I still love the Delray Beach Public Library! It's such a great community resource. There are still a couple of very helpful librarians who go above and beyond, which I really appreciate. I recently had to check out The Scarlet Letter for my high school son's class, and the process was quick and easy. Beyond books, they also offer wonderful programs -- from computer classes to other engaging activities -- that really make the library a hub for learning. Do yourself a favor and go check it out. It's a gem right here in Delray! read more

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This is the nicest library in south Florida. The layout, design, books, classes, & services offered are truly everything. I came for sewing classes & was so impressed & grateful for everything they have here. Definitely worth checking out & taking advantage of. read more

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Nice spacious library. Love the recording studio in the library. Beautiful area for kids with plenty of children books. Staff are very friendly. Two level library read more

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Weird location for a neighborhood library. It is pretty old looking inside, and the furniture is definitely not comfortable for sitting and browsing through the media. The downstairs work cubicles were pretty beat up, and the table that I sat at had no working electrical outlet to plug in my laptop since I needed to do some research, and my battery was almost dead. The children's area is nice and that was probably the busiest area in the library. I didn't know that there was an upstairs area since there was no visible signage. I guess if I ever return, I will have to check that out. As a neighborhood library in the downtown Delray corridor, I guess it is good that this is available in the community. read more

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Located on Atlantic Ave in the heart of downtown Delray beach, the Delray Beach Public Library is kind of a anomaly in that it is a private, non profit. It is not part of the county library system. The history of this library goes all the way back April 11, 1913, when 40 women from the Ladies Improvement Association of Delray Beach met to improve the educational, cultural and recreational resources of the growing community by donating one book each to start a library in Delray Beach. The new library was open three nights a week and for one story time hour a week. In 1916, the library moved to the Booster Hall. Henry Flagler supported the ladies endeavor to start a library with a $10 donation. In 1939, the Delray Beach Public Library officially became a not-for-profit corporation and in 1940 the library formed a partnership with the City of Delray Beach and the Community Redevelopment Agency. Since that time the city has provided the library an annual operating budgeting while volunteers have raised additional funds to support the library. In 1950 the library was located at SE 4th Ave and in 2006 it moved to the location on Atlantic Ave where it sits today. Today the Delray Beach library is 46,826 square feet over two stories. It is twice the size of the first library. The building is bright and airy with high ceilings and a lot of natural light. The children's section is on the first floor along with the circulation desk. On the second floor are computers, a technology lab, conference and study rooms, and the reference section. The library is so much more than lending books. The children's section has an audio recording studio and a technology lab with 3D printers There is a small business development center located in the library. They offer computers, tablets, charging stations, a smart board, and mobile hot spots. Computer classes are offered for all ages and STEAM technology classes for children. Cultural and Educational programs are offered through the Lifelong Learning Institute program series. The library provides outreach to neighborhood and community centers. They offer homework help, films, book talks, lectures, concerts, and more. In addition to a myriad of programs to help the community they have almost a 100,000 books to lend. This was my first visit to the library and I was extremely impressed with how nice it is. I must confess I wasn't here to borrow a book or take a class. I popped in to charge my phone, enjoy the AC, and use the restroom facilities before the Delray Beach St. Patrick's Day Parade. Fortunately for me the library was in the perfect place along the route. On my way out I stopped in the restrooms again and was dismayed to see that they were completely trashed out by people attending the festival. The library was more than gracious welcoming in the increased visitors and to treat the library this way was not nice at all. The library offers so much to community, treat it with respect. read more

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terrible acoustics. Loud and does not accommodate for people that need to study. Staff is not helpful in getting people to quiet. remarkably stupid design. read more

Highlight: I love community libraries b/c they make me feel safe- growing up in my local library, I find sanctuary being surrounded by books, quiet shuffling of pages, and couches and wooden tables around me. Delray's library impressed me b/c I honestly expected something grimy being next to the beach, but I was pleasantly surprised by how the tall wooden modern ceiling, clean and bright feel, and shelves and shelves of books made one feel like this was one very nice library. I highly recommend coming here if you live in Delray. Library card: bring a home bill with your name and Delray address, or a FL driver's license. 3 week check out. Membership at this library does not give you access to other palm beach libraries. Helpfulness: Front desk people are nice and knowledgeable. Loudness: ok to be honest, you would come here for more "busy" work- I wouldn't come here to study for my board exams in med school, but if I wanted a change of scenary to gun Yelp reviews, this is not a bad place. For sale: they are having these 1-3$ book sales and honestly they are good and popular books, not just crappy romance novels, beat up books, books that no one's heard of before- heck, if I had a way to transport them across state lines, I would have bought them all b/c they were in excellent condition and such good books on sale (top 100 or best sellers NYT) Selection: I will have to put in some requests for some books I couldn't find, but the selection is very good. A lot of libraries are segueing into electronic books, so when you go into them it's a lot of computers and some books that it almost feels like a media/computer center rather than a library. I love that they have such a robust nonfiction and fiction section upstairs. It felt like a mini university library. Decor: Love the wooden and airy tall ceiling feel. People here are quiet and respectful and you'll see people of all kinds. Plenty of computers- I came on a weekend and I was still able to nab one to do a catalog search for my books. Parking: free and right behind the building- super safe too. You're also by the good restaurants so if you get tired of reading, go grab a quick bite on fun West Atlantic. read more

