Clifton Park-Halfmoon Public Library

I moved out of New York because I got tired of being trapped inside for so much of the year due to the cold weather, but if more places were like this library, maybe I wouldn’t have minded so much.
The Clifton Park Library, in the four and a half years we lived in Clifton Park, was a great place to go for lots of children’s events, Farm Fest, checking out DVDs, letting the kids read and play, and, of course, checking out books.
I didn’t realize what a phenomenal library it was until we moved. There are a lot of libraries near us, and I can request a lot of books through inter-​library loans… but none of the libraries individually have the selection that Clifton Park Library does, nor are they as beautiful, welcoming, well staffed or active.
If I was going to provide any sort of ding on the library, it would be the wireless. The guest wireless is not consistent, but if that’s the biggest issue, you know they’re doing something right.
Definitely a great place for everyone in the community, and definitely highly recommended.

If not the Granddaddy of area libraries, this is at least the All-​Star, with capacious reading areas, triple height ceilings opening up to views of the adjacent woods, and the best children’s room in the Tri-​State area.
The collection actually isn’t bigger than Schenectady’s main branch, but the modern layout and extra air make it an extremely pleasant alternative.
The main «criticism» (please note the quotation marks) is that by choosing a central location — as in, smack dab in the geographic middle of the county — it’s not quick to get there. It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, adjacent to a few older houses and not in a civic center. This makes accessing it by foot impossible, and by public transportation a chimerical experience. It’s a heavily suburbanized concept, and one done at the expense of having several satellite libraries in many communities.
That said, the flipside is that the library is able to keep extremely good hours relative to the financially-​strapped libraries in most of the state. 9 – 9 weekdays, except 9 – 6 Friday; 9 – 5 Saturday; noon to 5 Sunday. They have a double-​staffed reference desk and as many as four lines open at circulation, although no self-​serve checkout as yet.
Borrowing privileges are extended to other libraries in SALS, and cards are issued with some restrictions to most residents of the whole regions. They do honor Schenectady County cards as well. Any book borrowed from SALS or the Mohawk Valley Library System can be returned here as well, or books from this library can be returned to another member library. There are some byzantine requirements for some borrowing so it’s best to ask a staffer and bring your local library card if you’re coming from out of the County.
For a few hours’, or at least several intense minutes’, entertainment, stop and try to find the opening lines of books on the sculpture just outside the entrance, and see if you can conjure up which titles they belong to. Very classy and the library uses it as its logo/​icon, deservedly so.
Don’t neglect looking at the Free Book carousel near the exit, it rotates from books they get as donations that they can’t sell, and it often has perfectly decent titles.
Free open Wifi, with the usual caveats, but it seems fairly safe.
My ideal library is in walking distance and has a lot of other amenities and businesses nearby and more outdoor space and maybe a little café adjacent, and has those spacious ceilings but is an old-​school building, but you can’t have everything, unless you live in Berkeley. If you take it against suburban libraries, hard to find better. And worth a special trip if you’re a library devotee.

Excellent public library in our neighborhood. Great collection of media, books & great place to go, relax & get a good relaxed reading/​learning session. We absolutely love going hear, every neighborhood should benefit from something like this!!!

This is home away from home for us. We utilize the children’s section often and try to take part in the events that go on. They are good at offering activities for the young and old. One of my favorite features is borrowing movies, we don’t mind waiting a little bit but often it is not too long for new release DVDs. They seem to have everything you could want, and if they don’t, they will most likely order it for you. GREAT facility!

This really spacious, beautiful new building certainly trumps the last location of the Clifton Park library. There is an excellent selection here, and the online reservation system is beyond convenient. The librarians are about as friendly as librarians usually are, but I’ve never had a problem with any of the staff. The two-​story design provides numerous isolated places to sit with a book, such as out of the way on the balcony. The children’s section is really cool and I would have absolutely loved it when I was a kid. Although I don’t typically check out media, my father does, and he raves about their selection.

The staff is very friendly and helpful. They have wonderful programs for children and adults. It’s easy to do interlibrary loans. The website is easy to navigate. I lived by it, reserving books and picking them up at the circulation desk, when my children were babies.

As a new resident of Clifton Park, I was really excited to see a community library in such great condition. Considering the size of the community, the library is a lot bigger than I had thought it would be.
I did have to show proof of residency to take out a new fiction book, luckily I had a piece of mail with my mailing address in my car. Not sure if this is something I will have to produce repeatedly.

Someone called me on a fact in my previous review of this library.
The library has updated their policies since my last review. This does not change my star rating.
You must be a resident of the town/​village/​municipality, etc. of Clifton Park, even though you have a Southern Adirondack Library system card in order to borrow new items and fiction video items.
See their policies here
Although I am aware that many libraries are instituting this policy, I disagree with it, especially since there is no way to sign up for borrowing privileges via a fee or some alternative system.
I am unaware of an updated policy of viewing materials inside the library.

With access to the Mohawk Valley and Southern Adirondack Library Systems, the Clifton Park-​Halfmoon Library is a great resource either in person or via the web.
Be sure to check their hours directly — they change during the summer.

The Clifton Park-​Halfmoon (CPH) library recently moved into a brand-​new «green» building on Moe Road. The building was designed for them and is not only huge, but contains great conference rooms and study areas, along with an expanded computer room and enclosed children’s area. The selection of books and DVDs at the CPH Library has always been superb, especially with access to books from the Southern Adirondack Library System, but with the new building comes much more space and the books and media are displayed in a much more pleasing manner now.
As an avid reader, I am a regular user of this library, and the inter-​library loan abilities it provides. The library staff are helpful, and courteous and more than willing to help you look for books, request items from other libraries and answer your questions. This institution is a wonderful asset to the Clifton Park community.