Westlake Branch Library

hmmm, not many reviews & only 4 pix in the last 5yrs! WTH… well, who even goes to libraries anymore? lol… i sure haven’t since school/​college dayz lllong ago & in another era… woulda remained that way, but mom has been wanting to know about free kids activities for my cuddlebug she heard about frm her chinatown friends… so, when i passed by en route during a grub-​n-​playdate last wk, «god“sis & our lil boyz stopped in to inquire…
turned out there r many classes, per se… in the children’s room (?) on the side… park your stroller in front of the fish tank in front of its entrance for:
— Weds, 10:15am: «Bouncing Babies Rhymes & Songs»…which the 5 of us attended this wk (see below)…
— THs, 10:15am & 1:15pm: «Story Time»…my cuddlebug prob wouldn’t be able to pay attn to it at this time…
— 2^nd & 4^th Tues, 7:15pm: «Pajama Story Time»
bounce class was neat… sign your child[ren] in… they give u 2 colored egg-​shaped noisemakers… enter & grab one of the few chairs or sit on the carpet, which mom was hesitant for our clean lil guy…“god“sis & i sat w/​da boyz on our laps… my almost-​gonna-​walk todd also stood steadily in front of me for a while…
class began promptly… by the gal who was handing out the the eggs upon check in… she had a big teddy bear & a basket w/​her, which turned out to be animal hand puppets for later… we began with a good morning song… btw, the words were all written out on a big white pad/​stand, which she flipped thru for ea of the dozen or so songs…
nxt was a song going around the room with something about ea kid’s clothing & his/​her name… seemed like a lot of the kids & parents/​guardians were regulars… the «teacher» already knew their names… adults & some older kids sang along… i’d say there were 3mos-4yo…prob ideal for 1−5yo…
more catchy tunes, 1 story, ended with a goodbye song, & returning the eggs… seemed like closer to an hr, but actually only ½…it was good… covered a lot & kids didn’t get antsy as they were kept entertained for a short period of time… btw, i guess some songs were known nursery rhymes… cuz «god“sis knew them, but this fob didn’t, haha… i still sang along cuz it was easy… i knew «itsy bitsy spider» at least…
thought my noisy cuddlebug would be more excited, but he was observing and getting used to the new environment & all of the kids… prob around 25 kids + respective adults there yest… mom was expecting like ½ dozen only… she thought it was funny… i hope she’ll keep up with going… there were other chinese gma’s…maybe they’ll get to talking in the future… as for our 14m old, i could totally see him screaming & bouncing along more as he gets more familiarized (he was shaking his eggs this time)…should be good times… nettie approved…

Super friendly staff! Every time I come in here I always have trouble printing something (perhaps I’m just unlucky each time) but they’re always super nice about it. I check out books every now and then and they always have it when I can’t travel to the nearest college library. The bus stop is also right outside so that should be super convenient to others! Overall, never have had a problem here!
Fair warning to others though: if you’re trying to study be aware of the times the children’s room is being used. It can be bothersome but if you could ignore it then you should be fine! (:

First time going to this library and it was because I had to pick up a book that I put a hold on.
Never been inside before today, but I have always thought the outside looked beautiful.
Parking is all located in the streets and since there’s a lot of restaurants around the library it might be hard to find parking. They have timed parking right outside and across. Weird though. It’s only timed for 12 minutes instead of the usual 20.
The inside of the library looked very clean and modern and high-​tech with all those new check out machines. Since I was really just looking for the Hold section, I didn’t really bother looking around. The lady at the desk pointed the Hold section to me, I found my book, and checked out.
Overall, I got my book. High five me, ya’ll! And they got rid of the 75 cents fee for putting a hold on books! Yay!

Woo hoo! They got rid of their 75 cent online reservation fee for all materials. So glad they did that. It’s really not fair to charge people money for borrowing items from another branch when SF Public Library is for free!

My review is based on this being a good library for kids– it most certainly is! The children’s section is closed off so you don’t have to feel bad about reading out loud to your little one or their occasional outbursts. There’s a great selection of titles, including a whole shelf of libros en español (selfishly I didn’t check for other languages, lo siento).
I brought my babe to the «bouncing babies» music time and it was wonderful. Full of babes and tots– and kids love checking out other kids. The 30 minute session was very engaging. The children were given rattle instruments. We sang songs accompanied by puppets and big charts with lyrics written in large writing. There was dancing, chanting, and rhymes. As a primary grade teacher, I can vouch for this song time being worthwhile.
Again, I’m only reviewing as a children’s library patron & can’t really comment on the rest of the place.

Came looking for a place to study… came to the wrong place.
This library is small, there is a good amount of tables and outlets — though not at every table. I found a nice cozy corner, admittedly in the teen section, and started working. Within 30 minutes, a hoard of teens came rushing in. That’s fine I thought, I know how to share my space… nope. They weren’t here to study or do homework. Some of the boys were moving from table to table challenging everyone to arm wrestling… others who wanted to do work kept being passive aggressive by standing up and shushing loudly.
Needless to say, I abandoned my corner for the main library area… which was not any quieter… but it was filled with people who made themselves far too comfortable as noted by nearly every table with a solitary adult… shoeless.