Delray Beach Public Library - Libraries Near Me - Delray Beach, Florida

If you're tryna borrow a book, it's a good place to go. But if you're trying to study, I would not recommend this place. It's very loud inside. I don't mind people around me but kids are screaming and talking loud. Adults are talking on the phone and everything echos read more

When I was growing up. Library's were quiet. It was seriously frowned upon to talk or make any noise. I have been to the Delray Beach public library several times and there are always PEOPLE TALKING LOUD!! Not just a word or two but constantly. There was someone playing music, seriously? Invited in to play music, in a library.? The guy behind the counter has an extremely obnoxious LOUD voice that billows throughout the library. He is the kind of person that wants and needs to be heard. I talked to the police officer twice about the noise. I got the look of SO? Yes it's a public library but the noise level every time makes it sound like a coffee shop. read more

Very friendly library . Very forgiving with late returns ( of children's books in any case .)

This is a great resource center and community space. The second floor is a co-sharing space. Great meeting place and has wonderful kid programs. read more

Delray Beach Public Library - Off to the Delray Library...I am wearing my reading glasses & bringing cash to pay fines for my kids with overdue summer books! - Libraries Near Me - Delray Beach, Florida

Really beautiful. Clean as a whistle. Staff are friendly and helpful and the library is easy ti find. They offer a wide selection of whatever you might be looking for. My mom has raved about this library. I can certainly see why. Stop by if you get a chance. It's lovely and a very relaxing place to be. read more

This is such a cool place to go for both adults and kids. The people who work there are so helpful and friendly.! Such a fun place to spend a rainy afternoon. read more

A newer library, but not easy to find if driving down Atlantic-- next to the court house, parking and entrance are in the back. Came here to study - yoga at the library.. cool, maybe, if it wasn't "open" and you could hear everything from yoga to the people walking in the door from downstairs... Probably has the books and "activities" you are looking for, but not good to chill, study and concentrate. read more

The LOUDEST library ever!!! I have been here several times and the noise level is ridiculous. I gave up trying to work/learn here. I'll go to my car instead. The librarians don't seem to notice. I've tried upstairs as well as downstairs and the results are the same...not worth the aggravation for me. Sorry, but you can do the same thing at the coffee shop...in fact, it might even be quieter! read more

I live in Delray, but often use the Palm Beach County Library so don't always get into the downtown Delray City Library. I went in recently and was really surprised by the books they have upstairs. They have a whole mystery section with books by Charlaine Harris (True Blood) that I had been seeking all over the place!!! Downstairs is a little misleading as there are not as many books, and unfortunately the times I have gone, there is the random homeless person sleeping (I mean, studying!) in one of the small study cubes. I get that homeless people need to sleep too, but when I am browsing library shelves and contemplating my next cozy book with a warm latte, they just don't help me get my read on. Anyhoos, arriving upstairs was a new world with free computer usage (another possible homeless person, or perhaps I am just a lil neurotic), a help desk, and an exciting murder mystery section, I found the holy grail 'Lily Bard' series by Harris and have since decided I like this library after all! I am surely adding it to my reading rotation as they definitely have a different selection that I have not tapped into yet! read more

The story times are incredible. It's not as structured as the county and the lady who conducts it goes with the flow. It's always packed when I take my son to it and they give out a free book to each kid that attends. My son is super obsessed with books, so it's a win-win for the both of us. Also, there is a huge selection of books to browse through, such as new, fiction, drama, biography, children's, etc. The staff is friendly and helpful and the library is spotless. read more

Good selection of books - new, mystery, nonfiction, fiction, biography, the usual. Excellent staff that is friendly and helpful. Nice atmosphere for working, reading, etc. Overall, a valuable addition to the community and a good place to go if you want free entertainment. read more

Probably the loudest library I've ever been to. Do not go if you are trying to study or get some quiet time to focus on something.

