Brooklyn Public Library – Clinton Hill Library

I haven’t even officially typed a review yet but it looks like it’s going to be unsurprisingly similar to the King Highway branch (
…
The Clinton Hill branch isn’t the swankiest or most glamourous library around but it works just fine.
+ It actually has a very bright interior. And with the bookshelves located primarily around the perimeter there is a lot of space in the middle for tables.
+ Bookshelves are clearly marked and organized.
+ There are a TON of DVD’s on the shelf. Not necessarily the most recent releases but still a lot to choose from.
+ A couple — very friendly — staffers seated at customer service.
+ Self return and self-​checkout.
+ About half a block down from the G train @ Washington
+/​-​The ‘Hold’ shelf is a bit hard to find if it’s your first time picking up at this branch. Had to ask the ladies at the desk. Now that I know where it is though I like it’s inconspicuous location.
— Some things could use an update, i.e.: the tile flooring.
— Starting around 1pm (?) it becomes a hangout spot for teenagers. And despite their best efforts they aren’t exactly quiet… if you’re going to pick up a book or two they probably won’t bother you. But if you’re looking to get your study on I’d probably go earlier in the day.

Three stars for having a small collection in an old building. Three stars for librarians who, when we first started coming, were indifferent. But, that seems to be the case with most librarians: indifferent until you know them.
Bonus for being well-​used for a wide range of ages and needs. Also, the complaint about low selection is a little silly given BPL’s search system, network of libraries, and the quick turnaround on book requests.
It’s being renovated (nov 2013-​feb 2014 or so) which won’t change the architecture but will give it a needed lift.
Note: re thefts, why leave any valuables around anywhere? I don’t leave things in the stroller I don’t want taken. That said, never had anything taken. And the «scary people» complaint smacks of privilege, race, class. Get over yourself.

This library could be so much more. The collection is limited and the interior needs to be spruced up. That said, I come here very often to pick up the books that I have put on hold and here are the things I like: there is a book return box so books can be returned 24/​7, the place is always bright and clean, the people who work here are friendly and efficient, and I often find popular best sellers on the new book shelf.

I mostly pick up books that I have put on hold online at this branch. Bonus points to Marty on the staff who is very friendly and cares about patrons, books, and her job.

I have to be honest, this library is meh! 50s or 60s institutional architecture. It isn’t very comfortable or inviting to spend time at. I can’t really comment on the shelf selection because I only really go there to check out books and return them.
What makes it pretty fantastic though is that it is part of the Brooklyn Public Library system, and as such is linked to all of the other branches via
. As a result, if the media is in circulation anywhere in the system, a hold can be placed on the item and it will be delivered to which ever branch you choose. This happens to be the branch closest to me, so that’s why I go here. If not for BPLs online catalog and circulation system, this would be a fairly mediocre library, though I guess any library is a good place to get children interested in books, and if you aren’t able to access the internet from home, work, or smartphone, then you can get access here. I will also admit that I am not familiar with their public programs, so they may have community activities that I am not aware of that make it a better place than I think.

Use to hang out at this library all the time as a kid but definitely grew out of it after middle school. Occasionally, I would go to see what new movies they have but that is it. The fantastic librarians of my childhood are gone. They make them do rotations in the various branches throughout the city. At one point in time the library was the place to be but not anymore.

This library reminds me exactly of what Sesame Street was like back in the 80s, you know, when I was a little kid. Either that, or the library in the basement of my elementary school, back in behind-​the-​times early 90s central Maine. If I said everything here is brown or olive green, and concrete walls reminiscent of khrushchevka (Soviet housing blocks), would that help paint a better picture? Yeah.
I came here today to activate my library card, and possibly check out some books, but it was clear upon my ascension to the Clinton Hill branch that only the former would be possible. This is the smallest, most un-​updated library branch I have ever been to in my life. My local branch in neighborhoody-​northwest Chicago kicked this branch’s ass in terms of selection and size.
I easily got my card activated by two somewhat-​bored seeming young ladies, and was sent to the «reference desk» (a crappy, barely-​discernible under a pile of books and papers home office desk) to discuss ordering books from other libraries, since all that seemed to be in this library were the Goosebumps books a peach-​fuzz mustacioed fifteen year old interrupted our tutoring session to inquire about. The reference librarian here gets five stars — just a note — because she was wonderful and helpful and helped me order a book on no-​wave, a Nabokov novel, AND change my contact information, before sending me back out into the pouring rain empty handed. Apparently, since there really are no books at this branch, I have to wait a week to get my smutty literature.
I’m pretty sure I will be checking out the main branch next. I love libraries and I was spoiled by immaculate university libraries for the last ten years, as well as the *dies* AH-​MAZING Chicago Public Library system. So, come Brooklyn, BRING IT! I’ll be checking out and reviewing other libraries in the coming weeks. *adjusts glasses* YAY!

In the neighborhood where I grew up, all the cool kids hung out at the library. I know what you’re thinking; I was probably right in the middle of everything… the king of Matt Christopher; the guy everyone came to when they had a question about the Boxcar Children; a veritable encyclopedia of Encyclopedia Brown.
But no. As surprising as it may seem, I wasn’t always THIS cool. They would never even let me hang out in the young adult section. But now that I’m an adult, all that has changed. Yeah, now I can read Goosebumps whenever I want. Take that, Billy Stecker!
Anyway, the more things change, the more they stay the same. All the cool kids still hang out at the library, and this one’s no different.
It isn’t huge, so the selection isn’t either. But it’s clean and quiet. There are computers to get your interwebs on, and plenty of tables to sit and study or do whatever it is you do in a library besides read. The ladies at the desk are surprisingly friendly, and the bathrooms are not only clean, but fully stocked with soap, paper towels AND toilet paper. I know. Even more shocking than me not being cool.
If you’re looking for a place to get some work done, or just to improve your mind, the library’s an excellent choice. And you don’t even have to order a caffeinated drink so you don’t feel like a freeloader.

I am sitting in the library right now, and a nanny has turned the neighboring table into a changing table. Oh, there goes the diaper. Awesome.
Bonus points for the Cliff’s Notes in the Young Adult section.