From a scale of 1 to 10 how would you rate your local library and why?

[Yuvi]

Theres 3 libraries near-ish in the area that i live but all 3 have issues, honestly

Library 1: "Youth Library"
the closest one to me (that i can just walk to) is a 'youth library' intended for like adolescents to teenagers. its not much different to a regular library in terms of book selection (for me at least since all i read is manga and comics)... however...

the computers here have a much shorter limit, since i imagine they dont want kids to spend a lot of time on there (that makes no sense since they can just go to a normal library anyway) but the worst part is that there is a f***ing PS4 there with just dance it gets pretty damn loud there and makes it difficult to read for someone like me. obviously its goals are completely different to a regualar library so i cant say the library itself is bad but as a personal rating for my own experince
3/10

Library 2: the library at the closest town near me
this library is a library in the town near me and would be about a 35~ minute walk from my place to there and about a 5~ minute bus ride. its a pretty nice library, looks a little too simple and modern for me but thats just me nitpicking. its usually perfectly nice and quiet, but the main issue is the mall next to it. there was this group of kids about 5 - 10 years old that just came in and continued to yell, this kind of thing happens relatively often there too security will often ask these kids to quiet down but after about 5 minutes they get right back at it... but oh well. other then that its a fine library
6/10

Library 3: the library in the town not closest to me
This last one is probably my favourite... it has semi-private booths for people to study in, its reletively quiet (though not as much as 2 because this one is in a mall, i know, weird) and the interior is basically perfect. the only downside is the reletively recent one of exam season and how crowded it gets, during exams you kind-of have to silently compete with others to get the booths as soon as the library opens (i swear during exams theres lines of like 50 kids there) but its just a nice place to chill in all honesty.
8/10

but anyway, i'd love to hear about your guys' local libraries and how much you like/dislike them!

[nuclearblues]

mine used to be an easy 9/10 - wonderful selection, part of a network with other libraries in the region which gave access to an even wider selection, good hours, great friendly staff, tons of community outreach, events like a twice yearly art and craft fair. then a new board of directors took over and it got a bit worse, particularly with their heinous beige remodel (it used to have gorgeous pine framing and a warm glow... I miss it) and then tragedy really struck 2 years ago. county legislators started a petition issue to half their funding under the guise of "lowering taxes" over an issue with the fact that the library had a section with information for LGBTQ and at-risk youth and refused to remove it. due to some very creative wordsmithing it ended up passing by quite a lot, despite the protests of myself and many others in our community. now they are severely underfunded, understaffed, no longer do events or classes, and are only open monday through friday from 9-5 when the majority of the underserved community who relies on their services has work, naturally). it was up for refunding during this year's election and it almost passed, but not quite. because a "lower tax rate" (which didn't actually happen, that's not how millage and public funding work) is apparently more worthwhile than education and community in a very poor part of the county. those who are left still do their best, and I particularly applaud the children's librarians who are always optimistic and whimsical, but it's just not the same as it was and can't properly serve the community. I'd probably bring that ranking down to a 3/10, for the children's librarians and for the fact that they still have yet to reinstate late fees. so long as you return the material eventually, all fees are waived, your account just has a freeze until you do. I appreciate how accessible that makes their services for the working poor in the area.

[xixxii]

pros: the library in my city is really pretty! it's very lovely to walk around in, the building looks very grand on the inside. high ceilings and dramatic columns and such. it's got a lot of spots with big sunny windows and armchairs to sit in, as well as heaps of tables and desks for working at. the selection of books is solid but that's not super important to me since the library system around here is huge and inter-library loans are really easy. there's a small shelf of free books by the entrance that's fun to skim through for collage supplies. the librarians are all friendly.

cons: it's too quiet, which is not actually my favorite in a library - i like libraries that have a soft murmur of activity in the main area and then other quiet-only areas. when it's too quiet i feel really awkward and nervous like everything i do is Too Loud! they don't run a lot of events for adults. the chairs are all really uncomfortable. the grandness of the interior makes it not cozy at all. the city is always trying to cut their already-tiny budget so it's hard for the workers to do much of the stuff they want to do. the building is big but they don't actually have a huge collection of books or that many patrons or librarians, so it has a weird vibe.