Unfortunately Yelp doesn't allow anyone to give 0 stars for reviews. I've been to many libraries throughout palm beach county and Delray Beach is by far the worst as regards to their incredibly rude and disrespectful head of information services who sits at the desk upstairs. When trying to ask a simple question to Loanis Menendez-Cueta (if someone returned a usb drive). She completely ignores me while watching videos on a cellphone. I attempted to restate my question but she yells " I can't hear you," and then pulls out her hearing aide from her ears. She had no trouble hearing those that were in line ahead of me. I've seen her not only be incredibly rude and disrespectful to me but to others as well. She shouldn't be working with the public if she doesn't like answering questions or helping the public. I attempted to speak with Mykal Banta who's the assistant director and to my surprise he did nothing to fix or help the situation which is completely unacceptable. I got in contact with someone from the board of directors so I pray a change occurs. read more

Noisiest library I've ever been too. The kids room is connected to the upstairs study rooms. Any noisy kid could be heard throughout the entire library. People talk loud, and a nice person gave me ear plugs to help suppress some of the noise. It's a great looking library but for the purposes of what a library is suppose to do, the echoes and noises make studying and reading difficult to concentrate read more

Cannot believe this place is a library. Aside from stacks and rows of books, the atmosphere inside is more like a community center. Employees, and residents, talking and carrying on as if they were at a Starbucks. When the conference rooms are full, the other people there, trying to study, cannot do so because of all the noise. So annoying, and frustrating. What happened to silence and careful whispers? read more

This library is awful. They won't even let you use the empty study rooms for an hour for a Skype interview without a library card but there's no way to get a card unless you have a FL license. Rude employees! It's a public library not anything special! I was dressed in a business suit and asked very politely, clearly not about to destroy the place. read more

Very uncomfortable library with wooden chairs with no cushion lets just sit on the floor. The Wifi is horrible. Step your game up Delray

On this day, Wednesday, the computers were not working. The AC was though and on a hot day like today it is important. They have magazines and the paper for free. You can rent DVDs and video read more

Nice spot to relax and check out some literature.

This is a very nice library that has a decent selection of books. It's not a huge library but is well maintained and always clean. The librarians and staff are very nice and helpful. To get a library card, all you need is a FL drivers license. They don't require proof of residency like bringing in mail or anything like other libraries require. Even if you don't have a FL drivers license, they will still give you a library card if you have a valid I.D. and have proof of Delray Beach residency. Overall, this is a great library to visit and find good books at. One thing I want to also address is the one star review someone left earlier. Like I said earlier, the staff are very friendly, but there are certain rules that they have to adhere to and cannot make special accommodations, like letting someone use one of their study rooms who does not have a library card nor any proof Florida or Delray Beach residency to get a library card. Just because they follow and enforce the rules (that they have to follow to keep their jobs), does not mean they are rude. read more

Employees at the Reference desk are very helpful. Excellent nonfiction section.

Today was our first time here. We did story time for the little kids. It was a great experience! The place is clean and the people who were working there were so nice and helpful! We will definitely be back! read more

I like the place, the people there are generally nice but my goodness the place is LOUD and the employees don't seem to care. Don't waste your time trying to study there it's not worth it if peace and quiet is what you're looking for. There's only 2 study rooms and they are timed. Not worth the aggravation. read more

Seems to have gone downhill the past few months since before Christmas. Nobody knows what's going on. There are homeless people sleeping in everywhere you want to sit and the carpet is filthy. The bathroom is nasty and the fountain is broke on the ave. read more

In a library, one would expect its patrons to be respectful of the environment. However I found it incredulously noisy and the people here gave no pass towards anyone immersed in a book or work. Cell phones ringing, loud voices bouncing back and forth as if at a social gathering; I found myself musing over the discomfort rather than enjoying my reading. read more

I called the Delray Beach Library to inquire if fines would be forgiven due to Hurricane Irma. I was able to renew all my books online, except one, which had a hold on it. I was told by a very rude elderly woman at the Circulation Desk that, yes, I would have to pay the fines, that they were my responsibility. I informed her I was in Houston with my daughter, that I could not get back during Hurricane Irma. She said "well, if you're lucky, the dumb Library Director will decide to waive fines during the hurricane. I wouldn't worry about it." Then, she promptly hung up on me before I could respond. What kind of an attitude is that to project to the public? I worked for a library for over fourteen years. Had we chewed a patron out like that, we would have been fired. We also had a policy in place that library fines would be waived in case of a hurricane. I ended up calling a friend, who has a key to my house, and asking her to return the books for me. That rude woman needs to be replaced by someone who is courteous to the public. Her attitude is a poor reflection on the Delray Beach Library. I know I will never return after being the recipient of her scathing remarks!! read more