Rita Schiavo Memorial Library

Bay S. _{on Yelp}

May 29th, 2011

I love the Schiavo Library!  It's the only affordable option for summer residents on the Strathmere/Sea Isle island.  Sea Isle City Public Library doesn't offer a seasonal membership, and their annual one is too expensive.  Enter the Schiavo, only $25 for an individual and $40 for a family for a YEAR.  It's a very small place, but what do you need at the shore?  Just a friendly neighborhood place to get some books and use the internet.I mostly got the membership to pick up some books and movies for my kid, and I love the little table and coloring spot for her to play with while we're there.  Just a little something extra to do on a rainy day.The only downsides would be that it is closed both Sundays AND Mondays (Monday is the witching day at the shore, apparently) and they charge too much for some things.  I had to fax a 7 page contract once, and at $1 a page I found a $7 fax to be pretty ridiculous, especially for a member.  Also DVD rentals are $1 for 3 days, and the selection is pretty slim.  If you're going to pay $1 for a DVD, you might as well go to Redbox (Ocean City or Avalon) where you'll at least get all the latest titles.Still, this place is worth the membership fee for sure.  They also offer a killer book sale at the beginning of the season where books are as cheap as $0.25!