Seattle Public Library – Douglass-Truth Branch

This review is about the Toddlers Story Time.
The «children’s» librarian (Mynique) does not seem very kid friendly. She has a very rough personality with the kids & parents. I’m not sure she knows how to deal with kids. She also stops in the middle of a story & reprimands the parents if they don’t participate enough. Very odd.
I think she would be better suited to another library position.
Pros: They «sometimes» have stay & play where they bring out toys at the end that the kids can play with. Don’t count on this because it’s very hit or miss. Sometimes they won’t have it for months but when they do it’s great.

This was my first time going to this library. Went to the CHILDREN’S STORY TIME on Wednesday. I brought my 18 month old to to enjoy stories, dancing, singing with the Children’s librarian. The Children’s Librarian obviously does not have any children. she was snappy with the children. I saw her get annoyed with the children coming up to her. She was yelling at the children coming up to her while she was reading to sit down because the other kids can’t see. My son was playing next to a chair and she sat on my sons hand. I don’t think she has any clue what she’s doing with children and will not be bringing my son back here.

I enjoy visiting my Seattle branch libraries, this one is different in many ways from the others. I believe Seattle did a wonderful job of giving honor to the old, the original building stills stands beautifully cleaned and shining white, while the newer modern part of the library is subterranean.
There is only one study room, and it books fast.
There are many tables downstairs, but few of those tables may be taken up by one tutor waiting for the possibility of students. This place can often get over ran with students leaving school or skipping school. So I choose my visiting time based on the local school hours.

This is a nice library, but like another reviewer said, there are not enough books! Also, it seems as though there really is not a lot of places to sit either, any place private to sit. You are sitting facing someone else or sitting in a chair looking at somebody. Privacy would be nice to have in more libraries. Overall it is OK, the design is nice and the «holding» area for books you reserve is well laid out and it is easy to find the book you put on hold. The staff have always been helpful if I had a questions. :)

I LOVE DOUGLAS TRUTH!
As a born and raised almost 40 year old CD native (Central District for those unknowing) Douglas Truth is one of the few places still standing strong in the neighborhood.
Andy was a gem! He was kind enough, over the phone, to take time to find 6 books for my biology class. Shots out to all the staff and librarians for wonderful customer service, patience and hospitality.
I live on Capitol HIll, which has it’s own library or two, but I always drive to Douglas Truth for my reading/​studying needs.
xoxox

I really love the look and feel of this library. Staff are super friendly, and the place has a lot of tables and outlets. Only downside is that the book selection leaves much to be desired. Whoops! The literature section is really lacking. And I go back to look for new books every month, but they rarely are new… mostly the same thing I saw the month before. Oh well. Those same books look really nice in the new design!

I love our Seattle Public Libraries! Douglass-​Truth is my neighborhood one:) They have a large selection of current African-​American fiction, an immense wall of pictures honoring African-​American Seattleites who have contributed to the collection of stories and oral history of folks in this area, and a great space. All library staff members I have encountered here are warm, knowledgeable, and dedicated to helping folks out. Wish there was a parking lot of some sort, but street parking has never failed. I feel so fortunate to have such a great library right down the street from me!

Wow, I wish I could say the same as the rest of the reviewers! Having lived in this neighborhood for just under a year, I decided it was time to see what this library had to offer. This library has it all and then some! With only one problem. The older man with the short grey hair and beard has major unnecessary attitude. I believe he may need a few days off. When someone who is new to the library’s processes needs help with the library system, where should they go? I thought it was the librarian.
BTW the rest of the staff is amazing! And for that, I will continue to frequent this location.

I think they deserve less than 4 stars, but certainly more than 3. They’re much better than ok, but I’m not sure if I’m a fan (most times, I’ll go to the main library first-it’s much more of an experience).
I think my biggest problem with this library is the use of space-​it seems like there’s too much empty space and not enough books. It’s like someone said «no, we can only put 10,000 books in here-it’s warranted by law that neighborhood branches have to be understocked!”-well, that’s what it seems like, anyway.
Don’t get me wrong-​I think this is a great place-​every neighborhood should have a library-it’s just that I want them to demand they carry more books and get rid of their empty space… this ain’t no dance floor!

I just moved to Seattle about six months ago after spending several years abroad, and I’m still in love with the Seattle library system. I’m reviewing the Douglass-​Truth branch because that’s the one nearest to me and it is where I have my books delivered, but my rating is really more about the public library system in Seattle. I admit, the last few years I haven’t had access to a decent library, but I can still compare the Seattle library system to the libraries of my youth, and the Seattle library is far better than what I remember experiencing years ago.
Why I love the library: you can place books on hold online, you can check out dozens of books at a time, you can get 24 – 7 access to a reference librarian through their online chat system, and you can get a personalized reading list created by live human beings which takes into account your responses to a number of questions. There’s also the inter-​library loan option for all but the most recent of books (although I’ve only had to use it once every couple of months because Seattle has such a large collection). If you want an article from a magazine they don’t carry, you can request a PDF version which will be emailed to you. You can borrow music and DVDs. There are book readings and courses (which I haven’t taken advantage of yet). All this service, and it is 100% free. If you can’t appreciate these things, then you must not like reading or you have extremely high expectations. I’ve got a 13+ book a month habit, and nothing helps me hit that sweet spot quite as well as the Seattle library system. Browse the website at
to see all the things they offer.
This branch in particular: the bathrooms are clean, and I always have a nice chat with the staff when I come to pick up books (which is about once a week). Unlike one of the other reviewers, I’ve never had any difficulty parking (although I usually take the bus), perhaps because I tend to come during the day on a weekday. The worst thing about this branch is its rather late opening times early in the week. Don’t plan to go before 1 in the afternoon on Mondays or Tuesdays!

I haven’t been to this library in a decade, and I can’t believe the changes! I have to agree with Emily about the people that work here. I had the librarian help me 4 times with my Field Research Paper, and all 4 times he finished with a little scoot and smile.
It’s clean and an organized facility and the copy machines actually work. I swear I could’ve broken it though– I was practically photocopying the whole book.
BTW, they have the largest selection of African-​American Authors/​Books in the whole Seattle area– obviously you can tell what I did my paper on.
One drawback– you have to find street parking, and if you don’t mind circling the block 2 or 3 times, it beats the Central Library.