i dunno how i'd rate it out of 10; maybe a 6 or a 7...? it's a perfectly fine library, but not extraordinary in any respect. i don't really like being there that much, but i don't DISlike it. it's just okay.

the library in the previous town i lived in, on the other hand, was much cozier and had more comfortable chairs but a bad selection of books! it was super small - basically only two rooms, one big one with the entire library in it and one event room - but never empty. it had the low-level chatter volume i like in a library and it got a surprising amount of traffic considering the size!
they had a small shelf where people could leave nonperishable food items for anybody to take which was a nice thought but also "one shelf with two cans of soup on it" is not actually terribly helpful... they also always had free covid tests which was cool, but also they were all always expired. so... less cool.
probably a 5 or 6 out of ten library. not great, could've been worse, trying very hard. i liked hanging out there just fine, but i mostly stopped going after having an unpleasant experience with some local teens. 5/10 if i let the teens count against it, 6/10 if i disregard the teens i think haha

[candycanearter07]

8/10! My library has a ton of nice stuff and it's really close

[MrsMoe]

Probably like.....a 4/10, honestly.

It gets some points for allowing book donations from everyone across my town and having no set return dates, but it's sooooo small. It's literally one tiny room with four book shelves and a short row of computers. It's smaller than a kindergarten classroom and barely anyone really goes there.

[musicobsessed107]

7/10. My city's public library is alright, although compared to some other libraries I've visited, it could be better. It's a 3 story building, although only in recent years (since at least 2023, from what I've noticed) did they close off the 3rd floor and move everything from that floor (including the computers) down to the 2nd floor.

They do have a pretty decent selection of books, magazines (including monthly MAD Magazine editions), and DVDs that you can borrow from there. However, they don't have any CDs you can borrow, unlike another public library I've been to outside of my home town.

The atmosphere is quiet, calming, and relaxing.

My school's library is pretty similar in terms of the atmosphere, although of course, it mostly has books, has all 4 floors open, and has this neat little spiral staircase going from the 1st - 3rd floors of the building.

[ConnorTheVGFan78]

The library near me that I visit most frequently was built into a decommissioned train station up in a slightly more mountainous area just a bit of ways from town. It's been a bit since I was last there, but from what I remember, it's a really nice and cozy library. There's not really a lot of people who visit it because of how out of the way it is, but I kinda feel more comfortable visiting it like that. Sure, there might be less fellow patrons to interact with, but the lack of people guarantees that I can work without being distracted by loud or disruptive patrons.

I've also been always able to find what I'm looking for there. The selection they have is mostly books and magazines, but they also have a few CDs and DVDs. They also have plenty of computers, but they hardly get used by anyone. The reason for that being, of course, because of how out of the way the library is. They also hold some events, but most of them center around things I'm not really all that interested in.

Overall, I'd give it an 8/10. It's a very cozy and quiet library with a great selection, but there are a few things they can improve on.

[DJoftheCoven]

My city has a number of libraries, and though there's one closer to me, I usually go to the big one in civic center because it has a room for renting CDs. The main branch library is about 7 stories tall, and each floor is dedicated to about 4 subjects. I like it a lot, but there are some issues...

For one, it's not very inviting. The rooms are so big that it feels like standing in an open field instead of hanging out at the library, and since it's so quiet, everyone in the whole tower can hear you no matter how quietly you speak. G*d forbid your phone rings before you can silence it. There aren't really good options for studying with a group, either. You will be yelled at for speaking, and though there are study rooms, they're made of glass and only designed for maybe 2 people to fit inside. No soundproofing whatsoever. Unfortunately, there's also the issue of security. In general I am HIGHLY against the city's negative attitude towards addiction and homelessness, but I've also had a number of unsavory encounters in that library from people who start smoking or shooting up inside and then go on destructive rampages. I don't even know what to do about it because I would much rather that the police don't show up to arrest or hurt them for being troubled. Still, being physically assaulted while checking out books is never, uh, pleasant . 9 out of 10 visits go fine, but it's a very real problem that I have to warn people about when they move here so they can avoid some of the rude awakenings I've had in that location.

At least their music selection is rather extensive--I find small bands' demo discs there pretty often! All in all I'd rate it a 7/10 on the library pleasantness scale.