Librarians are helpful and understanding.
I’ve never checked out the books just yet but I go there when I ran out of ink on my printer. Clean and quiet.

Can color printing cheaper? Forty cents… can library be more like the library in the old days… lot of real help without this and that.

My second-​favorite Library in DC (after John Daly).
Pros:
–Conveniently located: 120 and 122 stop right there
–Aesthetically pleasing
–Lots of windows=lots of natural light
–Extensive DVD collection
Cons
–Loud school kids in the afternoon. No one enforces silence.
–Not enough comfy chairs
–Needs more outlets
–Inconvenient hours

This is a nice clean library, clean bathrooms. Lots of tables for reading and studying. nice children’s room, fish tank, and dvd collection.
This would have been a 4 star but parking is awful.

I come here on my days off work to use the comp since my mom hogs the comp at home lol and the one on my fone is hard to read at times. The cranky librarian doesn’t bother me anymore cuz I just avoid asking her questions. Lol I remember how the library looked before the remodel its a big improvment. They just need more martial arts books and it does get loud during school year other than thst its nice there.

The older 50 something year old librarian was so unhelpful. My card would not scan so my daughter used her card to check the book out for me. Long story short, that woman updated my daughter’s card that was due to expire next month but did NOTHING to assist me with my unscannable card. WTH??? She addressed my daughter but didn’t speak to me unless she had to. Again, WTH??? Needless to say, I left the book on the counter, tossed the library card, and have no further intention of visiting this place again.

This library needs some ventilation! and when the kids are around, it can get a little loud.

so far love the children’s libraran! she is awesome!
cute childrens room with a see thru fish tank built into the wall between the main library area and childrens room. my daughter LOVES to watch the fish
nice chldren’s room with comfy couches, tables, and chairs.
we went to the story time. it is all ages, and was great.
the librarian, Sierra, I think, was fantastic. Very sweet, engaging, and friendly.
She even told me about some places around the library.
Fantastic!
other stuff in the library, and peninsula library system are not so great, however.
see my review of Sharp Park in Pacifica re: obstacles for poor people to use the entire collection of the peninsula system.
another small issue in this library is the women’s bathroom set-​up.
the baby changing station is directly in front of the handicap door, so if someone is in there and I need to change my baby’s diaper, then I will be blocking them in the stall.
And, worse, if the changing station flips down on its own, and someone is in the handicap stall, the will be trapped in there! And if they are really disabled, how the hell are they getting out?
And, when I got my library card, the woman there was less than wonderful.

Never asked for help so mainly self service. I find this branch a nice library. The location is right around a lot of food choices so if one gets hungry or thirsty, one has to simply walk outside.
The weather is warmer than my local branch so it is nice to see warmer, sunnier conditions here. The magazine selection is a lot bigger than most of the San Francisco locations. And even the hours are better.

I really hate that I’m giving a library only two stars.
While the library is relatively clean (the only reason I’m giving it two stars), the selection is lacking, and the patrons are NOISY.
Actually, even the librarians are noisy.
Definitely not a place to come when you’re seeking quietness for study-​time or reading.

In retrospect, I think I was too harsh on my first review.
What do you expect if a particular library is within walking distance from five (5) schools?
Kids and students that is.
You can’t blame them for coming here to catch up on their reading, study or do their homework. It’s what libraries are for.
This particular branch provides plenty of after-​school activities including the weekends. My kids used to come here to do puzzles and they would get a prize.
They also have internet access and DVDs to check-​out, and it’s all free provided you have a library card. They actually have a pretty decent Foreign Film collection as well as mainstream Hollywood and G-​rated movies for the entire family.
We all should be glad that we have these types of FREE services at our disposal. Knowledge is power and knowing is half the battle. (He He… ready — G.I. Joe) OK, that was corny.
No…I’m not being sappy. I’m just keepin it real.

It was hard to park… It was SUPER loud, full of kids…
uncomfortable desks to study.
If you want to study in peace this is not the place to go!!!

Awww what’s with all the dislike for this branch? We live closer to the Gellert Branch, but you won’t catch me there. Ewww!
I don’t really take out books though, the kids do. The little one likes the fish tank, «Mommy where’s Meemo?» And honestly I do like that the the kids room is a separate room in and of itself.
Yes it does get crowded with OLM just up the street and Kumon a few doors down, but when I was actually trying to study I never went to the local libraries to achieve anything. I’d use the library at UCSF, it’s cushy like that with the leather chairs, or I would just stay home. Or even the library at SFSU could beat this one, anywhere where kids can’t really have access is your best bet for some study time.

One of the librarian in this Westlake branch, an older lady, is rude and cranky. Every time I bring my little kid, she will glare at us just because my kid likes to hang out in the children’s room (alone) while I pick through book/​movie selection.
Brisbane library is probably the friendliest library to children, as well as the Gellert one.