South Pasadena Public Library

I would have given it 5 stars, and really wanted to, but the string of Bicycle theft incidents lately has me feeling a bit reluctant to go there with my bike recently.
I really love this Library but
The Wi Fi needs a big upgrading. When it works it works fine, but the amount of people connecting at any given time really causes an upsurge in wi fi connectivity issues. And most of us need wi fi to study on our macbooks.
Also!
Now I know you are all thinking «it’s not the libraries fault for Bicycle theft» and yes I agree WHOLEHEARTEDLY. BUT, and this is a big FAT BUT, Libraries represent community now don’t they? And as such I would LOVE for the people running this place to step up as community leaders and hold meetings on how to prevent BIKE THEFT! Because why? Because this way they would have a hand in helping to prevent it, thus revealing how much love they have for those of us children who ride our bicycles to the library because we do not yet drive!
And it would also show that they want to keep us coming back every day, feeling safe as can be without having subconscious thoughts of bicycle theft while walking in to study for school or any other business we might have in there.
If this issue can be addressed this library would be a perfect paradise to me. And I mean that because there are good souls presiding over this place, the only thing is those good souls cannot seem to prevent bike theft.
My suggestions would be to take more measures to monitor the outside with video camera’s, as well as putting up signs, having patrons patrol the outside. Because Bike theft is a serious thing, not only do bikes cost a lot of money, it is a sentimental thing as well!
Have you ever seen Pee Wee’s big Adventure? Yea, the one where Pee Wee has his Bike Stolen! No WONDER it was filmed in South Pasadena!
Okay, anyway. Before the incidents of bike theft I use to LOVE sitting in this gorgeous library all day and study before going on a bike ride. But since these incidents multiplied, I have unfortunately not rode my bicycle there because I know I would be seriously aggravated if I came outside after a nice study session and saw MY BIKE gone.
The inside of this library (depending on where you sit) is one of the most peaceful places in an already peaceful town. It typifies what South Pasadena is about. Which is love, community and children being safe and cared for. I get a strong family vibe when ever I enter this library and it makes me feel like i’m at home, but MY BIKE!!! MY BIKE!!!
I attended a screening of the film version of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 in the community room to commemorate his birthday. It was me, a couple other young people and a lot of elder people, who were all super nice and enjoyed the experience. They had theater actors who actually worked with Bradbury before his passing come up and perform scenes from the book that were not in the film. The older male actor was particularly astonishing to watch.
This is what community is all about, not just events like this but the library in general. I love the feeling of this place, I just really wish they would pool their resources and help prevent bicycle theft. I know if they did they could improve the situation a hundred fold.
Please, have a meeting about this in the community room. There has to be SOMETHING to assuage this problem!
And I really would love to come to the library every single day with my bike, instead of just on days where I feel like walking there.

Customer Service is top-​notched here.
Michael — Top Reference Librarian is a savant and incredibly knowledgeable and helpful. He gave me the much needed information and more. He went above and beyond giving me references and websites to assist me with my project.
I am glad to have met him. Few people left in the world like him.

We are 2x a week visitors to the children’s library. Our favorite librarian, Ms Maida, NEVER fails to expand the horizons of our ever changing interests. We gave our home library away and truly feel that this library is a home away from home. The collection has never felt limited.
We have not particularly benefited from other librarians; nor have we loved the half dozen programs we’ve attended.
The fig tree on grounds is a most beloved neighborhood play/​picnic spot.

small. they need to build a new and bigger library. it’s too cramp inside. video collection needs updating but maybe because each checkout is good for 3 weeks and it’s free.

Very cute, quaint, cozy and of course quiet.
Great selection of books, cd’s, DVDs including some of the latest movies and TV series.
I love that the bathroom is always clean

Cool bookstore upstairs.
Great cooling zone for the heat wave.
Great selection of books.
Quaintest little thing on the block!

