roy Rowan who spoke about his baseball book “Throwing Bullets.”

For patrons with special interests the library offered the Foreign Affairs Book Club, Friends Selective Eye Book Discussions, the Beat Generation,

Classic and Cult TV, Mortimer Frank’s Toscanini Talks and Bob Smith’s forays into Shakespearean masterpieces.

Through a partnership with Greenwich Hospital, the Commission on Aging, and the Greenwich Health Department, the Library was a resource for a wide variety of health and wellness subjects.

The Peterson Business Program Series offered advice from experts on probate, retirement planning, job search techniques and stock and bond mutual funds. The YWCA joined the Library as co-sponsor of another informative series, “Best Practices for Women Leaders.”

Structurally, the main library is distinguished architecturally by the Peterson Wing, designed by Cesar Pelli, former dean of the Yale School of Architecture who created the contemporary counterpart of a 16th century Italian piazza. The two-story structure features large expanses of curved glass and is surrounded by courtyards.

The library system:

Main Greenwich Library
101 West Putnam Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 622-7900
Web site www.greenwichlibrary.org
Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Byram-Schubert Branch
Mead Avenue, Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 531-0426
Web site http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/byram.asp
Hours: Monday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Closed Fridays.

Cos Cob Branch
5 Sinawoy Road, Cos Cob, CT 06807
(203) 622-6883
Web site http://www.greenwichlibrary.org/coscob.asp
Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Closed Sunday and Monday.

The Perrot Memorial Library
90 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich, CT 06870
(203) 637-1066
Web site http://www.perrotlibrary.org/
Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.