Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library

We are so blessed to have a library building and services. This library is one of the best in the country.
Today Topeka Metro is holding an early morning planning workshop. The library has a variety of free meeting rooms for groups of 10 to several hundred.
As much as I like the building, the digital services are what I use most often. Three great different systems to download audio books and other audio and video assets.

This library was my family’s saving grace when we lived in Topeka. I was a law student there and we were short on funds and my kids needed places to go and things to do. This library was the place!
The selection of both new and old books is amazing. Even though Topeka is the capital, it’s still a smaller town and you’d expect the same from the library. This is not so. There is a wide selection of media available in every format.
I know this will sound weird for a library but the movie selection is amazing! All kinds of genres, and titles, and televisions series. They saved us tons of money not buying films and cutting cable back. They also have new releases and video games for rent in a «redbox» style machine that was easily accessible and you could rent from your computer to come pick up.
I found the library to be amazingly clean and inviting. I know there was a gift shop and café that we never used but it looked good.
One of the best features was the large children’s area. There were some toys in the back, but the amount of inviting space for kids to read was amazing. My kids always hopped in the boat there and had a pile of books. If you’ve been there, you’ll know what I mean.
I can’t recommend this place enough. Support your local libraries and hopefully we can all have access to places as great at this.

So I figured Topeka is a small city so they’ll have a small library. I was wrong. This library is big and their staff is incredibly friendly! That’s a rarity when you go to the Chicago Public Libraries.
They made using the internet incredibly easy for visitors. Wifi is free on your own computer. They even have small meeting rooms available for people who don’t have a residential library card — talk about flexible and accommodating. The facility itself is very pretty, with a large atrium in the middle. I was surprised that there weren’t multiple entrances/​exits, but that’s a very small setback considering all that they were able to offer.

Simply the best there is. A great library with all kinds of additional perks, like a museum, a gift shop, a coffee shop, free wi-​fi… and a great staff.

When I visit Topeka from California I always make a point to visit the library and eat at the café. The food is delicious especially the pastries. We like to spend time in the kids section of the library– so many computers and areas for little people. The art gallery is always a pleasure to make a brief stop in as well as the gift shop. The DVD collection is huge. Like the architecture too. I agree that this is one of the best libraries I have seen in the country.

I have traveled to many states over the years and Topeka has one of the nicest libraries I have ever been too. They have many resources available for adults and children. Great café, movie selection and a ton of computers for the public to use.

The library has wifi, a gallery, a café and a used bookstore.

Weird I am reviewing a library. But here it goes.
Solid selection and website. In the «new age», it provides a pretty darn good atmosphere for all age ranges.
There is plenty to do. The facility is updated and interesting, and the staff is friendly.
4 stars because it is a bit small… (But hey, it’s Topeka)