Meriden Public Library

The Meriden Public Library is the community's nerve center – a place Director Karen Roesler dubs "The People's University." It has an extensive book collection and interlibrary loan system that allows residents to pull a tome from an area library if Meriden doesn't have it, along with perpetually new technology that members can use to apply for jobs, scan and e-mail documents and download e-books. The library offers Notary Public services. It also specializes in local history. Staff members give seminars on genealogy and field questions and calls from all around the country on Meriden history, like questions about local factories where nationally-distributed products were made. The library also enjoys a special relationship with Meriden-raised author Tomie De Paola, who has visited and held programs there.