Southfield Public Library

I travel all the way from Detroit to come to this Library it is soooo much better than any library in Detroit. It is even better than the main library in Detroit. I have had several private meetings in the meeting rooms inside of the library. The book selections is wonderful and the parking is great! They are even open on Sunday’s during the school year. Thank God, because all of the library’s in Detroit suck big time!

Racism still exists. I am a public school teacher and today I brought two of my best students to this library to work on ACT prep. This was my first time visiting the library and it will be my absolute last. We went to the basement for the Book Cellar book sales, and upon entering, the two women at the register decided to call security down and close the office door so that my students «wouldn’t go into the room and steal stuff». I had to hear this from a fellow educator who was there with me and another woman who walked up to my two students and said, «they called security on you because you’re two black men who can read». At first I was only upset because of what the woman had said to my students, but I was even more upset by the fact that it was true. My students immediately felt uncomfortable and wanted to leave, but I told them to keep looking for books. Unfortunately, the security showed up and stood by the door while my students looked for books validating what the woman and fellow teacher had said. When purchasing our books, the woman working the register was still quite offensive and rude, asking me to move out of the way when the other teacher was purchasing her books. I moved out of the way instead of arguing or getting even more upset.
Not only did this ruin our time for the rest of the day, my students were really discouraged by the experience. After speaking with Robin, a supervisor at the library, she spoke with the women working downstairs and confirmed what they had done and explained that it was an overreaction on their part.
I will definitely not be bringing my students back to this library. I really don’t appreciate them profiling and assuming that my students are up to no good because of the color of their skin or the quality of the clothes they wear.
I am truly saddened by this experience. I would give 0 stars, but am forced to give at least 1 star.

Clean, open, and perfect! Library-​wise, it doesnt get better than this!

Now, you need a guest pass to use the computers. This is probably due to folks in the past being on the computer all day long, making it nearly impossible for others to have access to computers.
I’ve had some pleasant and not so pleasant experiences with the employees at the front desk, some are okay and others have a bit of a tude. It’s an ok place but I’ve experienced better

Holy Cow this place is great! Everyone is very friendly here and so helpful when you need assistance finding something. Extensive media available for checkout, and a convenient drive through for easy returns.

Southfield has a newer, up to date library with an extensive movie and music collection, group study rooms, WiFi, sufficient staff, plenty of computers and seating. They have also have a café, which was already closed by 3pm (odd). Their hours are kind of funky. Some days they close at 5:30pm, others 9pm.
I was just in between meetings and needed a place to do work on my laptop. This place did the trick. It’s a bit bigger than I’d like (I like the Novi and Farmington Hills better), but this has everything you need.
Oh unique touches I appreciated: Blinds go down during the sunnier parts of the day (helpful against the glare) and they have a tucked in outdoor area. It’s small, but could be nice during the summer months.

Simply heavenly!
What Do I love about this library???
*Three floors with a magnificent children’s area on the first floor
*Many nice events offered at this library on a regular basis including book sales, jazz, readings…
*gorgeous outdoor seating areas during warm months
*automatic shades on windows (once I was sitting near a window and the sunlight was really getting to me to the point I was about to move. Then suddenly the shade started to lower. I’m not sure if it was per someone else’s request or if a staff member saw me uncomfortable, but a very nice feature)
*regal ladies rooms (can’t speak for the gents, but probably just as nice ;-)
*awesome DVD media
*ample quiet study/​group rooms
*wireless printing from your own device
*helpful staff
*it’s huge
*it’s beautiful
This place is a must-​see!

Study Group Time!
Okay, so it’s time for us to get together for our final clss project. Since school is right down the street we decided to go here. I have heard about how nice this library is but until you go here you have to see it for yourself. We arrived early on a Saturday morning and wanted to get a meeting room. They are first come first serve. No reservations. Fortunately they had plenty. Dry erase board, plenty of outlets for our laptops. The people incharge on every floor were very helpful. Even though we had our own laptops I n oticed that there were plenty of computers for public and oh ya, books too!

Love love love this place. So clean and quiet. Everyone is respectful. Oh and the friends book sale is a steal! I bought my students 20 reading books for 7 dollars! That’s amazing and I feel pretty good about helping the library out.
Great clean quiet environment.

This is one of the best libraries in the area. The library offers a wide variety of activities and group meetings. My kids love it! The Southfield Public Library was one of the only libraries in the area that offered to carry my first published book.

I have been here on numerous occasions and this place is great. Great atmosphere to study and research, a much needed upgrade from the previous library Southfield had.

I love this library. They have everything I need. Meeting rooms, books, tapes, videos, dvds, free wifi.
The only downside is that they allow people to use the meeting rooms as long as they want.
Also, the tennis next door is great with lit courts… people love them… they are ALWAYS full at night

Great asset to the people of Southfield, or those that work in the area.

