Cuyahoga County Public Library – Beachwood Branch

Extraordinarily rude staff which is even more shocking considering I came in with a toddler to get some Dr. Seuss books. The woman rolled her eyes so far back I though theyd get stuck there and all I asked was whether my proof of current address can be electronic vs. paper. Every other location I went to had lovely helpful associates and the contrast was just startling and disturbing. Lesson: go to any other branch if you dont want to get stank face when you ask for help.

Nice facility, clean, staff is friendly. Much nicer than the Noble road one… easy drop-​off bins when you’re returning items. Very handy when you have little ones in the car. :)

As a busy grad student, I often need a place to study that is comfortable but also quiet enough to concentrate. Starbucks gets too rowdy after about 8:30 AM, and as a transplant I was at a loss as to where I should go to study. A friend suggested this branch of the Cuyahoga County Public Library.
I can’t vouch for the selection of books or the services they offer, but as a quiet study environment, this place is great! There are plenty of plugs for your computer (yay!) at each work station, so you don’t have to bring an extension cord or awkwardly drape anything over your neighbor just for a hookup.
My only beef was that the quiet cubbies were along the perimeter of the main room, which meant that it did get a little louder as the day went on. In any case, it beats the ‘bucks, and helped me get my morning off to a productive start!

This library is great, but the selection is meager. Many tables to work on, and they have free wifi.
Large conference rooms, and the service is great.
They use the OverDrive system so that I can download online books and audios. I can check out books on my smart phone. Also what is really cool is that I can order a book or dVD, and they’ll place it on a shelf for me to pickup with my name on it. I never have to interact with the help if I don’t want to (they’re nice :-) Very convenient. no lines.

The Cuyahoga County Public Library system is pretty fabulous, and in total, it boasts one of the largest book collections in the United States. This fact has helped local supporters note that the NE Ohio/​Greater Cleveland area has one of the largest and most comprehensive public library systems in the nation. (Now if only the County could get every denizen to really educate himself — and create some sort of brain bubble in the region. Just a wish.)
This is a review of the Beachwood city branch, a small yet nicely remodeled facility. There are great nonfiction and children’s sections; however, the fiction selection is a bit lacking. The Saul Eisen Reading Garden offers a tranquil, secluded reading space. For research projects, one might be better served at the Mayfield and South Euclid city branches (the latter is set in an exquisite old local castle-​esque building).
All of the branches — east and west — afford the opportunity to find a quiet place to get lost in a great piece of literature and/​or media.
Grade: A