Long Beach Public Library – Main

I actually like coming to this library more than any other library’s in long beach, mainly because it’s so huge and I never have to wait for a computer. Sure the homelessness does take away from the library but it’s not like you see them inside the library, only when your walking in. The reason I’m only giving 3 stars is because they have THE WORST possible hours! They need to open earlier, not at noon?! And also be open on Monday’s! Monday’s are the beginning of the week and I’d sure like to get some time in the library to print all the paperwork I need for the rest of the week, I feel like it’s such a set back when I have to wait for Tuesday. They could use a cleaning crew though to wash the floors because I walk by sometimes and I smells like straight piss, yuck. At least I don’t have to smell that inside.

The downtown library truly is a hidden gem and vastly underused. The collections are vast. The facility is huge. The staff are friendly. I believe more would use it if the following issues were addressed:
1. Parking — There is effectively no free parking. Given that it is in downtown, this is understandable. I do think they should have a free validation system for those actually parking for the library.
2. Hours — In the previous town I lived, the library was open 6 days a week from 8 am to 10 pm. LBPL has very short hours and I wish it was open longer.
3. Homeless — I have compassion for the homeless and seeing our city fail to fulfill their needs has driven them to camp out on the library grounds. Every time I walk to the library, my soul screams at the misery. This last point is more of a problem with the city, but it still is sad to see so many people living on the streets near here.
Please use the library. It is a real blessing to have in this city.

This place is a homeless persons paradise. This is a joke of a library thinking that people especially kids would use. Why would someone risk their health to go to this public library?

Long Beach spent around 492 $ to build the nearby court which was built using financing methods which reportedly raised costs by around 160 million$! And peoples reviews about this library are accurate in saying that this place is no bookworms paradise. Clean up your act Long Beach!

This is one of the worst feeling city libraries I have ever seen. They are also not open on Sunday and Monday. I work 6 days a week. I know this could come across as selfish when saying this, but the City of Long Beach seriously needs to take a look at its priorities as a city.
Do you want your residents to flourish? Or do you just want to improve the glitz and glam sections of the city to attract more tourist traffic? You want to raise the socioeconomic status of your city? Build a new library or refine the one you got from the inside out.
Oh yea, and have someone clean up the smell of urine outside the entrance. Change the entrance so that is faces Ocean so its not like you are walking into a Dungeon. Put a smile on the employees faces by making them feel good about themselves and the work they are doing. Poor management of this library.
The only reason give two stars is because the book selection is pretty good, but also could be better.

This place is such a dump. Trash everywhere outside, homeless people everywhere. Is this really the LB public Library? So i get in around 2PM planning on studying until closing time then out of nowhere this loud ass band (drums, guitars and all) literally right outside the library is warming up for a show for something they have friday evenings, i couldn’t believe it. I ended up shutting down early due to the loud band outside and wanted to just walk up and flip them the hell off. Terrible place to get anything done but downtown LB is the ghetto so i shouldn’t of expected to much. Going to start making my way down to the cerritos library from now on.

Parking Is not exactly easy here. The provided parking is for like 20mins or something ridiculously short which is annoying, but if you’re coming not by way of car it’s a nice library.

I would like to write a good review but i can’t afford to pay for parking and so i seldom go there. If someone can elaborate on how tp use thw free transit to park somewhere a lot more affordable then shuttle over there i would be able to go. I love the library but it’s downtown

I live near here and it’s a nice clean, big library on the inside… But on the exterior there are a lot of homeless people hanging around and I get a little bit uncomfortable coming alone.

Just had my bike stolen from the rack right outside the front doors. Security guard was totally incompetent… Didn’t want to look for police report paperwork, sent me across the way to city hall to ask if they had surveillance cameras rather than doing himself, really lame. Then he tells me I should het a better lock next time. gee, u think?!
This place is next door to a police station and city hall, yet people are ripped off literally under their noses. No video surveillance by their security either.
The library itself is sparse and old. Their wifi doesn’t work at all and their staff can’t help with technical issues. And the surrounding sidewalks smell like human urine.
I’m really upset about the bike loss… It was the only transportation I had (no car). I’m also amazed that it would happen right next to police station.
BTW– the bike was a $ 700 Dahon Matrix folding bike, metallic gray.
I’m just never going back there again.

