Georgina Cole Library

Very disappointed with the renovation. New carpet and details but the openness of the downstairs makes for very loud and distracting chatter. Employees speak loudly and even though I try to hide upstairs to get my work done the echo is even worse up there! Employees need to be reminded this is a library. 3 times, not going back again for a while…

Cole library is open again after the renovation is finished and I really like the result. An overhaul was really necessary and it appears much cleaner and more up to date. Brand new check out machines make the process of renting and returning books so easy. Plenty of room to sit now and the new homework zone looks nice and quiet. We are so grateful for the wonderful program they are offering for kids such as the Preschool Story time etc. We spend a significant amount of time here. I really like that you can place a hold on books online and then pick them up at the entrance instead of hunting down the book between the aisles. So easy. There is a new little coffee cart outside now.

Haven’t been to the library since it reopened after being renovated! Was hoping to see a major overhaul. And nope it’s a huge disappointment!!! The way it was prior was so much better! The only good thing I’ve seen is they added more places to sit, and new carpet, and the place dosen’t smell bad, like it used to and more computers. But I have to say it’s a huge disappointment there is no sign letting you know there to scan your card!!! There’s just a guy at the info desk out the middle of nowhere! Whoever designed this library renovation, it’s a poor design useless! I don’t see any major change! The dove library is way better!!! I went in today to use the computer and there’s a 2 hour wait because people are watching you tube videos??? This is ridiculous! I won’t be back! If I could give no stars I would!

I love this library. I was helped by numerous library staff members during my visit, with everything from getting a replacement library card, to accessing a website that needed a certain plug-​in to be viewable, to printing documents that I didn’t see were going into the print queue, and using the payment and change machine.
I felt like I had a lot of questions, and the staff was more than happy to help. They were proactive, too. Sometimes I didn’t even have to ask, and they would come over and offer suggestions if they could tell I was looking around and needed assistance.

I love this library! Compared to Dove Library the Georgina Cole is smaller and has more of a homey feel to it. I’ve come here a ton in the past year. They had a sign up though stating they will be closed for remodeling from September 1, 2015 to early 2016.
Love their little outdoor patio in the middle of the library! And it’s the closest library to me, located off Carlsbad Village east of the 5 freeway.

I had some time to kill while in the area on a Thursday evening and was grateful to find this library was open until 9pm. Based on the building’s old exterior I wasn’t expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised as I walked in to find a busy, two-​story library with a friendly staff and various resources.
The first sign that I encountered read, «Borrow a tablet for free» and I couldn’t resist. I applied for a library card at the front desk and the friendly clerk directed me to the reference desk, where I was able to borrow a Samsung 7″ tablet for an hour (any longer than that and you’ll be charged $ 5).
Although this was my first time here and I live too far away to become a regular, the Georgina Cole Library deserves five stars based on one thing: their atrium. It’s a small-​but-​lovely outdoor seating area in the middle of the library. I took my borrowed tablet and found a few PDFs I’d been meaning to read from my Google Drive, sat down in the atrium, and relaxed for the next hour.
Before I left, I took a quick look around and found the community room packed with participants in a computer workshop, a second floor with its genealogy collection (apparently, one of the largest in Southern California), and a few shelves of used books and magazines for sale.

I really like this library. It is cozy and comfortable. I also like the summer programs they do with kids to keep them reading. I would bring the kids more often but all they want to do is play on the computers which is exactly what I am trying to get away from when I go to the library.

Such a pleasant place to be when trying to study/​complete assessments. I personally don’t understand people that go to cafes to get their studies done. How can you focus with all that noise and food around you? Cafes=socializing/coffee/light reading, library=studying/reading. Yea back to the library. There aren’t many seats but I didn’t have a hard time finding a seat on a Saturday afternoon. Parking wasn’t bad either. The staff at this library is absolutely wonderful. Every one of them. Such friendly people who go out of their ways to help you. Nice and organized shelves, pretty large children/​teens sections, free wifi, and computer access (with library card). Speaking of computers, I love their computer usage system. You scan your card and wait to be assigned to a computer, which is labeled by a classic author’s name! Love that idea! I’m always hoping to be assigned Austen. Lol

This library has two stories with a genealogy department. Usually, it is very quiet and easy for me to focus. Something to keep in mind is that there is a lack of plugs upstairs. Only the tables by the windows have plugs for computers. I have found the librarians to be generally considerate, respectful and helpful. It has various events for people of all ages. It’s Baby Rhyme time is lots of fun for children 0 – 18 months. They start out with songs and provide toys for free play for the last 20 minutes. They have a children’s event calendar with at least two things scheduled a week. I plan to attend more of these events. I know a library trend in North County is to have a coffee cart, this library does not have one. While, it is not the purpose of the library, it is nice to grab a coffee or a snack if need be. This library is an older library and I personally like the character that comes with the age of the building. It feels lived in, relaxed and like home to me.
Moral of the story:
Great kids events, quiet areas for working but lack plugs, no coffee cart

Can anybody tell me why this library SMELLS like a bad perfume shop??? I can’t stand the headaches I get from the strong smell!

