Alexandria Library – Kate Waller Barrett Branch

This is a great little library for the children. I have two small kids and it is clean, quiet and the staff is friendly. There were a few families there on the rainy day when I went. It seems well kept by the visiting patrons and staff.

I love the fact that this library is a short bus ride/​walk from my apt. I’ve almost always been able to find something whether it be a book or DVD or both. The staff is always friendly and courteous. My only compliant is that it is a small library and unfortunately, I almost always have to place a hold on a book.

I love this library and have good experiences with staff. I live in the neighborhood and am always getting a book on CD. I just want to hang out here and read as well.

My review is solely based on my negative interactions with the children’s librarian. She has been rude on more than one occasion to my son, myself, and others I see at the library. She has not yet scared us away because I refuse to be bullied by her (and my 2 yr old loves going so I hate to tell him no), but it’s probably my most negative customer experience ever – and it’s a library… with a children’s librarian!

Small library. Historic location. They have a history/​genealogy research/​resource room, which is great, since, among other things, Alexandria was the site of the largest slave trading post in the United States. I have yet to do my own research, but my grandmother traced one of our ancestors’ arrival from Africa to the U.S. via Alexandria, VA.
It’s a historic landmark. Situated on a Quaker burial ground, and built in 1937, this was the first «free» library in Alexandria, named after social reformer, Kate Waller Barrett. Two years later, in 1939, the library was the site of one of the first sit-​ins. Samuel Tucker, a Howard Law student who grew up/​lived a couple of blocks away from the library, staged a sit-​in with four other Alexandria residents. Tucker argued (in court) that it was unfair to bar access to the library (both the facility and the books) based on race, since he was an Alexandria taxpayer, thereby legally forced to financially support the library, and there were no other libraries in Alexandria. While the judge agreed with Tucker’s line of reasoning, it was Virginia law to have facilities segregated by race. As a result of the case, a separate black/“colored” library was built in 1940 (which is now the Alexandria Black History Museum on 902 Wythe St.).
As small as it is, they make good use of their space and it probably suits most of the needs of the neighborhood. Plenty of computers (for the space) and decent wifi. I like their book sales… I always pick up more books than I can carry. They have an extensive travel book selection which they keep semi updated (I checked out a NYC Free and Dirt Cheap in August and they had a new edition/​replacement when I checked it out again in November). Don’t bring back books late! I renewed 9 books within 26 hours of them being due (over the holidays no doubt), and they charged me $ 6.30. I actually went to renew them online the day they were due and my internet wasn’t working. *Sad face* They sometimes send email reminders, but not always…
No parking lot but there is usually street parking, and only 2 blocks North of King Street, you could take the free shuttle (and get off at Columbus St) from the King St metro. It’s also walking distance or a short bike ride from Braddock Rd metro.
Overall, I don’t like all the rules — like when you check in a book to a different branch, you will accumulate overdue fines (if applicable) until the book arrives back at the original branch, which could take days. This is consistent with whole city library system though, and I imagine most of these rules have been adopted to keep the libraries efficient. So whatever… The Barrett branch is pretty popular too, especially in the evenings, so if you need privacy or total quiet, this is not the place. The history room is pretty quiet though. No meeting rooms. And you can bring a covered drink (even coffee) and drink it there, but no food. Also, cell phones are allowed but the ringer should be silent. I was yelled at by an elderly man for answering a very important phone call there once, (which I would never normally do), but it’s actually ALLOWED. I’m glad they understand that sometimes, e.g. if you have no internet and no job, you might need to be online AND talk on the phone a little bit, in order to fill out an application correctly! So there, Sir! — I’m now employed in spite of you being a hater. But yea… you might get yelled at by someone reading right next to you if you choose to exercise this right.

I frequent this library since it’s close to my house but my favorite Alexandria library is still Beatley Central.
There’s free wi-​fi but only eight computers and the people here stay forever. That’s cool, you know, I’m one of them too and I stay a hot minute. But only eight? Makes for quite a wait. And the setup is very awkward… your back is exposed so anyone and their mom (or in this case, grandma) can see what you’re working on.
The one upside to this library versus Beatley is that fewer patrons could mean a copy of a particular book is not checked out here, but likely is elsewhere. Though that’s not always the case.
The parking situation is also lacking here. Most of that block of Queen is 3-​hr parking, with enough room for maybe three cars in the 20-​min spots. It’s fine during the day, but post-​work hours is trickier.
Haven’t had any issues with the workers. They even seem friendly!!! Boo for not having a self-​checkout though. And not open on Sundays.

The alexandria library is a lovely place to look for new books, read them, and relax. But the reason why I am giving it 2 stars is that the coustomer service is horrible, maybe the worst on earth.

It’s a pretty space, in an old, historic building on Queen Street. The street parking is easy, the folks working at the branch are helpful and they got a ton of quality used books for sale in the lobby.
The media section, the CDs and DVDs, suffer compared to some of the other library systems in the metro area.
The branch features good hours, including until 9pm on Monday nights.