News
Our annual fundraising gala is February 5, 2010. This year we delve into the travels of Charles Darwin through music, photographs, and festive foods. For more information about GALApagos: A Celebration of Exploration click here!
Proust Group: Our new Proustian discussion group has begun. To learn more, click here.
New Arrivals
Fiction: Our new fiction this month includes The Violet Hour, a modern noir thriller. For more new fiction, click here.
Mystery: Victorian detectives Cyrus Barker and Thomas Llewelyn are back for their fifth adventure in Will Thomas' Black Hand. To see more new mystery books, click here.
Non-Fiction: Carol Yoon follows Science's quest to name and categorize all of the Earth's living creatures in Naming Nature. Be sure to click here to see more featured non-fiction.
DVDs: Start popping that corn: The action-packed blockbusters G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are new this month. For more DVD news, click here.
Staff Picks: To see the latest selections by our staff, click here.
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Omnium-
gatherum!
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 Athenaeum's mission is to provide books and other materials to all, of any age, who love reading, appreciate literature, and enjoy cultural discovery. The Athenaeum's collections and historic building are maintained in the spirit of its founders in order to enrich the lives of all who enter its granite walls.
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!