The South Pasadena Public Library is a very modest [ie, woefully underfunded] but beautiful and very useful place to read books, magazines, do research, bring your kids to do homework or read, etc. I love it and have been visiting it for years.
What is is NOT, however, is an eating and drinking place (no library is, for God’s sake), a place to conduct all your business in for hours because of the free wifi, a place to linger in after closing time (really — people are complaining that they can’t stay there until the last second? RUDE.), a place to let your children run around unattended or a place for free babysitting, or a place which allows you to lose, abuse and/​or destroy books, CDs, DVDs or other materials at no cost to you. Libraries and their services aren’t free — they’re a privilege with very specific rules which apply to EVERYONE who goes there and uses them (if someone is being overly loud, complain to one of the clerks or librarians and they’ll take care of it).
If your books are overdue, bring cash and pay the fines. Don’t complain that they don’t take plastic or checks — it’s an old-​fashioned non-​profit business because (again) they’re underfunded and can’t afford the electronic equipment for these services. The people who work at this library have always been unfailingly polite and helpful to me down through the years, but maybe that’s because I’ve never treated any library as my personal office, my kids’ daycare center, an alternative to a coffeehouse, a clubhouse, or a place where the staff should be treated as my personal servants. I know the rules, I abide by them, I don’t abuse library property and I try to treat the staff with the same courtesy and kindness by which I’m always treated.
If you have a less than ideal experience at this good, gentle place, perhaps you should look to yourself and your own behavior. As for me, I’ll continue to be grateful for the SPPL, its beautiful grounds, wonderful community room and overall pleasant atmosphere.

This mid-​sized library isn’t the fanciest place around, but it’s perfectly serviceable and has most things a person would probably look for in a library. There’s a wide collection of books (fiction, non-​fiction, self-​help, etc.), current magazines, comics/​manga, movie DVDs, and music CDs. There’s a number of tables to work at, and there are sections for children and middle school/​high school students. I’ve generally found the staff to be helpful and friendly.
This library takes book donations. I brought ~30 textbooks and other books, and they took all of them.
With nice grassy knolls in shade, the area outside the library is a nice spot to hang out, especially after taking a gander through the Thursday Farmer’s Market.

A charming little library tucked just behind South Pas’ downtown area. The grounds are well kept for peaceful reading and even picnicking! What I love most about this quaint library are their resources for little tykes. They have an abundant assortment of board books, CD’s and DVD’s which are age appropriate for my little one, even since he was born.
They offer a nice selection of classics such as those from Eric Carle as well as newer titles, and they constantly replenish the shelves with up-​to-​date titles. Their CD’s include everything from Raffi to Sesame Street, Disney. Rockabye Baby and on and on… And DVD’s include Sesame Street, Elmo, Baby Einstein and Little Pim in tons of languages!
My little one and I are in for a treat every time we visit, as we love their designated play area stocked with blocks, Lego, puzzles and toys. Renewing material is a snap online and parking is sufficient surrounding the building, with up to 4 whole free hours of street parking!

Nice place to relax.

It’s hard to do a library wrong, really. But still, five stars.
It’s not a particularly large library, even though its two stories. Maybe its the décor or the way they set up the shelves, it just doesn’t feel big, which can be good or bad. I only come here to study, and for that, the environment is quiet enough, even with the kids. Place feels like a large elementary school library is the best I can put it. They have a bookstore upstairs and clearance books out in the lobby.

Fabulous and casually elegant evening listening to über-​musician/​songwriter, Beach Boys lyricist, Van Dyke Parks. My buddy is his neighbor and had an extra ticket so that’s how I found out about the gig. Great grounds around the place, safe and cool urban elegance. Gotta love it.

This is a great library. Nice selection, clean, kid friendly, so why the two star review? The adult reference librarian Paula is extremely unfriendly, unhelpful, and just plain rude. I thought maybe it was me, but after reading the other reviews I realize Paula is just rude to everyone.

This library can’t grasp the meaning of the word «quiet».
A combination of shrieking little undead children, basket case patrons and overly permissive librarians/​parents wait for the exact moment when you’re building a delicate, fragile thought then, BAM!, «MOMMYMOMMYAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHbeeepbeeepfwoooshgrrrrr­rICANSPELLTRUwoooossshhhhhSo you owe 15 in late feesBUTIDON’TUNDERSTANDfrom July 15^th at 4:07PM. Do you want to pay it now?»
The fact that this library needs a specifically demarcated «Quiet Zone» should further clue you in to how conducive this place is to studying. Even better, they put the «Quiet Zone» right next to the entrance, checkout counter, restroom AND the «Children’s Zone». If your idea of a silent spot to read and think includes a constant chorus of beeping scanners, arguments about late fees and howling children with impulse control issues, the «Quiet Zone» is definitely the place for you.
On the list of places with limited space and which carve out «Zones», «internment camps» far outnumbers «libraries».
What else is neatly sub par at this library? For one, they have a giant stuffed ostrich in the lobby that stands larger than their section on animal care books. Something that speaks volumes about this library’s ethos. Another thing to consider, because of the small size and staff of the library, books often get dethroned from their proper shelf spot and the library attendants compete to see who can do the best impression of «someone who doesn’t give a shit».
Maybe you’ll go dig around the shelves on your own, possibly in the «International» section (which is merged together with «Romance Dime Novels»). That means you’ve arrived at the «Quiet Zone». When you’re there, you should constantly bitch about how you can’t find the movie you want to rent, demand a librarian to come to the «Quiet Zone» and have him, too, loudly respond about how he doesn’t know how to help you. And possibly about how his cat recently got diagnosed with FIV.
But you know what? There’s always parking and Wifi. So… bully for them.

