Rating The Suburbs: Library Love

Bainbridge Township Library
For 30 years, the herb garden on the front lawn, with its gazebo and bench, has been the Bainbridge library’s connection with nature where people can nestle with a page-turner and chill out. Plus, visitors can buy herbs such as sage and thyme grown there once a year. “People enjoy sitting in the gazebo and reading, or just walking through looking at the different things that are growing,” says branch manager Eric Coulbourne. 17222 Snyder Road, Bainbridge Township, 440-543-5611

Middleburg Heights Library
Cozy up with your favorite mystery story or romance novel in the sunshine — this brand new 16,500-square-foot branch, which opened in 2018, has floor-to-ceiling windows offering an extra layer of comfort. “We wanted to create a space that was very welcoming and open so that when you walked in the door there was a kind of a wow factor with lots of natural light,” says branch manager Holly Camino. “I like that idea that it is soothing to come inside.” 16699 Bagley Road, Middleburg Heights, 440-234-3600

Richfield Branch Library
With a design based on the red barn from Charlotte’s Web, the library is a callback to the old days of Richfield, when fields and stables were more the norm than picket fences. Keeping with the theme, there are even statues of Wilbur the pig, Templeton the rat and others. “We were rural, but now we are rural-suburban,” says branch manager Jennifer Stencel. “I think it pays homage to what we were in the past.” 3761 S. Grant St., Richfield, 330-659-4343