News
Please join us for our 2012 fundraising event, Wilde at Heart, a gala celebration of the life, wit, and style of Oscar Wilde on Friday, February 3, at 7pm at The Providence Athenaeum. For more information about the event click here.
For more about our fabulous auction items click here.
Please note: The library will be closed on Friday, Feb. 3 in preparation for our Wilde at Heart Gala.
On Saturday, Feb. 4, we will delay our morning opening. That day, we will be open 1:00 to 5:00pm.
New Arrivals
NewBook Shelves:
Stop by our New Books Shelf for
new titles added to our collections within the past year.
Search our Catalog:
Or follow the subject links for a live search of our catalog. Books in the Arts, or History, new Mystery Fiction, or Biographies.Serendipity is wonderful.
How about new Children's material? Be sure to check out our latest DVD's, or Books on CD.
Staff Picks: To see the latest selections by our staff, click here.
Catalog
Children's Library
Collections
Circulation Services
Reference Services
Publications
Philbrick Poetry Project
Proust Group
Building Rental
Photo Gallery
Local Attractions
Omnium-
gatherum!
Staff Picks
A Library, Cultural Center, and More...
The Providence Athenaeum is an independent membership library that opened on Benefit Street in 1838; its progenitor was an earlier library, The Providence Library Company, founded in 1753.
The Providence Athenaeum, a unique library and cultural center, welcomes and enriches the educational and cultural pursuits of its members and the community and encourages a diverse public to engage in spirited conversation. It offers a wide range of experiences by providing and conserving extraordinary collections, offering innovative and compelling programs, promoting and collaborating with the community's vibrant cultural sector, and highlighting and preserving its historic building.
The stately stone of the granite exterior opens to the warmth of wood as you enter the Athenaeum. Starting at your feet and towering overhead, books envelop you in winding canyons, deep ravines, and hidden culs-de-sac of bound paper, centuries of stories, voices, and ideas waiting to be rediscovered...
More than a place for books, the Athenaeum itself has the transcendental power of the best literature. The library holds the intrigue of a great mystery, the history of a non-fictional epic, and the delicious escape of a fiction title. We welcome visitors and members to come in and enjoy the Athenaeum's ongoing story for themselves!
- The building is open to the public and all are welcome to peruse our collections while inside. Many programs are also open to the public.
- Those who wish to check out materials are encouraged to become members. Borrowing privileges are only one of the many benefits of membership.
- The culture the library has on display is more than matched by the culture of community it fosters within its walls. Whether salons, readings or pub-style quizzes, our extensive programming brings members of the community together!