Venice – Abbot Kinney Memorial Branch Library

Very nice library! It’s clean, they have computers to use, movies, cds, dvd and books! They also have great community programs like movie nights, sound healing, yoga and children’s events. The people who work/​volunteer there are also very nice and helpful. No attitude at the Venice library.

A shout out to Rachel for providing the pilates class taught on Friday mornings by an excellent instructor, Lee. She is funny, kind and attentive to all the people who attend the class. A friend told me about this class, and I have told other friends. Have been attending ever since and enjoying the people as well as the class. Just hope that the class will continue. It is a great service to the community, and I applaud efforts to keep our minds as well as our bodies healthy and fit!

What I love about this library is that its not just about books. Rachel, the program director, has many events for all ages scheduled every month. There are classes all month long: meditation, yoga, pilates and even how to make flavored vinegars. I find all the teachers to be friendly and experienced and the students range in age from 20’s to 70’s. It really is a lovely community. I am so grateful to have such an inspiring place in my neighborhood!

I would like to get give warm and thankful to Rachel at the venice library what a blessing she was for us we are out of town with no computer with us my daughter was applying for a job closing today with no resume and an angel named Rachael can to our assistant she helped type a resume for my 20 year old and guided us on how to get this sent to the job interview before it closed by end of today. I, can’t thank Rachael enough for her assistant. God will surely bless her for what she has done. Paying it forward thank you so much Warmest regards Melissa Cornelius from north carolina I hope to run into you again.

The library is located right in between north and south Venice blvd, and what looks like an abandoned park. The parking lot is a lot more spacious than the other libraries in the area. It forms sort of its own little island in the middle of the paralleling streets. From the outside, it looks to be a pretty cute place.
Unfortunately, this was not really a good and peaceful place to study or read. The interior of the library is more on the dim side. There were only round tables placed here and there. I tried to concentrate but was distracted by screaming children at the kids section. The parents made no attempt to quiet them down. A few minutes later, the librarians came by to spray air fresheners all over the air to try to counter the pungent smell from some of the homeless walking around. Then I felt as though I was studying in a bathroom.
Not sure if my experience was the exception or the norm but I probably won’t be coming back here. The librarians seemed really nice though.

Although it may be annoying that a lot of the times the outlets are taken and it makes it difficult to work with a laptop… I do appreciate the convenience of this library to the Venice community. Another plus is the fact that they do have FREE PARKING! A lot of the libraries around LA do not offer that.

I recently came in around the late afternoon and found most of the «librarians» unavailable or I just felt ignored. However, there was a nice young lady, tall and with a warm, friendly disposition who was shelving books but stopped to assist me. In this generation of youngsters, it was nice to talk to a young lady who was obviously brought up right, with manners!

i really wanted to like this place and stuck it out as long as i could, but just couldn’t do it. i came with the intentions of spending a quiet afternoon studying, but had to leave after an hour because my malodorous neighbors were too much to handle and the constant din of chatter too distracting. great that there is parking, but i rode my bike and was even a little nervous about leaving it chained up outside.
unfortunately, i won’t be returning, but i gave it two stars because public libraries are just a good thing.

This library is OK, but there are much better ones within a few miles.
Strengths:
It has decent lighting, a very friendly staff and lots of used books for sale. Its proximity to the canals means that I’ll be back as I love walking around that area every so often.
The problems:
Homeless people congregate inside and in front of the library, often leaving odorous bags of belongings right in front. The children’s area isn’t the cleanest and it isn’t well secluded from the rest of the library, a big concern given the problem just mentioned.

A good library with its own parking lot. It isn’t usually too filled up either.
Inside, the library is a little dark. There are a few homeless or close to homeless people here… but they don’t usually bother anyone.
The employees are super nice.

Many people I know don’t really like going to libraries anymore. For some reason it is a thing of the past and many people our age would rather go and buy a book and sit at a nice coffee shop. For me I like doing both and this library even though it is small, I still enjoy my time being able to read and sit somewhere nice and quiet.
Parking isn’t really hard to find most of the time this parking lot is actually quite empty. For being a beach city this library has a nice feel inside. Modern and up to date I believe they did some remodeling since many libraries I been to don’t really look like this.
Nice natural light comes in and while reading you sometimes just get lost and can be sitting around for hours. Do something that you once did when you were a child and see how it feels… It truly can change you.

I love this library! And I have been coming here for years. I am surprised at all the reviews mentioning the homeless. Must be people who lead very sheltered lives. Yes there are often some homeless around (as in most of L. A) but I have never seen them bother anyone and have not noticed a smell. I’m glad to see them reading.
The overwhelming vibe I get is of a friendly, helpful, bright and cheery place. The staff are all nice and willing to help. The kid’s section is particularly inviting. And parking is easy.
They also have many «extra» events. The story hour and kids programs always seem popular from what I’ve observed (sadly my daughter is too old now for me to take to these things!) And they even started having yoga classes recently! For free! (although I have donated to the Friends of the Venice Library because I think they do good work.)

