Mission: Founded in 1747 on the enlightenment ideals of intellectual pursuit and civic engagement, the redwood library and athenaeum generates knowledge in the humanities for the benefit of the widest possible audience with nothing in view but the good of mankind".

Programs: Museum operations: the athenaeum emphasizes programs and collections important to the study of newport and its history, as well as 18th century america and its sources. It sponsors entertaining and informative adult and children's programs, displays educational and cultural exhibits drawn primarily from the redwood's collections, publishes educational catalogs, newsletters, and finding aids, and provides special tours focusing on rhode island's colonial commitment to freedom of religion and liberty of conscience to school children each year.

circulation library: open to the public 7 days a week. Patrons, researchers, scholars and visitors can enjoy the more than 200,000 volumes, more than 200 current periodicals, hundreds of cd's, books-on-tape, and e-books available to be checked out by members on-site and through interlibrary loan.

research library: personal attention is provided to researchers and scholars to assist them with independent research. It showcases a permanent exhibition of 18th and 19th century art, including portraits by john smibert, gilbert stuart, robert feke, rembrandt peale, and charles bird king; townsend and goddard furniture; colonial silver, ceramics, paper-based art, and more; and a national historic landmark building, the first public classical building in the colonies.

other educational and library related programs