Newark Library

The library is decent size, the book collection is good. People are very helpful.
They DO need to renovate the bathrooms like right Now…

Both Newark & Fremont Main libraries are great. The staff and selections are beyond what you’d think. The staff is always calm, courteous and friendly and they have current books and other media for lending. They also take donations of books in good condition and technical books no more than 3 years old — although I’ve donated older tech books that are still current (some theory and practice takes a very long time to go obsolete). Beyond that, the library is clean, well lit and quiet. The have small meeting rooms you can book and little quiet nooks all over that one can sit and concentrate for hours in. So, I don’t think you could ask or expect for more from as public library: thus 5 stars all around.

I don’t think I’ve ever been at a library as much as I have been this year. :) My son and I ran out of books to read at home and buying them was getting expensive. I then decided to go check out the local library and it was nothing what I expected. They have so many books AND movies to choose from. Their staff is composed by what I assume are volunteers and well… what can I say… they are librarians so, not so friendly. Not in a mean way, they are just… ahem… librarians! LOL Book rentals are normally 30 days, and movies are 7 day rentals. If you check out an older movie you can renew it once or twice online but if they are what they call, «Lucky Day» then you can’t renew it and you should return it a week later, unless you want to pay overdue fines. Yes, they might give you leeway on when to pay the fees but they DO NOT forget about them. Yes, it is a little dark (saving energy) and it does have that old book smell (but hey it’s a library!) They have plenty of parking and their bathrooms, although outdated, they are clean. They also have a drop shoot in case you visit after hours.

The best feature is its connection in the AC library database (accessible from home). Spanish speaking staff. Building is sort of shabby and dingy, but book selection is good.

This is a great little library in the town of Newark, granted, I haven’t been to the other libraries in the Fremont/​Newark/​Union City area, except for the Fremont Main Library. It has a nice area for babies, tots, and kids. There’s a table with 4 tablets with educational games for those under 5 yo and 2 computers near the study tables in the kids area. There’s a nice selection of board books, books for toddlers and kids learning to read. Also, their video selection for kids is pretty good with up-​to-​date entertainment and educational DVDs. There’s small table with wood puzzles and bead mazes. There’s also a small potty for kids.
I haven’t really ventured in the other areas of the library. I’ve used their website to check out e-​books and to also request books. Their website is not exactly the most user friendly to find e-​books and has limited selection.
A huge plus is the playground next to the library. Plenty of parking.

During the school year this library is very clean and quiet. There are plenty of study nooks and private rooms to get work done in peace. Now that summer is here it’s a bit louder, but it’s still a lot quieter and emptier than the bigger libraries in the area. I highly recommend this library for folks looking for a nice place to study or do work.

This dimly lit library seems to be about average compared to other libraries in the area:
Decent selection of books
Small parking lot
Park next door
Good signage so you can find what you need quickly
Free wifi even if the library is closed
There are several negatives, on the other hand:
Opening and closing hours are not consistent day to day. Some days they open at 10am, other days 1pm, closed on Mondays. On weekdays where they open at 10am, they close at 6pm, otherwise they close at 9pm.
No natural lighting
Hard to find. No big sign on Newark Blvd, library is all the way in the back, behind the chamber of commerce.

It’s great to have a substantial library like the Newark branch in the neighborhood. If they don’t happen to have the book you need just order it up from the vast Alameda Library System collection and they’ll hold it for you. There’s a nice little park on the grounds you can circumambulate to clear your head between bouts of reading and studying.
The staff is helpful when asked but they all seem a kind of low energy lack a little of the sparkle you might hope for. But I’m pretty sure I know why. If I were working in this environment it would be hard to stay cheerful because it is so dark inside the library. I’m not saying ‘dim’ because it’s just plain dark. There’s all kinds of stained glassy stuff on the skylights that block the sunlight and the building is the low-​slung type that used to be in vogue but that keeps light from reaching the inner areas where the books are. So I actually have to walk around with my keychain flashlight to read the titles on some of the more shadowy shelves. Very gothic, I’m sure.
I know the county and city are hurting for funds and we can’t expect major lighting renovations any time soon. But I really hope that the next time the Newark library can scrape together some cash they’ll do something to shed a little light on the subjects.

Decent hours — I stop by after work at least once a week to peruse the shelves for interesting books and DVDs and to pick up my requested holds.
Quiet — Except for a few naughty kids running around, ignoring the librarian’s requests for them to stop.
Lighting — Terribly dim lighting makes reading a strain in the butt.
Self check-​out kiosks — Generally out of paper, so you’ll need to stick a post-​it note to the cover to prevent overdue fees and check your account online to avoid delinquencies on items that might have literally strayed from your library pile.
Parking — Front of library parking shared with the small adjacent park/​playground, plus additional parking on the side. The parking spaces are wider than the ones at Fremont Main. No need to dent any doors here.
Wi-​Fi internet — It’s not the fastest… but at least it’s free :) Hello free Wi-​Fi zone!
Quilting club — For getting arts and crafty with grannies.
Crowds — Less busy than Fremont Main. No lines for self check-​out. No circling around for parking. No stalking the tables and desks for a spot near an electrical outlet. Sometimes it feels like I have the whole place to myself. :)
Librarians — Every time I’ve been there, they are busy chatting with each other or attending to their tasks. They only speak to you when you need assistance.

I did not spend much time to explore all parts of library. However It does not have toddler play area and have limited parking. I can find what I was looking for with the help of nice staff. I do see library was full on Thursday 5pm which indicates that its popular in neighborhood. This park has outside limited playstructure (slides) and not too much to explore.

I only come here to pick up my requested holds and I might spend a few minutes checking out the new books section. Otherwise, it’s way too dim and dark to do any substantial browsing or reading. Easy parking and I love being able to self-​checkout.

The lighting in here is something that needs to be improved. It’s hard enough for me to focus without the dim lighting making me sleepy.

pros: book sales have good selections, easy book checkout (via machines), never slammed busy like other libraries, parking not a problem, you can have books sent to this library for pick-​up
con: dark inside, some of the staff is not helpful/​they seem so put upon when you ask them a question, they let patrons talk loud as hell in there, hard to get a computer hours are fair but could be better.
UPDATE-​9/​6/​09: Went to library today to pick up my books and had 3 bags of books to donate (good books-​hard back and best sellers). When I put the bags of books of the counter and said they were for donation she said «ok». Then she said «want a receipt» real snippy. I said «no thanks». She just looked down and kept reading whatever she was reading. No «thank you» or anything. Nice…

The Newark Library is a great library to search books. The staff there are nice and the library is real quiet. Also, you can find almost 99% of the items there on the shelf. It is also great for returning books, since you can return them inside and they get checked in immediately. Great overall

My gf is a librarian so I feel obligated to write a review for a library especially since no one has yet Unilocaled about this institution. This is a relatively small library with limited amount of materials. Because of the small floor space, the library has a limited amount of dimly lit study cubes located in the back of the building. One good thing though is that the Newark library is usually less crowded than Fremont Main so it provides a more pleasant study environment.
They have made technological improvements such as providing easy to use self check machines, Internet computer stations and wi-​fi access.