San Diego Public Library

This is the nicest public library north of San Diego.

I’ve been to a few libraries in sd and this one seems to be the nicest and the quietest. But that doesn’t mean much since libraries are NOT quiet these days! I wish they opened a bit earlier. I know the poway library opens at 9… And I think that is late haha. But what do I know.

I love this branch! Wee One loves books and this branch really caters to kids. It is very clean, peaceful, and well organized. Most of the staff is very helpful. The duck pond out in the parking lot completely makes the trip amazing. W.O. loves watching the ducks swim by quacking. Plenty of parking too.

Nice little library by Miramar Lake. Visited for a music recital and the hall was big and airy which opens to a nice courtyard. There’s ample parking and library is surrounded by woods.

The library has parking issues… it has been that way since it opened. Land in the area is expensive and is privately owned surrounding the library. Deal with it.
The library structure itself is lovely. It has a restful, quiet and well maintained courtyard that is perfect for reading on a nice day.
The selection of reading materials, audio materials and periodicals is top notch.
What I LOVE about the library is that many public libraries in urban areas become a hangout for homeless people, which can degrade the overall experience for the rest of the population. That is not the case at this branch. It is populated overall with people who love to read, enjoy some quietude and get on with the day.
Grace’s Book Nook and the branch itself frequently have very desirable books available for sale at extremely reasonable prices (.25 cents to $ 4.00). It makes maintaining a nicely curated home library easy and affordable.
Staff attitude ranges just like anything else from the extremely helpful to the barely tolerant.
It really matters what kind of experience you are looking for in a library. For me, this is one of the nicest public libraries that I have ever experienced.

Nice, fairly-​new facility, but parking is woefully inadequate for the number of attendees to their exercise classes.

Great library and quiet place to study. The staff helped me place a hold on a book and also recommended a book by the same author. Even though there is a library closer to my house, this is the one I prefer.

I applied for volunteering and was asked to fill out a form. The two front desk ladies I met were unhelpful and unfriendly. One with heavy Asian accent which I barely could understand what she was saying, they other one, Asian too, was so angry looking and handed me the paper so aggressively. It has been 3 months but I never heard back from them. I believe she shredded my application right after I left.

Please make sure when you are checking out books that they are in brand new condition!!! And if there is anything, and I mean anything that someone could call an imperfection… make sure it is noted and signed off on before you check out the book, or you will be charged a replacement book fee and processing fee that is substantial. Apparently this library has brand new book standards for all returning books.
I spoke to the branch manager today, Trevor Jones at the Scripps Ranch Library and was told that a book I returned had a water mark!!! I am being asked to pay $ 40.00 dollars. I did not damage this book and couldn’t even remember the water mark because it was so minimal.
After looking at the book again, I do now remember a slight s curve to the last third of the pages that is barely noticeable when I checked it out and read the book, from cover to cover. NO, it doesn’t look brand new. The liquid must have been H20 because it was barely noticeable. I am very careful with my books. That book sat at my bedside and I didn’t spill any water on it.
Trevor Jones had me call the branch manager at a different library where the book lives. I called and spoke to Anne DeFazio. I explained to her that when I checked out the book it already had this small water mark. I explained that I was sure that I didn’t make the water mark. She said she needs time to think about this!!! and gave me no clue how long this thinking would take.
I have been a customer in good standing at the Scripps Ranch library for 15years and have paid all my overdue fines.
I asked Trevor Jones for his managers name and phone number as well as Anne DeFazio’s. I called Trevor Jones manager Ramiro Gonzales three times and he never called me back. I did get hold of Sheila Burnett, Anne’s manager and spoke to her. I asked repeatedly if I could meet with her in person to show her this book and tell her my story. I was not able to get a meeting with her, but, she was very sympathetic and the $ 40.00 library fee was lifted and she apologized for my poor library experience.
In my opinion this whole event was due to poor overall management and a general disregard for the customer, as well as misguided maternalistic/​paternalistic approach by both branch managers, in protecting their library books. There should be policy’s or guidelines in place to manage a situation like the above.

I encountered the rude librarian mentioned in a below comment and she was an absolute nightmare! (she has short blonde hair, in her 50s, with an Eastern European accent). She made it nearly impossible to check out my books. Although I already had a library card with all of my correct information… she asked to see my ID and made a huge deal about the different addresses. I’m 22 and Scripps Ranch is my permanent address, but the address of my license is of my apt at school. She very rudely told me I had to provide a proof of address the next time I came. she was extremely unhelpful and was hesitant to let me check out my books at a PUBLIC library.

