The Cranston Public Library is the public library system serving Cranston, the second largest city in Rhode Island. The first library in Cranston was formed in 1797, while the library system was formed in 1966 by the Cranston City Council. The present day library system formed in 1968 when six independent neighborhood libraries came together as one. There are six locations in the system, including a central library and five neighborhood branches. The library system is governed by a board of trustees consisting of seven members appointed by the Cranston City Council. Members serve staggered three-year terms. Meetings are open to the public.
 In addition to traditional library services, the Cranston Public Library provides services such as tax preparation, 3D printing, analog-to-digital audio transferring, and educational programs among others. The system also provides mobile services to homebound residents.
 The public library system in Cranston began as multiple independent public libraries serving local neighborhoods. Today, the Cranston Public Library system still serves local communities through its central library and five neighborhood branches.
 The Central Library of the Cranston Public Library system opened in April 1983. Since then, the Central Library has served as Cranston Public Library's reference and administrative center. The building originally boasted 22,500 square feet on three and a half acres of land, with a capacity for 110,000 volumes. The parking lot was expanded in 1992, and a 6,200 square foot addition was added in 1993/1994. The Central Library offers the community an inviting children's room, a teen space, public computers for all ages, and a range of programs and instructional technology classes.
 Located on the first floor of the Cranston Senior Center, the Edward Costa Memorial Arlington Branch, formerly named the Arlington Branch, the Arlington Library, and the Arlington Reading Room, is a popular stop for pedestrians in the Arlington neighborhood and those visiting the Senior Center.
 This branch was initially founded by Henry O. Tripp and members of the Arlington Baptist Church. It was established in the neighborhood district hall in 1895 with a collection of 500 volumes. In 1907, the Arlington Library moved to a new building on Cranston Street. It also added a branch in the Cranston Print Works Brick Store, which lasted for 50 years until the building was demolished. In an agreement with the city of Cranston, the Arlington Library building on Cranston Street was turned over to the city and demolished to build a new Cranston Senior Center in 1987. The agreement called for the Arlington Reading Room to be inside the new center. In 2013, this Reading Room was renovated, with new collections and updated technology. It was reintroduced as the new Arlington Branch Library. In 2018, it was renamed the Edward Costa Memorial Arlington Branch, in honor of longtime trustee and library advocate Edward Costa.
 The Auburn Branch of the Cranston Public Library serves the Auburn neighborhood of Cranston. It was first established as the Auburn Reading Room in 1888. It opened in a little storefront on the northeast corner of Wellington Avenue. After moving to several temporary locations, the current Auburn Branch was built on Pontiac Avenue in 1991. At one point in time, the branch had a collection of Swedish materials for the Swedish immigrants who worked in the local mills.
 The Auburn Branch currently operates Cranston Public Library's Books @ Home program, the library system's homebound delivery service. Books @ Home has been recognized as an innovative model program by the American Library Association in its "Keys to Engaging Older Adults @ your library" toolkit.
 The Knightsville Branch initially opened as the Knightsville Community Library in a storefront in 1926 in the Knightsville neighborhood of Cranston. The Honorable Jonathan F. Comstock and Richard Nixon, head of the local volunteer fire company, are credited with its establishment. The library moved to several locations along Cranston Street until a land donation, made in memory of Gerard Ruggieri, made the construction of the current location at 1847 Cranston Street possible.
 The Oak Lawn Library began as a small collection of books housed in the old Quaker Meeting House, which was the social center of the community. The books were donated by members of the Oak Lawn Village neighborhood of Cranston, most notably Reverend William A. Briggs of the Oak Lawn Baptist Church, and were supplemented by government publications and materials purchased with funds raised by women in the village.
 After struggling due to a lack of materials, funds, and a permanent home, Reverend Briggs acquired the school building on Wilbur Avenue, across the street from his church, and formed the Oak Lawn Free Public Library Association. The building had been built around 1830 and was moved to this site on Wilbur Avenue in 1840. It served as the village school until 1895. The collection, now 850 volumes, began to circulate in May 1896 with the continued support of families in the surrounding community, including many members of the Shaw family who served as librarians at the branch. The library is still at this location and is Cranston's oldest library building.
 It underwent construction in 1965 to create space for a children's library, then again in 1990 for the addition of a new entrance and reading room.
 The William Hall Library serves the neighborhood of Edgewood. The site was dedicated in 1895. It was incorporated in 1896 as the Edgewood Free Library and was renamed in 1921 after local businessman William H. Hall bequeathed part of his estate to its development.
 The building was completed in 1927 and served as the administrative center for the newly unified Cranston Public Library system from 1966 to 1983. The library also served as a community center. At one point, the library had a branch in the Pawtuxet Volunteer Fire Company Hall on the corner of Sheldon and Commercial Streets.
 The Cranston Public Library system was formed in 1966, when six independent neighborhood libraries came together as one library system. The system currently has a central library and five neighborhood branches.
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 As of 2016, the Cranston Public Library's collection included 337,681 items, including 211,226 books, 33,400 periodicals, 16,527 CDs, and 19,897 movies. A special collection of books about autism were donated in 2011 by the Autism Project.
 Cranston Public Library's online catalog allows members to browse and place holds on books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and other materials. Through its membership in Ocean State Libraries (OSL), Rhode Island's statewide library consortium, members of Cranston Public Library have access to a diverse range of materials available at 70 other libraries across the state.
