Manchaca Road Branch Library

This is my second favorite library branch in Austin. Well, maybe this one ties with downtown. This is the location I used to go to when I was a kid so there is a certain nostalgia there. There is also a certain smell almost always present. I love the smell of library books but almost always there is a lingering «bathroom» smell in here, especially in the kids section. There are also almost always a certain amount of truly weird people in here– bums, or just plain crazy people have approached me here on numerous occasions.

Love this place. Great study spot. Lots of big tables to already your stuff out. Free wifi. Lots of tables!!! So many books! Oh how I love libraries

Four stars because the staff is very helpful and friendly. I just got my library card yesterday and it was very easy and I am so excited because… BOOKS; and now having an alternative to spending all my money at Barnes and Nobles. I found every book I needed for my research project and *bonus! The exact cookbook I have had on Amazon wish list for awhile.
I have been to the downtown library, which obviously has a significantly larger selection, but this is my local library and I’m pleased to see the variety available for the size.
Although, the nonfiction section is relatively limited and there were not enough of those for me to get lost in. I wasn’t there too long, so I might be wrong, but I didn’t see any books on photography, and there weren’t that many great books on sales and business ect.
Three weeks is a great checking out period and I am excited to have a great local library so close to me.

Such a fan of this library as 1) it is open on Sunday’s and 2) they are closed on Friday’s (who is going to go to the library on a Friday night? come on now!).
Friendly staff, super easy drop off when you are done with your books and media/​visual stuffs, and nice areas and places for you to work and read.
Did you know you can return any library item you checked out at any library in town? Ahhhh yes, super convenient.

I love that I can keep my books for 3 weeks! Sweet! The kids section is small but greatly appreciated! There are two kid computers to play on and a giant bean bag to read on. They have a youth section of computers separate and enclosed away from the adult computers, great bonus! Also, they have an abundance of computers for adults to use with little privacy desks! They do lack a lot of new authors and tittles but I can live with that just gives me more of an excuse to go and buy more books for the home!

Small but awesome place to go to read or check out a book or media source. Staff is knowledgeable and friendly thst are helpful and willing to address any of your concerns. Plenty of computers with free internet for people to use. Check out their calander for special and free events like their lego building workshops.

Closed Fridays.

I like big books and can not lie.
Clean, easy parking, friendly staff and a decent selection. I can rent Kindle books?! WHAT! I haven’t figured that out just yet, but I will.
Library cards are easy to get, you just need a photo ID with your current mailing address.
We arrived hungry for some new reading material and left with an armful of pages and full and happy.
Looks like they have a pretty cool kid section to the left when you enter.

I grew up mere blocks away from this location, so I will always have fond childhood memories of it. It’s been remodeled since then, and luckily it’s still a charming little branch with the same cheerful and helpful staff (literally the same; I recognize some people from my Hardy Boys phase). It doesn’t have the largest selection, and its parking lot is still irritating to exit from if you want to go north on Manchaca, but the former can be cured by having just placing holds on items in any branch and having them delivered here, and the latter can be ignored by just ignoring that fascist no-​left-​turn sign. I’m a little past the age where I spent a lot of time reading actually in the library, but there’s still good seating if that’s what you want to do. Can’t ask for much more from a library.

Don’t ever lose a book! I was charged over $ 20 for a 10 year old paper back!

I came here for the first time, and I was just amazed at the level of customer service from the librarians. The lady helped me sign up for a library card, and even showed me how to put a book on hold. My kids really like children books section as well. I just found my new library!

It is smaller, but has a decent kids section for my little dude. It serves it purpose just fine and I am thankful to have it local.
my 2 pennies

Found baby cockroaches roaming around and smelled old people farting like they’re at home. =X

This library is quiet and has lots of tables with plugs, one of my favorite places for free WiFi. I get a lot of work done here. Sometimes a rude person can’t turn off their cell phone, but I get over it. It’s a comfortable place.

The Manchaca Rd. Branch Library is really nothing special. The technology is pretty limited as others have said here, but the staff are very helpful and friendly (which is more than I can say about most other librarians, is it me or do most seem to have a stick up there?!). It’s very small and dark inside, and if I didn’t know that it opened in 2008, I would’ve thought this was something out of the early-​mid eighties. It is a great place to reserve books online for pick up. All in all the staff and the location make it worth my time.
*Stacie R. — If you can believe it, RR library has the express check-​out where you can pile all of your books on the electronic reader. Time to get with it, Austin!

This library has a great location and great people, but the technology and selection are TERRIBLE! The entrance is really weird, too – you have to park at the back or the side of the library and walk around to the front doors. They do have copies of the Onion in stock as of today.
I don’t have a problem dealing with people, but I go to the library so frequently that I generally just run in, grab my holds, run to the express check-​out and run out. For whatever reason, this library still doesn’t have express check-​out machines like Faulk does. I do not understand.
A little history: I got my first library card in Austin and was thrilled when Faulk updated to the express check-​out system. I then moved to Las Vegas, where EVERY library has an even more advanced express check-​out system, where you just plop your books down on the scanner and it checks them all out for you. It’s awesome. Las Vegas may be the dumbest city in the States, but they have some great technology and some really fabulous, huge libraries.
Although Austin has changed a lot in the two years since I left, the libraries haven’t.): Sad.

really convenient location to me, great for sending books on hold. don’t even try to get in from north bound manchaca road. just drive up a bit & turn around in the parking lot of the stores next to it and enter from southbound manchaca road. convenient drop off outside also. staff are nice & friendly.

I love reading and I love free things. Therefore I love the library. This is the only brach of APL I’ve been to because it’s the closest to me. They made it really easy to sign up for a card and I love the online system. You just search for the book you want, put it on hold then go to the library and pick it up. How easy is that? Plus the people that work here are friendly and the books have that «library smell.»

i have swayed away from libraries for no reason other than i just started buying books instead of renting. but i came here to see if i can get my library card back. an old friend of mine used my card and took 12 months to return the books. so i had this big late fee. never paid it. so five years later i tried to get a card and they denied me. so now it has been a good 11 years. and guess what? i got caught up just reading some cool stuff i forgot to ask if i can get my card back. bad credit only last so long you know. this library is rockin’ though!

The Manchaca Road Branch of the library newly opened in late March ’08, and it’s awesome. I got to work here for a month while the Teen Librarian was on maternity leave. It’s sparkling clean with modern lines and beautiful amenities. Good, balanced collection with a great children’s reading area. I loved working here– it felt good being in this library.