Great place to study, fairly quiet. More foot traffic after 2 pm on weekdays since there is a school nearby.
WiFi signal gets intermittently spotty near the large windows on the north side. The signal range probably does not extend too far beyond that location. Stronger signal would be closer to the service desk area.

I frequent this library because it’s the closest branch to my house. If I don’t feel like driving too far, this is where I go to study.
Pros:
— nice, large windows
— a variety of tables/​places to sit (four seater tables with lamps, sofas, chairs, individual study desks)
— power outlets within reasonable vicinity from each table
— water fountain
— outdoor courtyard
— free Wi-​Fi
Cons:
— no outside food/​drinks allowed besides water bottles/​closed containers
— closed on mondays /​/​limited weekend hours /​/​closes early (5 – 7) most days
— sometimes they have activities in the kids corner/​hold zumba classes somewhere in the library (I’ve never checked out where). It can get noisy, but it’s never to the point of distraction
— Parking is hard to find when it’s busy
I find the best times to come here are early morning/​Saturdays/​Sundays. During the week, a lot of middle school/​high schoolers drop in to do homework/​wait for their parents. They are usually pretty chatty.
The three large tables in front of the windows are prime spots (at least for me!), but they get occupied quickly. Most patrons here are friendly though, so it never hurts to ask if you can share a table :]

Great place to study! It’s not as stuffy as other libraries and there aren’t noisy kids running around. Most of the individual desks have a lamp and an outlet close by. I haven’t checked out any books from this particular branch but by walking around, I do think their selection of books is somewhat better than other libraries. They seem to have a lot of novels that appeal to the general public. This library also has some cool memorabilia in a few of glass cases.
They have the tower room which is a study room you can book. I’ve never experienced problems using this room although it gets a little cold in there.

It’s a nice library with a clean and quiet atmosphere. It also has a decent used bookstore and a nice duck pond outside. For the most part, their staff has been friendly. However, the reason why I give it 3 stars is b/​c the last few times my children and I have gone there, we get this rude and unprofessional woman at the front desk to check out. The few times I have asked her simple questions like «Do I have any overdue fines?» Or «May I renew some books?», she responds with this loud groaning sigh, looks at the computer, and either begrudgingly clicks around on the PC or rudely tells me to do it at home from the library website. If my kids didn’t enjoy this particular library, I would go elsewhere. If and when that woman stops working there, I am going to do what I can to avoid her, her bad manners, and lack of professionalism. Worst «librarian» ever.

I’ve only been here once but the view is really nice since there is a pond out front. Also because it has a tall ceiling the place seems brighter and a lot more airy. There are self check-​out counters here too. The library is really clean and organized in terms of bookshelves. Very spacious.

This is one of the nicer SD public libraries. It also is particularly quiet. It seemed very clean and well-​maintained.

When I moved to Mira Mesa I started using this library because it was close to my house. I’ve since moved to Poway, but I still like to frequent this location. Although the parking lot sucks, I find the atmosphere nice. There’s just something about a library that relaxes me! Maybe it’s the low lighting and peace and quiet. Am I right?!?
The selection of books is fair, the workers are okay and the self check out rocks! I’ve also put books on hold to pick up here and that process is smooth and easy.
I’d recommend you check out this library. There’s also a cool, little lake near the parking lot where you can feed ducks. Cute.

Stay classy San Diego. The few times I actually get to come to San Diego, it’s always a great stop thru besides seeing my family. I love the food, it’s by the beaches, it’s not too crazy cluttered and the weather is warm.

I was just there tonight for an internet marketing 101 seminar and loved not only the seminar which was very useful, but also the library itself!
The overall atmosphere and look of the library is calming and the architecture really is unique for a library. A lot of high arches, and even a cute courtyard in the middle! They also have a used book boutique that I will be going back to visit.
As an avid reader, I think the book worm in me just found its home :)

All libraries are great but the Scripps Ranch library is particularly better than other ones in the surrounding area. The architecture is beautiful spanish design with a beautiful courtyard. plenty of books and reading area. The kids area is fun with steps where kids can sit. They offer free wifi internet as well.
Outside there is a lake where you can feed the ducks. The only challenge is that the parking lot is very small, but I wont deduct any points for that. Miramar Lake is across the street from the library.