Roswell Public Library, Roswell, New Mexico

If you are going to have one single library in your town, you could only hope to have one as nice as the Roswell Public Library. During my time spent in the area, this was by far the very best experience I had. The library is clean, quiet, well equipped, and pretty.

 The exterior alone is worth a pause. The building's design is sleek and striking, with the names of famous authors bordering the the perimeter of the of the exterior wall. There is a beautiful "Tree of Knowledge" sculpture out front where the titles of famous works (as well as quotes) are etched into the trunk.

Once you enter the library, the lobby features a wall of Roswell's history--note the apple orchards, which are still there and quite striking in the midst of a desert landscape. This is also where the water fountains, bathrooms, and doorways to the meeting rooms are located, as well as a comfortable seating area for people to lounge while waiting for their ride, etc.

As you walk in the main doors, CDs are hanging at each side of the doorway in a seeming homage to 1996...this and some of the decorative decisions made on the interior were strange aesthetic misfires that erroneously date the building to somewhere in the 90s (the bright "squiggle" art on the stacks drags it back further to the 80s). I only mention it because it didn't jive with the exterior...these were minor things I happened to notice that made no difference to the overall value of the experience.

The value of this library is astronomical...fittingly, a place where our Little Green Friends might feel right at home--studying for finals or plotting our doom--under the purple ceilings, bright lights, and incredibly (shockingly) comfortable study chairs. I loved this library so much. It was comfortable, there were plugs in the floor for my computer, and the wifi worked like a charm.