Los Angeles Public Library – Pio Pico Koreatown Branch

It wasn’t too busy when I went. I think that its a good place, but not ideal to study or use your computer. If you need reading done, this is a good place to do it. The WiFi is very slow, so if you need good WiFi, try other places.

If youre here to study, then I wouldnt recommend this place (just go to a nice quiet café)
So loud. The kids here are so annoying. (they would scream, cry, and sometimes run back and forth)
Even the audlts here are so loud. Some of them would raise their voices and talk like theres no one around them.
Bathrooms are so dirty (and smelly), some weirdos come here to take a shower and clean themsevles (ew) sometimes staffs are nice, and sometimes they arent. I guess it just depends.

Um… Yeah… I’ll stick to studying on my laptop and Starbucks.
I came here to use the computer to study with a class mate since laptop was out of commission. As I explored the place, it was kinda loud for a library and the tall African woman with Braids looked like she hated life. A smile and some better service would be appreciated.
There are some characters that come in, maybe they are homeless folks but still they cause a scene. A man charging his tablet on the ground yelled at an innocent Korean man to stop giving him looks and don’t judge him. A woman yelled at some men because I guess he kept peeking at her screen. Police officers came in patrolling the place! So… that is what I got from my first day… oh, you only get 2 hours a day on their computers. Only 2 hours! My friend mentioned that the berverly hills library was was way more quiet and less dramatic than this library.
So why the 2 stars, because as I am taking my online quiz, it cuts me off since it was an hour, and doing this quiz was tedious! The extra star because my friend was able to get through hers as planned.
Would I come back again… I’ll stick to the LACC library until something better comes. Bring cash because you will have to pay for parking after 2 hours free validation, which will come to $ 1 or $ 2.

Noisy since people seem to think it is a playground for kids. They also go as families to select videos for a dollar.
When I was there kids were playing with a balloon that popped right in the middle of the library and NOBODY said a thing!
Librarians were missing in action since they had no control of the library or simply chose to not do their work.
I definitely DO NOT recommend this library if your purpose for going there is to have a quiet place to work.

Clean. Quiet. Quick. Decently-​stocked. Good place to cool off from the city heat and lose yourself for a fair portion of the day.

Yes, this location has its characters to say the least, and they don’t have the greatest of selections. But the staff is nice and with Los Angeles’ AWESOME library system, you can have any book from any library in the county shipped here for free. So just get online, place your favorite book on hold, and when you get your text saying it’s there, come in and get it. I really love that I can get almost any book I want at walking distance of my home.

I’ve been going here for as long as I could remember but coming back here after 2 years… was this place always like this?!
The staff I talked to was friendly but when I sat down to use the wifi (at least they have free wifi!) the man next to me wouldn’t stop talking into his microphone… another moment someones phone went off… I also hear kids yelling in the background. and some guy giggling from behind the computer.
I forgot I was in the library for the entire duration.
Sigh, I’m pretty disappointed. At least they had the book I wanted on shelf.
Probably won’t be coming back here to study though.

I would give this library a 2 star. It is very loud for a library because of alot of kids and rude people. There are some people who don’t even vibrate their phone. And once that phone rings there goes the ringtone and guess what they just pick it up and talk loudly. I would not tolerate this because it just loses my concentration and it is just rude. A library is a place for peace and quiet not a Place where you can pick up your phone and start talking loudly. They dont even bother going outside the library and start talking. Then there are the kids, i mean kids are kids so they can be a little loud sometimes but it should be the parents responsibility to keep them quiet since it is a library. Then there are the staff, some are just rude and feel like they dont even like working at the library.

Rude staff, I’m over this place. Bums taking showers in the bathroom? I can’t believe kids come here. They need to straighten this out because it’s not cool. The kids man, the kids

This library is quite spacious. There’s a bunch of space around the seating area. I feel like they could use a couple more shelves though.

Due to the LAPL’s pretty efficient online system, trips to the library are in and out for me. My sole purpose at Pio Pico is to quick-​browse and pick up books I’ve placed on hold. If it’s super loud, I haven’t noticed but I also haven’t tried studying here. The great thing is that there is always parking (a rarity in K-​town) and it’s free for the first 2 hours with validation from the library. You have to actually show your library card to get validated if you’re not checking anything out. My reserved books have always been ready when they say they are and I’ve never had to wait long to check out. So 4 stars for parking and efficiency.

I’m giving this experience 2 stars because this was the loudest library I’ve ever been to. I went thinking that I could get some stuff done in a quite environment but such was not the case. There were lots more small children than I was expecting. As kids do, they were running around and playing and just being kids. That’s what I expect from kids, but not what I expected from a library. I remember going on field trips as a kids to the library (I wonder if that still happens) and thinking that talking in a library was a sin. They were always quiet.
Other than the volume I’d say the library was okay. They have a private parking lot & the first 2 hours are free. It’s $ 1/​hour afterwards which seems pretty low to me. My only complaint is that it’s really loud. consider yourself warned.

