John C Fremont Branch Library

I wrote a pretty negative review about this library a couple years ago. Of course I still frequent the library, because I love libraries and won’t let that librarian get me down. I’m updating this review to say that I heard that trouble-​librarian got fired. At the present time the staff is absolutely wonderful. Very thorough and helpful. Am into it. They often go beyond necessary means to be do a great job. A couple of them seem like super-​heroes when it comes to patience and compassion with the dealing with typical Hollywood crazies.

Man librarian stringy hair with glasses is a straight up PRICK !!! If I cursed he would’ve definitely gotten an ear full he was so rude I ask a simple question and he comes at me with the most rude unnecessary comment THE NERVE I hate rude people

Parking is a bit tight, but it is one of the few libraries in LA that actually has a parking lot.
Came here on a Saturday to borrow one thing and there was an amazing sale going on (which apparently happens every month) and I went to TOWN!
In one section, each book is $ 0.10 OR you can fill up a whole bag for $ 1! (Found a Nicholas Sparks book for my mom & Joy Luck Club for me to own)
The other section is $.75/​book and I found Paul Coelho’s The Alchemist, Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner, James McBride’s The Color of Water, & Doris Lessing’s The Sentimental Agents.
They only lose one star because I came to library to get two things & since I am not too familiar with the branch, I asked for help in finding my items so I dont waste time. The nice lady at the counter directed me to information & this woman was helpful, but seemed frustrated & annoyed that I asked for help in the first place. I hope she was just having an off day, cuz she was pretty rude for no reason.

«Get out and leave and don’t come back or you’re going to get arrested.»
I did not know what was going on, but it definitely startled me, and furthermore, I hoped it was not being directed at me. Fortunately, it was not. On this day — at least — I was avoiding incarceration.
I am not certain if her threat was warranted, but it was certainly given on one, gorgeous Southern California morning. It all seemed like a genuine disruption to the relative peace and tranquility of the small, cozy library. I believe I had just met the infamous angry librarian from John C. Fremont Branch Library.
She seems to have perhaps dyed her hair orange/​red now. She means business these days. I would not diss Dewey around earshot of her, that’s for sure.
I must say that it was nice that she announced that «a black Prius on Melrose was in the process of being towed» over the intercom. Maybe she only did so because it brought her unrivaled joy to be the bearer of bad news to someone. (Honestly, I am not sure how someone parks on Melrose.)
The parking in the «lot» — if it can be called that — is absurd. Seven actual stalls with one disabled stall to make it a grand total of eight spots. There is a bike rack that goes ignored and a bit more real estate for patrons to anarchically park.
So it would be reason to park in the neighbourhood, right? Wrong. It is permit parking so there is a limitation on how long one can park.
Am I still in Southern California? The unofficial home of suburban sprawl and the anointment of the automobile as personal god.
Restroom is atrocious and unfit for animals. — E
«Not Good For Kids.»

Fewer horrifying bums than the other Hollywood libraries, but when they are there, they walk around yelling and no-​one stops them. Both male librarian people I encountered were pleasant. I don’t go here anymore because there are only 7 spots, always taken presumably by staff, and very strict signs on the surrounding sts (no parking after 6pm, etc).

I got an account just to give a review on how terrible my experience was at this library.
I went to this library with the young girl I babysit to gather research for her school project. Everything was going alright until I got to the checkout counter. Now, I have only been in a library maybe five times in my life and I usually don’t go to libraries, so I didn’t really know what to expect or what I was doing. I put the books on the checkout desk and the older woman described below (dirty blonde bob haircut, glasses and blue eyes) glared at me and rudely asked if I was returning the books or checking them out. I told her I was checking them out and while I was talking to her, she barked at the girl I was babysitting and told her to stand behind the rope. I calmly and sweetly explained that the she was with me and they were her books. Overall, that woman just made my experience awful. I could not believe how someone could make me feel so stupid and insignificant. Being the Christian woman I am, I smiled and thanked her and proceeded to leave.
However, she made this experience so uncomfortable for me that I called the library and spoke with the branch manager about how unpleasant it was. I don’t wish anything bad on the poor woman, because I have no idea what’s going on in her life, but to make people feel that way for no reason is just not necessary. I think the girl I babysit was traumatized and I felt bad that she was exposed to such an unnecessary lack of kindness.
I will go to this library again, but I will steer clear from this particular woman.

Great location.
Okay selection of books but they’ll transfer anything in the LA system for FREE, so that’s great! You can even order and put books on hold from their website.
Teeny parking lot (5 spaces, I think) and street parking on Juno can be hard at certain times of day.
They have good hours (open till 8pm)
The ladies at the Info desk are Wonderful! So sweet, pleasant, and helpful!
The dude at the checkout desk isn’t as friendly. He usually seems annoyed that you have interrupted his magazine reading time. LOL. But he’s fine too.
Lots of tables at which to sit at and read. People seem to be quiet and courteous there.
Outdoors in front is a grassy area and I’ve seen people sit in the shade there. Seems nice enough. There’s a bus stop (#10) right in front on Melrose.