I like this library, it’s nice and quirky. When I was there, it was quiet, I typically put on my in ear headphones and listen in low volume (as to not disturb others) to music which drowns out any kids but for the most part it’s not bad.
They also have a better wifi then the Pasadena Public Library which has blocked a few ports that my cloud based services use which I pull my writing material, not the case here. If you get a library card, you can get access to LA Time’s newspapers back to the mid 80’s which I thought was pretty cool. Also very nice to walk around a very east-​coast like park reminds me a bit like Princeton University’s campus, so when I’m home sick it’s nice to go here.
This is a very short walk from the Gold Line station, it used to be called «Mission», it’s now called the «South Pasadena» stop, past Fillmore, other places in the area if you go, a used book store, some little eateries, etc.
And I’ll say to confirm with Myung, I gave it an extra star because it reminded me of home.

While I absolutely adore South Pasadena, I’m not entirely keen on the library. It’s pretty generic and definitely serves its purpose without any pomp and circumstance. I want to feel like I’m a coed meeting my study group at some prestigious university or Judy Jetson in a futuristic dome of technology that just happens to also house books. I don’t want to feel like I’ve been transported back to my 3^rd grade self in the ‘80s having to look in encyclopedias to complete a book report. The pomp and circumstance affords me the luxury of the previously mentioned mind getaways, while the lack thereof makes me just want to hurry up and get on with it. Whatever it is.
There is ample free parking around and of course, free wifi, but there’s not a ton of ideal seating if you’re in need of some laptop juice.
A ton of kids… and not entirely quiet ones.

what a historical building! *imagine* walking into a little bit of history… complete w/​the darkness and stuffy air
i have come here many a times for research papers, their reference materials are extensive
the librarians are always helpful!
:note: this library is connected to the other ones in la county and books can be checked out through the network

It’s an «A-​Okay» library. Reviews about this place reinforce the notion about how Unilocalers are biased about their home-​town libraries and experiences…
For one, the library isn’t very big. It doesn’t have the greatest selection of books either. That is expected from a small-​town library of its size.
It smells like new books (which is pleasant) mixed with old books (which is disgusting) to create a slightly pungent aroma that is special in itself. It’s like… taking a huge dump and then using the best air freshener you can buy to mask the smell. It’s awkwardly pleasant.
It is quiet; which is a good thing. But what library isn’t? There are tables for students to use when studying or reading, but there really aren’t a lot of them since not a lot of students are in this place at any given time.
They have computers with internet connection; another standard for libraries. I once saw some white-​power bill type of tattooed skin-​headed dude sitting next to me while I was checking email [I was about 14 at the time; before I was a bad ass]. He saw my chink face and gave me a good stare down before looking back at his computer. I left shortly afterward, fearing for my life.
The children’s section is good for bringing your kids here to read and play with… I don’t know. Colorful tables. It takes up a good amount of room; which is good because we want kids to read.
The staff is nice and very pleasant. The late fees aren’t ridiculous; it was $ 0.10 per day from when I used to go there. You can print things here if you’d like; also $ 0.10 per page I believe. There is a bathroom here as well as a water fountain. They have vending machines with stationery in case you lost some on the way to the… library. Or something. They may have upped the prices on everything… shouldn’t be too much though. There is a drop box for late night book returns if you ever are worried about turning books in late.
While I’m not a huge fan of this place, it is a good library for the small area it resides in. I’ve been influenced by much larger libraries that have a much larger selection of books to the point where this place only gets 3 stars from me.

People are so rude these days, especially the reference librarian Paula. I had just purchased an iced coffee from Starbucks and since it was my first time coming to this library, I did not know that I could not bring this beverage into the library.
Instead of kindly informing me that I could not bring this drink into the library, she raised her voice in the library in front of other patrons and demanded that I throw it out. This behavior is quite unacceptable.
This library is quite small. There is not too much seating within the library. I do like the fact that they have free WiFi in the library. However, the experience of being here was diminished when I encountered that rude reference librarian. It is also very hypocritical of the reference librarians to talk up a storm then rudely telling other patrons to be quiet. It is just too noisy to be classified as a library.

They only accept cash or check for fines. No credit cards, trade ins or bartering! =p
So make sure you stamp your materials before you leave with the date you are due, to save yourself from making an unplanned «donation».