Lucy Robbins Welles Library
🏢 Library Connection, Inc. · Newington, Connecticut
Lucy Robbins Welles Library
Dedicated in 1939 in honor of a beloved Newington mother, Lucy Robbins Welles Library wraps a modern expanded building around the preserved stone facade of its original colonial structure — making it one of Hartford County's most architecturally distinctive public libraries, with 179,000+ items and a technology lab serving every age.
🕑 Library Hours
| Monday | 10am–8pm |
| Tuesday | 10am–8pm |
| Wednesday | 10am–8pm |
| Thursday | 10am–8pm |
| Friday | 10am–5pm |
| Saturday | 10am–5pm |
| Sunday | 1pm–4pm |
Hours may vary on holidays; check the library site before visiting.
📍 Location, Contact & Directions
Address: 100 Garfield Street, Newington, CT 06111
Phone: (860) 665-8700
Website: newingtonct.gov
Plus Code: 87H9M7WC+RG (Newington, CT)
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👋 Use the Library Online
📖 About Lucy Robbins Welles Library
Lucy Robbins Welles Library is Newington's municipal public library and a member of Library Connection, Inc., the 32-library consortium linking central Connecticut communities. The library's roots trace to 1919, when Fanny A. Welles and Mary Welles Eddy donated land and funds to honor their mother, Lucy Robbins Welles, a beloved Newington resident who had married Edwin Welles in 1853. The original colonial-style building designed by architect Roy D. Bassette (Smith and Bassette) was dedicated in 1939 at a cost of approximately $45,000. A Children's Room wing followed in 1960, and a major expansion completed in 1988 dramatically enlarged the building. In a striking architectural choice, the stone facade, windows, and dormers of the 1939 structure were preserved inside the expanded library, visible beneath a glass roof — a disorienting and memorable detail noted by many visitors. Today the library holds more than 179,000 items, including digital formats, and serves as Newington's community meeting place, cultural center, and information hub.
⭐ What makes this library special
- Collection of 179,000+ items including print, digital, audio, and video — 43% of holdings in digital formats
- The 1939 original building facade (stone walls, windows, dormers) is preserved inside the 1988 expanded structure under a glass roof — visible as an 'exterior wall' from within
- Named for Lucy Robbins Welles, honored in 1919 by her daughters Fanny A. Welles and Mary Welles Eddy; building dedicated 1939, designed by Roy D. Bassette
- Member of Library Connection, Inc. (LCI), giving cardholders shared access to 31 other public and academic libraries in central Connecticut
- Technology programs including coding, robotics, app design, and AI, plus a digital media lab for multimedia and music production
📱 Digital Resources — Free with Your Library Card
Newington cardholders access Connecticut's shared digital collections through Library Connection:
📚 Services
- Free public Wi-Fi throughout the building
- Computer workstations for public use
- Printing, copying, and scanning
- Meeting rooms and flexible event space for community groups
- Technology lab with coding, robotics, app design, game making, and AI programs
- Digital media lab for multimedia creation and music production
- Makerspace with 3D scanning capabilities
- Children's Room with dedicated programming
- Teen programming and events
- Adult programming including virtual author talks (two to three times per month)
- Curbside pickup service
- Friends of the Library organization (Friends of the Lucy Robbins Welles Library, Inc.)
🎸 Programs
- Adult events: book clubs, digital literacy, job skills, English language learning, cultural events
- Virtual author talks with best-selling and award-winning authors, two to three times per month
- Teen events: creative workshops, college prep, community programming
- Children's programming: storytime, STEM, reading challenges
- Technology workshops: coding, robotics, AI, app design
- Footnotes & Calendar — library newsletter published five times per year by the Friends organization
📍 Nearby Libraries in Hartford County
Distances are approximate straight-line miles from this library.
All libraries in Newington · Browse all Connecticut libraries →
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Who was Lucy Robbins Welles, and why is the library named after her?
Lucy Robbins Welles was a respected Newington resident who married Edwin Welles in 1853 and lived with her family for over fifty years on what is now the library site. After her death, her daughters Fanny A. Welles and Mary Welles Eddy donated land and funds in 1919 to establish a public library in her memory. The town purchased additional adjoining land, and the library was built and dedicated in 1939 — honoring a woman who was never a librarian herself, but whose family's generosity gave Newington its first purpose-built public library.
What is the unusual architectural feature inside the building?
When the library underwent a major expansion in 1988, architects preserved the entire exterior facade of the original 1939 colonial-style building inside the new structure. Visitors walking through the expanded library encounter the original stone walls, windows, and dormers — now an interior wall lit from above by a glass roof. The effect of seeing an 'outside' building facade while standing indoors is striking and unexpected, and it remains one of the library's most memorable distinctive features.
Is the library open on Sundays, and what are the full weekly hours?
Yes, the library is open on Sundays. Current regular hours are Monday through Thursday 10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, Friday and Saturday 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and Sunday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. Hours may vary on holidays — check the official Newington town website or call (860) 665-8700 to confirm.
Can Newington cardholders borrow from other Connecticut libraries, and what digital resources are available?
Yes. As a Library Connection, Inc. member, the Lucy Robbins Welles Library participates in borrowIT CT, which lets your Newington card work at more than 191 participating Connecticut public libraries. You also have access to the Palace Project (eGO CT) for free eBooks and audiobooks, requestIT CT for statewide interlibrary loan, and the shared findIT CT catalog at newingtonlibrary.lcicatalog.org, which searches holdings across all 32 Library Connection member libraries.
🔨 This library has a makerspace / 3D printing. See how library makerspaces and 3D printing work and find other libraries with a makerspace makerspaces by state.
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