Manteca Public Library

I’m removing a star from my review for a very specific reason…
My 10 and 12 year old girls came to the library with me yesterday to check out books, as we often do. For some reason, the eldest decided she was old enough to browse the teen section. She isn’t, but that’s beside the point I’m about to make here. Both girls have found comics in the teen section that have earned my trust and accepted it into our home as appropriate reading material. I believe scenes of some violence may have perpetrated the impulse to display them in the teen section.
This time, my eldest brought home some Animé comics. For some reason, she refused to let me or my husband view any of these graphic novels. She stated «I’m reading them. You don’t need to see them.» She told our five year old that it has things in it that she’s too young to see. After finally seeing what’s in the books, I’m outraged! Nudity, teen sex, graphic nude scenes, etc. I’m used to seeing novels, comics, etc. and the like in public libraries, but only found in a section designated for adults only.
After making an impromptu trip back to the public library, I indeed found an entire section of these books in the teen section. It’s difficult enough to screen ratings and explicit scenes from our children’s eyes on basic T.V., so our public library felt it was okay to display these books in the teen section? In a world that glorifies sex without consequence, without protection and no concern for teen pregnancy (miraculously, none of the kids on T.V. ever need to worry about STD’s, AIDS or pregnancy), now I need to screen what my kids find in the teen section? I’ll be more aware of what can be found in a public library, especially in the teen section.
How does a library that encourages safety, kindness, respect, awareness, etc. justify encouraging kids to exercise sound, mature decision-​making skills when books like these grace the shelves inside their four walls? Agaon, how is this justified? Until we had a nice talk, my preteen daughter started asking some very specific questions that had her very misled about the world around her. All due to the public library’s grave error in choosing to expose my child to reading material that is way beyond her knowledge, and should remain that way! Truly, this exposes your child as well! The library encourages children to make mature, adult decisions, yet encourages them to enjoy their childhood? They aren’t old enough to be required or expected to make decisions or judgement calls like this! However, as long as an incredibly careless individual justifies displaying books like these in a section meant for immature, growing, developing minds, our children are forced to make a judgement call that they shouldn’t have to make.
The interesting thing is that the staff I just spoke to agrees with me! In fact, the wonderful single mom (Judith) of three of her own kids agreed with me 100%! Unfortunately, she has no say over what is put where, let alone what should be permitted inside the four walls of any building that affects our kids. Again, it’s difficult enough to sensor what is shown on T.V. I’m only 35, and so much more is allowed on T.V. versus when I was young. I thought some things were too explicit then!
Perhaps if enough people raise concern over what our children our exposed to in public libraries (specifically our Manteca branch), maybe those with the powers that be will reconsider and move these books to the adult section? If these graphic scenes are allowed, what else are my kids exposed to that I should be concerned over? We can’t watch our kids every second! Is nothing sacred? Can we not trust one human being to use common sense to prevent our kids from being exposed to things prematurely? What’s this world coming to? The individuals that rum the Manteca Public Library ought to be ashamed of themselves!

Borrowed 11children’s books. Was charged $ 16.50 for being late by 6 days. Worse than those loansharks from those payday loan places. Not to mention all the homeless people that roam the area. The City of Manteca should consider privatizing and cut their loses. The computers are old. The staff is nice. The books are ancient and outdated. This place is a welfare office for people who like watching DVDs and can’t afford cable, so the milk cow taxpayers of Manteca are footing their entertainment bill!
Way to discourage parents from reading to their children!

I hope that more people can move to Manteca so that the library can be renovated. Education is such a big factor for people to decide on their next purchase on homes and the current condition in Manteca library definitely is not that appealing… but I want to give decent review on the facility because it is opened on weekends. I think it even opens on Sundays nowadays.
Staff seems to be very nice and devoted. They have a decent playground in front of the library. Wifi is available. Hope for more kids & toddler time.
I wish this library can be upgraded such that kids in the city of Manteca benefits from reading books, not from playing with smart phones and tablets.

My favorite place in the library is the Friends of the Library sale section. I get tons of books for dirt cheap and help the library at the same time! My kids and I have been using this library extensively for years.

This Library needs renovating and the homeless people need to move out of the kids play area! They bathe in the little water park area and it’s kinda gross!!! :/

Outdated and now unsafe, thanks to the gang and transient groups that occupy the library park all hours of the day and night. Drive past the library in Stockton, and you will find that they have a police force that will keep the area safe and clean, but not in Manteca. We welcome every low life tweeker to get high in our playgrounds, and shoot up our city. How many homicides in manteca lead to arrests? This place is no longer safe for children. Too bad.

They close 5 minutes before they should. I can understand that they want to leave on time, but for us working class folks… those 5 minutes matters. I wanted to get off of work on time, but I didn’t (not like anyone cares, but wanted to mention since that is why I was rushing to make it). I went to the library thinking that I made it… sad face… the doors were locked.

I love this library! I’m biased since I’ve had a library card for this place since like kindergarten, but it’s great. The staff is always friendly, and the books I put on hold are always there pretty fast. The new self-​serve machines are pretty wonderful too! I can literally be in and out of the library in 1 minute if I need to! Parking can get a little congested, but now I like to park in the little side cul-​de-​sac thing by the park! Also, beware the odd hours and days off! Check on Unilocal to make sure they’re open because with furlough days and other random stuff they can be closed at really odd times sometimes!
Enjoy!

Small, friendly library. Being in libraries makes me happy.
I’m just here to use the internet and it works a-​ok (a little on the slower side, but I’m spoiled).
Yay library!

I’ve seriously been going here since elementary school. I remember me and my friend went here because she came to get books to read over the summer. That was my first time actually and she persuaded me to get a library card. Ever since that day, me and her would come here and borrow books and even brought our backpacks to put our books in because that’s how much books we rented. Haha. I love how they have a kids, teens, and adult section which is helpful when looking for books. I love how they have a self check out because it’s so convenient. I practically loved coming here when i was younger which is probably why I used to volunteer here :)

Dear Manteca,
Leaving you is the best thing that ever happened to me.
Love, Karlee.

I like this town for the most part. One thing bad is that there are some gang and drug problems in this town. The city managers though seem to have thier prioritys out of line. They could use a few more cops. But what do they go after with the some of the extra personal. the tax payer that can’t seem to get his garbage cans out of sight. Or the poor guy that has a boat in his driveway cause he can’t afford to have the boat and pay storage fees. At least you can expect that he will be fishing in his spare time. Not out gang banging. But we better write him a ticket so that he will have to get his pleasure craft out of our sight. Oh and there is his garbage can sitting behind the boat. Let’s write him a ticket for that too.