Iowa City Public Library

I have lived in several big cities, and none of their libraries can hold a candle to the Iowa City Public Library. Not only is the building lovely and clean, but they also have outstanding programs for the community. I was really impressed by their summer reading programs for kids, teens and adults, and it turns out they also have some fantastic winter programs. (Currently they have a «Read to the Rhythm» bingo card for January 4-​February 29.)
Of the two main libraries in the area, ICPL has the bigger selection – I usually can find several books here that haven’t made it to the Coralville library yet. And their children’s area is bigger, with more interactive tools, as well. (The playground area outside the library was a genius idea – my nieces love to visit in the summer and the playground/​library combo is their favorite thing on earth.)
Parking is relatively easy for downtown, and there are even a few spots right outside the front doors for quick drop-​offs and returns. The added bonus is that this is in ped mall area, so there are plenty of coffee shops and places to get a quick bite within walking distance.

Whoa whoa whoa, are you sure this is a public library?! This place is stinkin’ amazing!
Modern electronics, contemporary furniture, loads of huge tables for spreading your work out and organizing your thoughts, and those big airy windows?! What a beautiful space to hunker down and get some work done or sit and enjoy a book.

Iowa city public library has camera in the restrooms. The camera watching the changing table and the toilets.

Iowa City Public Library how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
In all reality I have only been here 2 or 3 times however each trip to the library has been a pleasant one. The book selection is vast and the DVD and video game selections are ample as well. Back in my day we didn’t rent no video games from the library, we only sat around and read or listen to other people read. Despite the changing times the library remains solid!
The free WiFi is always nice and there are plenty of places to sit and study while you’re waiting for friends, studying for class or just killing some time. It’s very bright and the décor is upbeat. Plenty of windows overlooking the ped mall give a reason to people watch when you should be studying. Additionally, there are plenty of corners to stick your nose in to actually study.
Overall a fantastic library and a wonderful staple of the downtown area.

This library is conveniently located in downtown Iowa City and has great reading space. I love reading on the second floor by the windows because there’s great natural light coming through the windows and a nice outside view. They have a wonderful collection of books, videos, and comics!
However, I took away a couple of stars because their technology is not up to date; this is important because my work involves much computer use. Even basic things like Microsoft Word is on the 2003 edition, and the internet connection is extremely slow. Pages take longer to load compared to other public library computers I have used. Loading videos (even Youtube!) and scanning documents take a pretty long time.
Overall, I enjoy this library. And I use this library in particular when I need to scan documents because the university and campus scanners aren’t as user friendly. The employees at this library have also been friendly and helpful.

The Iowa City library is set up very nice! Good selection, spacious in a very nice neighborhood! It is located near the university too which would be convenient if you walk. Not a big fan of parking in the area. It is not too hard to get a parking place but it is nearly all metered parking for only two hours. Yeah, I am a cheapskate like that.

Great sselestion of books and other offerings. Ability to interliberty loan and order books so you can always get current titles.

I have mainly only used the library as a study area… I have never had a problem finding a table and it is always plenty quiet. The only downside is if you need to use the computers you must have a library card, you are limited to 1 hour per day, and the whole computer area generally smells kind of weird. I understand their need to limit the time use on the computers and this may be standard for public libraries but it is a minor inconvenience to us lazy college students who don’t want to walk down the hill to the UofI library. Overall though it is a great library!

Such a great collection of books. Every time I look to reserve something I’m amazed that it is there and ready to be picked up.

A large, beautiful public library. A great selection of books, movies and other media, even art. The hours are convenient and there are a number of meeting rooms available for studying or reserving. I’ve visited and worked in a number of libraries and it’s obvious Iowa City cares about their library service with all that it offers to the community.

A nice alternative to the libraries on campus (or when they are full…) Just hope there is not a homeless man snoring on the first floor, I understand the chairs might be a comfy place for them to rest but it’s distracting if your trying to study!

This is a nice library with a wide variety of resources. You can check out books here, clearly, but you can also check out movies, CDs, magazines, artwork, etc. They have nice areas to study too.

I love their collection!