Not happy to make the drive here. I stopped by on a Saturday around noon and it was just hard to find a place to sit. Seating was very limited and there were quite a bit of people in the library so I understand, but I still would have expected more chairs. I noticed there was an area in the middle of the library with chairs outside so it was nice to have the option to get some sun and read a book. In the end, I found an empty table to get some work done and due to the size and limited seating, the table, which had four chairs was filled by two additional visitors within minutes of me taking a seat. So much for thinking I was going to get some concentration in — no way! This is not the place for someone looking to study and searching for a quiet place to focus. I do not plan on making a come back here anytime soon.

Love this library, but i must admit this review is for the baby/​toddler free music/​reading classes that they offer! The teachers are great, very warm, inviting and creative. The break the class into two groups. One in under for safety and have soft toys, reading with words and fun music that involve mommy and me basics. The other side for older children, involve dancing with musical instruments and a story time! Educational, fun and free! Can’t beat it!

While trying to get off at the outlets for a quick bathroom break while driving down to Del Mar, I took a wrong exit.
Rather than forcing ourselves to get to the outlets, we figured we’d see what else was in the area… and stumbled upon this library. Plenty of people coming in and out for a well set up library. Kind of a cool feature they have here is the outdoor seating area, in case the weather is nice and you want to read in their garden…
We also didn’t bring books to read for our trip so we stopped by the rack of used books and picked up a couple of good reads for $ 1 a piece. :)

I like this library but it needs a revamp. All the good stuff is at Dove, including the performance spaces, great variety of media sources, scanning services, typewriter (handy for filling out job applications), I’m glad it is close to home and I can always ask for a book to be brought to this location. But when I see Dove’s resources and well-​equipped location, I wish they’d put some money on this one.

Disclaimer: I volunteer here. Despite that fact, I can be objective – this is not a great library. Their shelves of new books are small; most of the time you’ll need to place a hold from the main one (Dove). The reference desk is not very friendly – with one exception, a woman named Erin. (She’s easy to recognize – by far the most attractive one).There are about 12 computers w/​free Internet access but it’s fairly slow most of the time. An interlibrary loan will cost u $ 2, a DVD $ 1 with a $ 1 late fee for each day. (You get one week for fiction, three for nonfiction.)
However, it’s not all bad – they will usually honor a purchase request for a new book if they don’t carry it. At circulation, some employees are friendly, some aren’t – Dulce and Pat being the two best. CDs and books on tape are free. They also have a large children’s section. Overall, good but not great.

I love this library! It is open 7 days a week! This is amazing considering all the cutbacks in city services in the past year or two. It is relatively small but very busy with a wide selection of DVD’s, computers, magazines and of course books among many other things. This library perfectly blends the nostalgia of a 60’s era local library with the modern conveniences we need in the 21^st century.

Built in 1967 and named after Carlsbad’s first library director, the Georgina Cole Library is easily one of my favorite building’s around. Besides the 180,000+ item’s, their is a Genealogy Division to trace your family tree.
The Atrium in the center of the library fills it with light leaving the florescent lighting on «low»
Don’t sleep on the CD/​DVD section as well. Some really good stuff in there. Found many older cd’s that you may have missed to add the collection.
A true Carlsbad landmark. The Dove Library is newer and bigger. But my heart belongs to this one.

I will always have fond memories of this little library because I had to spend quite a lot of time here when we first moved out here and had no internet connection. They were very helpful in getting us set up with Carlsbad library cards and made the process pleasant. There never seemed to be too long of a wait to use the computers. I haven’t always found the exact book I wanted, but I have always left with something. The dvd area is way better than some of the libraries back in Virgina– mainly because of their documentaries and the fact that they have new releases. The cd selection is a really varied, almost strangely so– they had several Ani DiFranco cds (awesome!), lots of Pearl Jam, Thom Yorke’s solo album… but then there was also Paris Hilton (not awesome!) I guess we all have different tastes? The Georgina Cole library is a nice and quiet little community spot.