Public Libraries in Bristol, Rhode Island
Rhode Island — United States
Public Libraries in Bristol, Rhode Island
Home of the Rogers Free Library, founded in 1877 and part of the Ocean State Libraries network.
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Library
Library in Bristol
Rogers Free Library
Ocean State Libraries (OSL)
📍 525 Hope Street, Bristol, RI 02809
🕑 Hours
| Monday | 9 AM – 8 PM |
| Tuesday | 9 AM – 8 PM |
| Wednesday | 9 AM – 8 PM |
| Thursday | 9 AM – 8 PM |
| Friday | 9 AM – 5 PM |
| Saturday | 9 AM – 5 PM |
| Sunday | Closed |
Hours may change on holidays — confirm before visiting.
The Story of the Library in Bristol
The Rogers Free Library was founded in 1877 by Maria DeWolf Rogers in memory of her late husband, Robert Rogers, president of the Eagle Bank and at his death the wealthiest citizen of Bristol. Built at a cost of about $20,000, the original building on Hope Street combined a public library above with ground-floor banking rooms and the local YMCA, and opened with a starting collection of roughly 4,000 volumes.
The library was designed by architect Stephen C. Earle of Worcester, Massachusetts, in a Victorian Gothic style influenced by the Romanesque masonry of H. H. Richardson. On the night of July 27, 1957, a fire caused by faulty wiring gutted the building; it was rebuilt as a two-story structure and has continued to serve Bristol as the town's public library ever since.
About Public Libraries in Bristol
Public library service in Bristol is provided by the Rogers Free Library at 525 Hope Street, a member of the Ocean State Libraries (OSL) consortium that links public libraries across Rhode Island. Any Rhode Island resident can get a free library card, which works at every OSL member library and unlocks the shared statewide catalog. Your card also gives you access to eZone for downloadable eBooks, audiobooks and streaming video, plus the free statewide databases at AskRI.org.
AskRI.org is Rhode Island's free statewide online library, run through the Statewide Reference Resource Center at Providence Public Library and funded by the RI Office of Library & Information Services (OLIS). Every Rhode Islander gets free access to research databases (EBSCO, HeritageQuest, World Book), Tutor.com online tutoring, Mango Languages, LearningExpress Library and Flipster magazines.
📚 What You Can Access
- 📚 Books, DVDs and materials shared across the Ocean State Libraries network
- 📱 eBooks & audiobooks 24/7 via eZone (Libby/OverDrive)
- 🎬 Streaming video and digital media through eZone
- 🔎 Free statewide databases at AskRI.org (EBSCO, World Book, HeritageQuest)
- 🗣️ Mango Languages and Tutor.com online tutoring
- 🖨️ Public computers, Wi-Fi and printing
- 🧒 Children’s and teen programs and story times
🏛️ Quick Facts
| Library | Rogers Free Library |
| System | Ocean State Libraries (OSL) |
| Address | 525 Hope Street, Bristol, RI 02809 |
| Phone | 401-253-6948 |
| Founded | 1877 |
| Library card | Free for Rhode Island residents |
| State resource | AskRI.org |
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