Brooklyn Public Library – Saratoga Library

This library is short distance from where I live. I come here for DVD 7-​day loan that they offer. The selection is not quite bad but not good. The checkout kiosk is self-​service and pretty simple to use. The librarians have always been kind and helpful with any questions that I had. This library can also get a bit rowdy when unsupervised adolescents/​children join activities together. As such the security staff is nice but stern. I appreciate this library in my neighborhood when I can’t make it to Central Library.

When I moved to this area of Brooklyn, I was disappointed by a lot of things. The amount of cockroaches in my hallway, for example. The lack of local restaurants, parks and community centers. The lone local sports bar which seems to operate on a «whenever the heck we feel like closing» policy.
In light of all these disappointments, I was thrilled to discover a library that was just a short walk from my apartment. Memories of my childhood came flooding back and I imagined curling up in a cozy corner as I read away the hours of my unemployment.
I discovered, upon entering this library branch, that this place is actually the seventh circle of hell.
Okay, maybe not the seventh circle of hell, but it’s close. First of all, the hours are absolutely terrible, and as the previous reviewer explained, the librarians hate their jobs so much that they shut the branch down at least half an hour early at every chance they get. The actual book selection is pretty pitiful, although I guess they boast a decent number of children’s books if you’re into that kind of thing/​reading at that level.
At every moment of the day there are a bunch of loud, unsupervised children running around for no apparent reason. I’m not sure if these kids are there as part of a school trip, but it’s entirely possible that they’ve just been left there to fend for themselves.
The librarians are horrible. The one time that I dared to ask a question (a simple: where are your bathrooms?) I was screamed at for a few minutes. After screaming at me, the woman left in a huff and kind of just wandered around the space for a few minutes looking angry and confused.
Long story short: I’m a library enthusiast with an unhealthy obsession with books, and I’d rather hang out/​do my work at the local Dunkin’ Donuts/Popeye’s Chicken.

When I arrived at this library branch at 5 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, the librarians were already yelling at people to make their last selections and log off the computers. Let’s keep in mind that the library closed at 5:30 p.m. that day. From the tone of the librarians’ voice, you could discern that they wanted to leave early, that they hated having been there all day and that they hated the people they were chosen to serve. I found it surprisingly odd that in the middle of Brooklyn, in a hood library, there was a first generation Asian man staffing the help desk. He spoke poor English and laughed as one librarian literally walked over to a man on the computer and turned the computer off in his face. This same librarian had no problem then walking over the kids section and pushing children out of their seats and shutting down the computers. I sat in a corner near the magazines, reading Anton Chekhov, and watching this whole debacle. It was so disheartening that I didn’t bother walking around the branch even though the clock read 5:17 p.m. In fact, I didn’t need to walk around. From my chair, I could see the entire «library» — both floors, a building about the size of a one bedroom house in Jersey City. I would estimate this place has 600 books total. The street vendors selling books for a dollar on Canal Street has more books than this branch. Avoid the staff. Avoid walking in at 5:15 pm and I suppose you’ll be fine.