 The library offers a variety of databases through Ocean State Libraries (OSL), Rhode Island's statewide library consortium. Patrons may access the databases at the library, from home, or on their mobile devices. Through Cranston Public Library's relationship with Ocean State Libraries, library members have access to downloadable ebooks, audiobooks, and streaming movies through OSL's eZone service 
 Local history collections across the system include town histories, maps, newspaper clippings, Cranston city phone directories, Cranston tax rolls, select Cranston High School yearbooks, and other resources. The library subscribes to the Rhode Island Historical Society magazine, Rhode Island History, and the Rhode Island Genealogical Society journal, RI Roots. The library also has extensive holdings of historical Cranston newspapers in print and on microfilm.
 In 2017, Cranston Public Library introduced its Cool Tools collection, funded by a grant from the Taco/White Family Foundation. This collection comprises a stud finder, a thermal leak detector, a power meter, a Roku 2 streaming player, an infrared thermometer, and a ghost EMF meter.
 The Cranston Public Library hosts various programs, free and open to the public, every year. In 2015, Cranston Public Library offered 559 children's programs, 106 teen programs, 606 adult programs, and 181 family programs. Programs the library has held include a ghost tour of the Oak Lawn Branch, a screening of Chasing the Dragon: The Life of an Opioid Addict with a panel discussion on heroin and prescription drug abuse, citizenship programs, monthly craft and DIY programs for adults, free tax preparation, storytimes, book clubs for adults and children, summer reading programs for children and adults, a celebration of Rhode Island Library Day, a stop motion animation program, hands-on science programs for youth, a stuffed animal sleepover, and a mini Comic Con.
 Meeting rooms at the various library branches are available to civic, cultural, and educational organizations during library hours. In 2016, community organizations held 425 programs in the Cranston Central Public Library meeting room. In 2018, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Cranston Public Library system, the meeting room at the Central Library was dedicated and renamed the James T. Giles Community Room in honor of the first Library Director, James T. Giles.
 The Cranston Public Library system offers a museum membership program that allows library patrons discounted or free admission to several museums and cultural societies.
 Cranston Public Library offers a variety of services to local educators, including class visits for research help or introducing students to new technology, guest readers, access to online homework help, and resources for lessons or school projects. In 2016, Cranston Public Library partnered with the Cranston Public School Department to purchase Tutor.com for use by library cardholders. Tutor.com connects students to professional tutors for live, one-on-one tutoring and homework help. Children in school were able to sign up and resolve their fines and other issues using the "Fresh Start" program in 2017.
 Cranston Public Library offers free homebound services for Cranston residents who are permanently homebound or temporarily unable to drive because of illness or injury. The Books @ Home Homebound Delivery Program delivered 4,657 Items in 2016. Books @ Home has been recognized as an innovative model program by the American Library Association in its "Keys to Engaging Older Adults @ your library" toolkit.
 All Cranston library locations offer free wifi and public computers with supported software applications for accessing the Internet, creating documents, printing, and offer scanning (up to 10 scans) and notary services at no charge. A variety of business services are available for a fee, including printing services (from the library's computers or the user's mobile device), fax services, and photocopying, as well as selling flash drives and earbuds.
 The C-Lab offers structured classes, programs, one-on-one technology assistance (by appointment), and open hours where the public can drop in to learn, explore, and experiment with technology. Services and equipment available include a Makerbot Replicator 2X and Cube 2 3D printers; an Audio-Technica Stereo Turntable for vinyl to MP3 conversion; Roxio conversion software for VHS to DVD conversion; a Canon Selphy Photo Printer; a Canon VIXIA HFM500 HD Camcorder for film-making; and Dell laptops (Windows 7/8/10) for basic technology and computer assistance.
 Cranston Public Library has received regional and national coverage and recognition. The library's home delivery program, Books @ Home, has been recognized as an innovative model program by the American Library Association in its "Keys to Engaging Older Adults @ your library" toolkit. In 2014, in response to Rhode Island's having the highest statewide unemployment rate in the nation, the Cranston Public Library, Providence Public Library, and other organizations developed Rhode Island Adult Lifelong Learning (ALL) Access, a computer training and workforce development program offered through the libraries’ learning lounges, dedicated drop-in computer spaces staffed by an adult educator and volunteers. In the Spring of 2015, Cranston Public Library was named Library of the Year by the University of Rhode Island's Graduate School of Library and Information Studies for its contributions to public library service. In June 2015, Cranston Public Library was acknowledged by the Holocaust Education and Resource Center of Rhode Island (HERCRI) with a Mitzvah (or “Good Deeds”) Award in recognition of an ongoing collaboration between the two organizations. Cranston Public Library was also named a recipient of the 2016 LibraryAware Community Award for its efforts to bring library services to new immigrants moving into Cranston.
 The Cranston Public Public Library actively seeks to collaborate with community partners to better serve Cranston residents. Cranston Public Library is a member of Ocean State Libraries, the Greater Cranston Chamber of Commerce, the Rhode Island Genealogical Society, and the Rhode Island Family Literacy Initiative (RIFLI).
 In 2016, the library partnered with the Cranston Senior Enrichment Center, local public and private schools, the RI Secretary of State, the Artists’ Exchange, the Cranston Herald, the RIFLI, the Cranston Police Department, the Cranston Substance Abuse Task Force, AARP, GameStop, Barnes & Noble, and Rhode Island Comic Con.
 More recently, in 2017, the Cranston Public Library partnered with the Cranston Herald, the Cranston School Department, the Cranston Senior Center, and the Cranston Historical Society to create the Cranston Discovery Network, a series of 12 markers around the city to celebrate significant events, locations, and people in Cranston's history. The library has also partnered with the school district to share resources.