Welcome to the saddest, scariest place on earth. I would rather study in a sewer.

I moved to Venice in October 2010 and haven’t visited a public library since I was 15. That was only once, too. I used to visit public libraries when I was in elementary school, voluntarily, because I liked being around books and I liked reading and my local public library had a kids play area that my dirt-​covered 8 year old bottom liked to play in.
Then I grew up, learned how to wear make-​up, and discovered sinful hobbies (illegal in at least 4 states in the Southern US!) that don’t involve using my brain.
Over the last few years, I’ve settled down, went back to school, and developed more productive hobbies — again — and picked up an interest in reading books. Then in the last year or two, I developed an interest in sustainability, recycling, and frugality. So after almost two years of moving here, I finally decide to pay the local library a visit after getting my eyebrows torn out (beauty is painful). Why not? The library is only three blocks away from my apartment!
The first thing I noticed about this library is that it had its own parking spot, which is pretty rare for Venice. Not only that, but it was spacious too! It was liking going to a bar and seeing a 4 year old drinking a martini, legs dangling on the bar stool — I just couldn’t stop staring in shock.
Then I walked in.
Here’s where I remove one star: the very obvious, potent homeless armpit BO stench.
Walking into this library is like walking into a Starbucks whose management and baristas are all homeless people, and all the patrons are homeless people with a few crazy cat ladies here and there.
The volunteers and the staff were clearly not homeless and seemed well-​groomed, but the people visiting the library… I don’t know what the f*ck hit me. I really just wanted to create a lavender-​peppermint-​oil-​Sure-​Degree-​Old-​Spice bomb and throw it in there like a gas canister. But I digress.
Stinky patrons aside (come on, hippies!), I liked this little library. It’s not huge, but after walking around Venice for a while, you’ll be a bit surprised at the cleanliness, the quietness, and the nice bit of space inside.
One older blonde lady at the circulation desk was kind of rude. I had to leave for about 30 minutes and when I came back, she was gone and in her place was a pretty African lady (like, actually from Africa) who was a lot nicer.
Anyway. Everything is free assuming you turn stuff in on time. Books are out for three weeks, movies for two days. The process of getting a card is easy-​peasy, just fill out the application, show ID, and proof of address.
Overall, I liked it because I like free books and free movies. If you don’t like free books and free movies, you are a terrorist. I’ll be coming back here on a weekly basis. Maybe I’ll drop a donation bottle of Axe Bodyspray in the «return» box.

I don’t go here for the endless screaming children. I don’t go here for the folks parked at the computers as if it is their personal Starbucks. I don’t go here for the odeur du jour. I don’t go here for the interior of bad flourescent lighting, metal shelving et al that harks back to 1965. What I like about this place can be summed up in seven letters: p-​a-​r-​k-​i-​n-​g. Just look at that beautiful, spacious lot. Oh and for some unknown, some might say mysterious, reason, this was the only library in the LAPL system that carried my police detective sleuthing novel that I needed to kick off the series.

I can’t say much about the actual library, since I technically don’t live around the area, nor do i visit this place that often… But from what I saw when I was there for their book sale, it seemed decent. (also, i cant say much for the homeless smell because i went early morning when it was cold and really, there’s never a lot of smell when it’s chilly outside. :-P)
Anyways, as i said, I usually go on the days they have their book sales. (once every few months) $ 1 for hardcovers or trade paperback fiction, and 50 cents for mass market paperback fiction. SO CHEAP! :D
I love the sale because they have a pretty wide selection of books. They have a long row of tables outside in the front full of boxes with books (also underneath the tables), AND they have a whole room dedicated to more books for sale INSIDE. on top of the massive amounts of books shoved into that one room, they even have THREE bookshelves dedicated to hardcover books in decent to great condition. IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER!!! (by author) WHICH NEVER HAPPENS AT THESE SALES!
The staff, I believe, are all volunteers, and are all super nice. If you have a chance, you should definitely check out their book sales. Next one is 3÷12÷11! Count on me being there, scourging for my next books! — i ALWAYS seem to find something there.

I haven’t utilized this branch of the Los Angeles Library system in years and for some reason the homeless scent is so much stronger now.
Maybe ‘cuz their homeless population is growing? I don’t know, but it’s kinda sad and makes me not want to come here again even though it’s got parking near the beach and is helpful when I need a computer rather than my Blackberry.