Cuyahoga County Public Library – Fairview Park Branch

This is the best library we’ve found for the purpose of letting our toddler run off some steam. They seem to have the best selection of toys. He can easily spend a couple hours here and not get bored.

This is a real nice and modern library. They put a lot of time into the design of this library. the draw for my here is they have a excellent genealogy section. they have many of the micro film rolls of newspapers and other documents that can be viewed. It is all self service. They don’t charge for printing from the readers either.

I have had nothing but wonderful experiences at the Fairview Park Regional Library. This week’s adventure with fellow Unilocaler Rachel was no exception. It was Rachel’s first time visiting a county branch so although she had a Greater Access card from Cleveland, apparently she needed her record put in the county’s system. It took the Fairview employee about a minute to do this, and she seemed pleased to speak with Rachel to find out the pertinent info.
The first thing I showed Rachel was the kid’s section. Not only is there a huge section of books and DVDs, but they have many audio books on cd. There are also self contained audio books on players called Playaways. They are like MP3 players that contain just one book. They run on AAA batteries supplied by the library. Playaways are available for grown-​ups too, in both fiction and nonfiction. I’m currently listening to a best seller. I love to plug it into speakers and listen while I clean or paint. I’ve also taken it to the pool – it’s like reading by the pool without straining my eyes in the sun. I showed Rachel where you can find the Playaways and av geared toward adults. We both ended up snagging a few films. I spotted a season 2 of a tv series that I want to check out, reminding me that I can request season 1 online and pick up the DVDs at the branch when I receive an email that it’s available. The online request options and multiple copies of DVDs and CDs is my favorite part of the library. Sometimes, the cd or DVD I want is available to pick up the next day. I am able to keep items for 3 weeks and there’s no limit – it’s no wonder stores like Borders are struggling. Rachel and I then moved to the «sizzler» shelves near the check-​out. I love saying Sizzler. Anyways, these are the most popular books, mags, and DVDs that you may have for 3 weeks but may not renew. I spotted several Spanish language sizzlers, which I’d never noticed before. Rachel knew what book she was interested in reading, and I was excited because I knew exactly where to tell her to go. I’d seen the novel on a table by the front door, displayed with other recommended books. I like that the entire second floor stacks are available for me to peruse, but that I’ve often not needed to go upstairs to find a book to read; there are several tables with new novels, as well as a few shelves of new releases on the first floor. Besides nonfiction and fiction upstairs, there are magazines, study rooms, couches, and desks. I jokingly refer to these desks as my office because the library allows snacks and I can pretty much spend the entire day at a desk on my computer.
When we checked out, we used the self checkout, which is easier to use than Giant Eagle’s.
I probably over explained and didn’t really need to show Rachel around, but I love this place. I’m too excited to take a back seat. I have earned the title of library nerd. Showing off the place to my friend to write our joint 400^th review just makes sense.

Where have I been? How come I haven’t been hip to the library scene for longer? It really is a place I SHOULD always go. It’s free, it’s air conditioned, and it brings back memories of childhood.
I used to go to the library, rockin’ the Encyclopedia Brittanica (hard copy, not the online version) for school projects. I remember the days when internet was suuuuper slow dial-​up and there were only 2 computers per floor so you were lucky to ever get one. Nobody paid attention to the 20 minute time limit.
I also remember only being able to take out 10 books at a time and needing to return to the library in order to renew.
Well, times have changed. Now you can check out an ungodly 50 items at once! You can do it yourself with the self-​checkout so you don’t need to make polite chit-​chat with a librarian whose life you envy. (Seriously, who wouldn’t want to be a librarian? I know like 5 people who recently went into Library Science. I may be the next one.)
Also, you can renew online! And you can request materials, even tv shows and movies, whose presence will be made known to you via email when they come in. And they usually come in quickly. ( Unilocal bud AmyPaints let me in on this little secret.)
No more scrawling your name on a sheet to use the computer. The library is wi-​fi enhanced, so bring your own and enjoy. Or use theirs! There are plenty to go around.
This particular location, on Lorain Road in Fairview Park, is in a beautiful building right next to the Gemini Center. They’ve got a great children’s section complete with rows and rows of literature, as well as movies and «educational» shows when you wanna hire a babysitter (i.e., the television) for a bit. Hey, no judgement here! The only reason I don’t do that is because my kid has a low attention span and is disinterested in things after five seconds.
Anyway. I plan on utilizing this wonderful library for its abundance of materials, updated resources, as well as to relax in a place where peace and quiet is revered. Not enough of those establishments anymore!

This place rocks! The staff is so nice and helpful, the wi-​fi is free, and you can use the internet for free as well. You can get your passport photo taken and application filed here too. Big children’s room, and plenty of free programs.