CAN I GIVE THEM ‘‘0’’ STARTS? THEY DON’T EVEN DESERVE 1… Well please stay out of this library!!! the staff are so RUDE AND STUPID SPECIALLY THE UGLY BLACK GIRL WITH GLASSES AND THE FAT LATINA AT THE FRONT DESK!!!
They’re very annoying they treat people like trash and wants to put you down at any chance they have even with little kids they’re so rude. they should learn how to treat people nicely cause at the end is not our fault that they didn’t payed attention at school and ended up with a crappy job. iF you want to go to a nice library do you self a favor and go to the silver lake library they definitely know about costumer service

I have to thank my friend Ammy C for getting me onto the Korean Movie kick lately.
Since we have been watching a ton of those, I found myself at the LAPL in Pio Pico renting Oldboy!
Since I was there, I also found the Korean Version of My Sassy Girl so I got that too.
In addion to that, they had a few Korean soap operas available for rent.
I will be back!

«this isn’t a library, it’s more like a Rec center» — Annoyed Librarian at Pio Pico
My thoughts exactly.
This is a small little library across the street from RAlphs. But more or less it gets the job done. Has lots of computers for internet use (for a small branch) mostly taken up by teenagers using FAcebook. You can sign up for your hour of computer time or use the 15 min stations, which I used if I only had to print something out fast. They have a small video rental selection of VHS/​DVD, but they have a whole selection dedicated to korean books, video and audio. Pretty cool.
There are a lot of younger kids running around and screaming so yes, sometimes it really does feel like you are in a Rec Center instead of a library. But it gives a little character to this library. And the korean babies running around are sooo cute !!

Parking: There is a parking lot provided that is free for two hours, if validated by the library, with an additional $ 1/​hour for every hour after that. Metered street parking is also available in the area.
Pros:
It’s not as loud as some libraries can be. Then again, I am here only a few minutes after it just opened, though there are still quite a number of people here.
There are a ton of places to sit, mostly four-​seated tables so that you can have a desk to yourself, but you can also share with someone if it gets too busy.
It’s very spacious, so you don’t feel all cramped, especially between the aisles.
As always with libraries, there is a great selection of books, magazines, audio books, etc. I haven’t checked anything out yet, but I don’t have reason to suspect that there would be a problem.
There are more computers here for public use than at other libraries, say Felipe de Neve.
Good Wi-​Fi
Cons:
Very few power outlets available at tables. I’ve spotted a lot of power outlets, but they are always in corners where you can’t exactly use your laptop. This is a big deal for me, since I am a laptop-​user. There is one particular table reserved for people like me with an extension cord.
Parking. I am not fond of paying for parking, but this isn’t a major con, since the library is pretty nice.
Overall, if it wasn’t for the parking and the lack of power outlets, I think this would be one of my favorite libraries. It’s still not as nice as the one in Panorama City (go figure), which had plenty of outlets. Power outlets are a big concern for me. I need my power.

This place was my favorite when I was attending middle school & sometime in high school.
This place seems dull to me now since I am more attracted to the Central library.
The Books are pretty well organized & workers are generally great.
So sad that many workers quit.

The library is small and inconspicuous but has a decent selection of books, dvds, and audio books. Just go online and see if requested books are here, if not request a transfer.
It’s definitely not a pretty library but it does the job. I was surprised they had audio books from Christopher Moore (huge fan) and stories from Guy Noir.
The nice thing about this place is that it’s within walking distance from the metro stop.

This is the worst branch out of the 5 I’ve been to.
There aren’t many plugs for use if you want to use your notebook and that results in everyone having to sit extremely close together.
Also the periodicals section makes me laugh because they have slots for maybe 15 magazines but only have around 6.
Also there is a librarian here who is LOUD and that gets really grating after awhile.

Let’s be completely honest. The Pio-​Pico Koreatown branch of the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) is not the prettiest, it doesn’t have the best selection, the organization here seems a little off — yes even with my man Dewey holding down his decimal system, and it kind of looks a like it was originally designed to be a fallout shelter in case of nuclear attack.
But it’s easy to find, it’s extremely close to public transit options, and you can order books and have them delivered here just like any branch. It serves its purpose for what it is and I suppose we really shouldn’t ask for too much more. But when we have other braches outshining this one by lightyears, then it makes me wonder why the Pio-​Pico branch seems to get the shaft.
Apparently they just did a remodel here not too long ago. Honestly, I can’t tell you what improvements they made (if any). Maybe it was just an excuse to shut the place down for a while and give the workers some vacation time.
So, yes, you can get your books here and have them delivered… for that purpose it’s perfectly fine. I think libraries should be a welcoming environment though and the type of place you can kick back, relax and even finish a good portion of your book before you take it home. Unfortunately, the Pio-​Pico branch is not that place.