The behemoth Southfield Public Library on Evergreen Rd south of I-​696 and is magnificent in every aspect of the word. The first thing you will notice as you walk in is the cleanliness and elegance.
The first level is mostly dedicated to kids and features various exhibits like the storybook castle, dragon’s den and reader’s tree house and fire place.
There is a set of spiraling stairs that take you to the 2^nd and 3^rd floors which house the conference rooms, copy rooms, books, computer area, DVDs, music, games and not to mention some squeaky clean hotel-​esk restrooms.
The staff are extremely friendly and are always willing to help. I would definitely recommend this library to anyone and a BIG KUDOS to the staff.

Arugably the best library in Oakland County, the Southfield Public Library boasts computer labs, a café, and private meeting rooms for your study group. For kids, there is a beautiful, interactive tree house. There’s also a cellar where monthly book sales take place. Take your family to the Southfield Public Library today!

This library is an A+ in my book. It’s gigantic and has just about anything a person could want. Lots of table space, rows and rows of books, several private study rooms, several unique, interactive children’s spaces, a café with decent offerings, balconies, fireplaces, nice bathrooms, free parking, and friendly staff.
I’ve only had the opportunity to study here (and it is wonderful!!), but I look forward to browsing the books, audiobooks, movies, and magazines when school gives me my life back in 1.5 years. Great for relaxing with a book for a little while or having a marathon study session. Plus, Chipotle and Potbelly are across the street if you need a lunch break.

What a fabulous library!
After having a minivan attempt to merge directly into my car (hey, buddy!) on 696, I was in need of a respite — a peaceful place to do some work as well as calm down a bit. I was going to head to a coffee shop, but spotted the giant Southfield Public Library first. I’d heard great things about it, so decided this would be a much better place (sans steamer noises and chatter) to catch my breath and catch up on work.
The library is huge, and their catalog seems vast. This alone doesn’t make for a great library in my book, but the added features — wonderful light, helpful/​friendly staff, and an absolutely enchanting children’s area and cool looking teen section had me sold (and hoping I could come back with a friend’s child to have an excuse to explore those sections more)!
The library is open until 9pm on weekdays, which is convenient, and though a lot of people upstairs (like me) were typing away on laptops and using the library as a sort of office, everyone was pretty quiet and respectful.
The only surprising thing for me were the downstairs bathroom — they were really pretty trashed. They were nicely set up and decorated, but were just really dirty/​messy — more like what I’d expect from a movie theater bathroom and not a library. But, still, that really couldn’t tarnish my love of the space, the feeling, and my sense that this is truly an impressive, unique library!

Southfield’s library is pretty close to perfect. It’s business, video, music, and children’s collections are in a league all their own in Michigan. Maybe the PLs in Boston or New York can compare, but none in Michigan.
Some useful tidbits:
Open Mon-​Sat. Sundays as well during the school year.
Bring photo ID and proof of residency to obtain your library card. If you are a member of another Oakland County library, bring that card as well.
The coffee shop is inconsistent on it’s best days. Biggby Coffee is kitty corner on Evergreen Road and little Timmy Horton’s further south still. You can bring covered food and beverages into the SPL. I support the Friends of Southfield Library through their book sale-​I just can’t do the coffee shop any more.

When I first walked into the children’s wing of the SPL I was enchanted (they actually have an enchanted garden there). I was working as a teacher but had just received my Master’s in Library Information Science and just knew that I had to work there. A short time later I got a job as a substitute librarian. Jobs and volunteer spots are hard to come by because that place is just sooo cool, everyone wants to be there!
The only downfall was that the teenagers would sometimes get too rowdy, but the security (plainclothes and friendly yet stern when need be) handled them well. The youth librarian staff were young and a little «alternative»…not at all like you would expect librarians to be (and I’m not saying this just because I am a librarian). The youth wing can be a little loud, but I love to see kids excited about learning and technology, so its cool.
The computers get taken quickly, so it is best, if you can, to bring your own and use the wireless.
I have not been back in a few years, but I look forward to spending some time there working on my dissertation… the adult section is quieter and more appropriate for that type of work.

The southfield public library started a trend around here about a library being more than a place that rents books. It’s more a place to relax and unwind a have a multimedia experience.
This library is great to get lost it. I never have a hard time finding a book, DVD or CD that I’m looking for. They also have abundant computers for internet access, a lot of private study/​meeting rooms, and they really cater to the needs of kids and teens. My favorite part of the kids room is the tree house where you can curl up (literally) with a good book.
If you live in Oakland County you can use any library in the library network. However make sure you bring your old library card, and proof that you live in Oakland county. Once I had to go get my car registration as proof.
They are also one of the few libraries that has Sunday hours year-​round.