I come here often because it is down the street and easy to access via the free PASSPORT bus that runs on Pine. It is a large 2-​story library with a wide selection of books and media but I typically come to work. There is one tiny section on the bottom floor that provides outlets but it gets crowded pretty fast. Only about 2 to 3 tables upstairs with one outlet per table.
Bathrooms are relatively clean. There is one stall in the one upstairs and more downstairs.
WiFi has its good and bad days. The connection is pretty bad on the bottom floor. It is pretty quiet here and they are strict about it which is nice since some libraries do get really loud. Once a woman fell asleep and was snoring really loud and the security guard woke her up and asked her to stop lol. There is a small «designated quiet area» upstairs which i appreciated but have not sat in. They also have a small used book store.

Long Beach needs libraries, full stop. I grew up going to the Dana, North, and Signal Hill branches, but now that I’m a college student, I need the scope of the Main Library. They. Have. EVERYTHING.
You can access the library catalog from your computer at home, and find the book you need, see which library it belongs to, what shelf it lives on, and whether it’s checked in or not.
There’s a charge for media rentals but it’s reasonable. You get DVDs for a week for $ 2.
Parking is on the street, and the walk can be a little sketchy, but 99.9% of the time it’s fine, and you will mostly encounter people in business attire going to and from city hall. Homeless people hang out in Lincoln Park, just to the east of the library, but if you park on Broadway and come from the west, you may not see any at all.
I would just hang out and study and work there if it weren’t for the 2-​hour time limit on parking. Guess I’ll have to go back to school.

Why don’t more people use the library? I mean, it is the best deal going. FREE. BOOKS. Internet. Bathrooms. Resources!
Sadly, Long Beach Library is suffering from the problems that plague most libraries these days, and that is that we are becoming an increasingly illiterate society unable to sit still and read anything longer than 140 characters. Also, California is broke. So, they’ve had to scale back their hours so people can Tweet more or throw angry birds at pigs or something.
Despite their limited hours, it’s nice, huge library. The staff there is so eager to help you find what you need or sort out some problem you’re having. Online reservations are a dream. Email alerts when your book is ready for pickup or it’s due.
Read!

I like to come here so I can catch up on my reading! It’s peaceful inside although
the outside looks pretty rough. The staff here is very helpful and kind

I always love coming to this library. Like most libraries, they’ve fallen on hard times, but still, you can’t beat it. Loads of awesome books, music, movies, graphic novels, new publications, and all for nothing or next to nothing. There’s a nominal fee for the electronic media, but still a drop in the bucket compared to even finding all of that content used.
If you ever watch the original Battlestar Galactica, look for the library/​City Hall area in the background during the Cylon invasion.
Just make sure you don’t run out of time on your parking meters if you park on the street.

I adore libraries. The Main branch is lovely. So far it has had almost everything I’ve gone to look for. If they don’t I can recommend it on their website. I can also search their online catalog before I go to figure out which books I want.
I read a reviewer who complained about the staff, the charge for media and the limit on check outs. I’ve never been to a library that doesn’t charge for things like movies and audio books. The staff has always been very nice to me. 25 books is a huge limit, even the 5 limit for those without proper documentation is still pretty big. I wasn’t asked to give a social security number. Just ID and proof of residence in Long Beach, like a post marked envelope with my name and address. The standard for ALL libraries. You’re borrowing books, they need to know they can get them back.
The location is great. I can ride my bike and not worry about parking. There are a lot of homeless people that seem to congregate there but they don’t panhandle, they do use the bike racks to lock up there belongings which takes up a lot of space but I manage.
The hours are nice too, though I wish I could go everyday!

As far as libraries go, this one kinda sucks in a number of ways. The guy who worked the front desk was the rudest person i have ever met working in a library, they charge to take out media other than books, and there is a limit of 25 items, or a measly 5 if you don’t have a California license or a SSN number. The only thing that stops it from being rated lower is the collection they have in terms of fiction which, doesn’t appear to be very heavily used, since it’s pretty easy to get books which have LONG waiting lists in other libraries.

I love this library! It’s huge, and always has the books I want to read. If I can’t find what I’m looking for, the librarians always help me find what I need — they’re super friendly. I’m not sure about parking, as I live down the street so I usually just walk or ride my bike. It looks like there are meters all around the block.
The only thing that drives me crazy are the crazies who hang out at the park surrounding the building. I’m a fan of this library, but definitely not a fan of the lady with her pants down just outside the front door. :-)

Spent rainy afternoon here, took home a killer box set of CD’s and a biography on The Band and a couple new Biographies that I get to enjoy for two weeks for under a buck!
TAKE ADVANTAGE of this great spot to chill downtown!

The last 4 or 5 times I’ve been in here, they’ve been so great! They actually walked me to my book. Whoa!
Don’t forget that they are closed on Sunday AND Monday due to state budget cuts. Great job on your budget and your continued success of half stepping, State of California.