The John C. Fremont branch has been a wonderland for me since I was about 3 years old (I’m 31.) It went under a beautiful restoration and proves quiet and peaceful. The ambiance is charming. I love walking in to Fremont and being a kid in a candy store — but this time with endless pocket-​money. To me, every shelf holds the opportunity for an adventure. This branch has been providing me with a variety of journey’s my whole life.
Cons (and it hurts me to say them – but Unilocal is here so we can know the good and the bad.)
1. The parking sucks. It’s a teensy lot (maybe 5 cars and one handicapped spot) that backs onto a residential street so gridlock, when you have to pull-​out, can be a nightmare. The street parking is a challenge, too. Especially on Monday and Tuesday between 12−3pm when one side of the street is a no-​go for street cleaning. Tip: If you can park across the street on June (read the signs as well for restrictions) there is plenty of street parking – all you have to do is wait out the light and cross using the crosswalk.
2. One librarian – a 60ish woman with short, blondish hair and glasses is the «soup Nazi» of the library world. She has a permanent scowl and has an OCD issue: if you don’t stand exactly at the metal barrier with ropes leading to check-​out, she barks at you. What kills me is that she’s unwelcoming and scary to kids. I remember the librarians being so kind and sweet when I was checking out books during my childhood. It totally teaches children how fab reading is – and teaches skills like responsibility and choice. It would be a shame if she intimidated a child for good – and stopped them searching for their «bound» to be special, adventure. I did call the library manager who was extremely kind and mentioned that they’d been trying to work with her as other folks had complained about the same «issues.» I hope they indeed, DO, work with her.

Okay! I’m a self-​professed bibliophile and this happens to be the library closest to where I live.
The library was built around 1926 – 27 and is named after the somewhat controversial political figure who became the republican party’s first presidential candidate.
The library, as others have noted, is a cozy and aesthetically pleasing building. Yet also note that this library is an Historical Cultural Monument and thus is pretty crowded.
I only really look through the fiction stacks, and though it has the staples and a few more obscure contemporary authors– if you really want to look deeep in the stacks, don’t look here.
This library is usually crowded and seems like a nice place to take kids, but perhaps is not the best to spend a few hours reading a book or writing.
Yes, it is very much like the library you visited as a kid– but think of yourself as a little kid in a library and then picture yourself trying to write the last 10 pages of your dissertation or to read the last volume of In Search of Lost Time.
The parking is not good either in the tiny library parking lot or along June. Just park nearby and walk there (if you’re like me, then a good walk and a library trip is near-​heaven).
There is a community room at the backside of the library, next to the parking lot entrance– I have never been to any classes or meetings there but it looks like a nice space.
And, «full transparency» here– I regularly sit down and use the wifi in front or in the parking lot if it’s too crowded in the building. YEAH! I’m that guy! But seriously– it gets crowded and stuffy in this library.
The staff is sporadically friendly, which is not bad considering the typical gregariousness of librarians working at high-​traffic libraries like this.

darling early library on melrose.
surprisingly quiet despite the perpetual rush of melrose traffic.
slightly higher count of weirdos here than i’ve experienced at other local libraries… perhaps this is an arbitrary thing.
checked out ‘a slight case of murder’ with edward g. robinson.
will report.

This is a wonderful little library that reminds me of the one I used to go to back home. Great staff, great book selection and the perfect place to get some work done. If only there were more libraries like this in LA!

Cute little library… it’s a bit noisy since there’s all kinds of kids around looking for books (at least when i was there on a friday afternoon), so if you want complete silence this is not your best bet. But they have good tables to work at, I saw plenty of people with their laptops, and I was satisfied to use it for my purposes (study for LSATs). I shall return!

I love books. I love libraries. I practically grew up in libraries as a kid. Not only did my Mom buy us tons of books, she also took us to the library all the time and let us hang out at the library after school instead of going straight home (and watching TV).
When I walked into this library tonight, I took a breath and was instantly transported to the library I went to in Irvine. This is a tiny library compared to the one in my memory, but the lighting and the smell of the books took me right back to that library in an split second.
I remembered how my Mom would let us pick the same book every week, but how she would always also make us choose new ones, too. I remembered thinking how scary the «big person» book sections were, but how everything in the children’s section was just my size. And I remembered how much I loved reading, even back then.
This library is pretty tiny, but it’s pretty nice. It gets five stars for making me feel like a kid again.