One of my favorite places to go do some reading, studying, and working even if that means having…read morethe computer and my books open all day and daydreaming. There is a rather spacious parking area right in front of the library, but is usually packed in the afternoons. Still, there's a lot of parking on the streets, near the restaurant, and if it's such a nice day with so many people all over the John Collins Park, you can always park at DSW and walk all the way here. I love the tables alongside the big open windows that look right down at reed's lake. The best moments are when you can see the breeze and just stare at the blue sky from the inside. The tables along the wall have outlets, but the table in the middle of the space might not, depending on where the tables are. There are also spaces which look like an airplane VIP seating, kind of secluded and can also make you focus a bit better. I've noticed that there are times when it gets louder, especially when there are lot of people in the computer area. (I've seen some kids come to play games for hours). Other times, it's not too bad. If you want quieter spaces you can always walk to near where the bathrooms are located inside, and you'll see 2-3 rooms with glass walls all around. It works on a first-come first-serve basis, with a 2/3 hour limit. The glass walls are surprisingly real sound-proof. Spacious circular working table with enough chargers. You can always take a study break by going out to the patio for fresh air. There are still lots of people out on the benches working and reading. If you're trying to find a study place, but tired of cafes, I recommend!

One of my absolute favorite places in Grand Rapids area. It's the perfect gem that I am afraid to…read moreshare with the world. Kent Library is honestly one of the best libraries and study places I've been to. Located in the beautiful (yet bougie) East Grand Rapids, it's accessible by car, bike, bus, etc. The library is connected to the Town Hall with spacious, aplenty parking. The bus line, 6, is also an easy route to trek from Medical Mile/Downtown GR straight to EGR. Inside, the library is two stories with the top floor being the "adult"/general floor with books, DVDs, newspapers, magazines, etc. The bottom floor is the children and teen section with...AN AQUARIUM!!! Not only is Kent Library located on Reed's Lake, they also have an indoor water wonderland! I was elated to see the fishies and turtles-- #red #eared #slider #TURTLES! I spent a solid 10 minutes being completely fascinated and engrossed with these magnificent creatures. What a treat! :) The best spot to study is the area facing towards the lake. There are about ~10 tables and a handful of comfy chairs with plenty of outlet plugs. The library hours are also good and people are generally respectful there. If you get bored, you can also literally go outside to the patio overlooking the lake or hop over to Gaslight District and grab Starbucks or a delicious bite to eat. I cannot gloat about Kent Library enough. It's one of my go-to places for studying!

Love love love the library. All of the staff are so kind and helpful. They host so many wonderful…read moreevents for the public and have so many resources that you may not even realize! You can rent things like records, video games, and they have even had tickets for local experiences or attractions. The library is such a necessary community space. Definitely sign up for the summer reading program, it's open to all ages.

Great break out rooms to study! Near some cool places to eat and parking was super easy!read more

Best customer service! Fun things for kids of all ages! Movies books video games and so much more…read moreall free to use!

I always really enjoy coming to this library. It's not huge, but it's clean, quiet and the staff is…read morefriendly. They have a great little kid's section with games, drawing stuff, kid-friendly computers, puppets, etc. Their selection of children's books is good as well.

I love coming here for a study session. The library was closed a little earlier than usual due to…read moreCOVID restrictions one time that I visited, but there is enough sitting outside the Steelcase Library itself, like an open area with lots of seating and outlets. Usually the library itself is pretty much filled up, but I was always lucky enough to find the last empty table. You can bring drinks, food to eat, but it is rather quiet inside the library. I would love to come here to just sit and read on any weekends as well.

The quiet atmosphere, individual study desks, large ceilings, and use of natural light are just a…read morefew of the things I enjoy about the Steelcase. The library features a huge mechanical book-retrieving device that snags the text you're searching for. It is pretty cool, however, the device (which I believe is becoming more popular in more recent libraries) does eliminate the option of browsing for yourself. You can no longer stroll through the library and flip through the texts that catch your attention. Additionally, the seating capacity is minimal, granted it is a small library. Overall, I do like this library and would recommend it to anyone needing to get some work done.

love the second floor a lot, lots of seating with big windows looking out towards a field that is…read moregreat to work at plenty of study / meeting rooms available as well

This library is beautiful. There is plenty of parking and the staff is always friendly. They host…read morelots of events for children and families!

Love this little library. It's cozy, comfortable and has very friendly staff happy to help with…read moreeverything. It's always clean and tidy with interesting displays. My favorite is the children's area where I always enjoy the big bulletin board and decorations.

This is my go-to branch! It's the closest to my home which makes it very convenient, but the staff…read moreare also so helpful and I LOVE that they have a holds locker. I don't always have the ability to make it to the library during their open hours, so being able to pick up a hold is SO SO handy. They also have a drive-thru book drop, which is also very nice! I appreciate that it's a smaller branch and makes it easier to find things and it's generally pretty quiet. They also consistently do story time, but is not quiet, but so adorable to walk past on the occassions I'm there during that time window. SUPPORT LOCAL LIBRARIES!

This library is itty bitty but it has two awesome things going for it: a drive-thru book drop…read more(perfect for inclement weather, returning books after the bar closes, bad hair days, or a sleeping child in the backseat) and an exterior holds pickup locker that can be accessed at any time!

I've made it a goal to visit all the GRPL branches while my home branch is temporarily closed. I…read moredon't remember ever visiting the West Side branch before, and I was pleasantly surprised at the large, light-filled reading room. I wish the new book section was larger, but I had fun browsing and looking at the records available for check out. I also got some new to me CDs to listen to. I was trying to print some things, but the room where the printer is was very crowded with people on computers and the printer was occupied, so I went to another branch for that. I definitely could have been more patient but felt like it was a bit cramped in the room. I parked on the street but it looks like there is a parking lot behind the building, as well as hold lockers outside which I think are super nice. I wish my branch had them.

As a lifelong library user and former librarian, I love libraries! As part of GRPL's summer reading…read morechallenge, I visited a branch I'd never been to before - the Seymour branch. They have a large parking lot and the space is open and bright. I loved the hold pickup lockers near the parking lot - I wish my neighborhood branch had them. There is a bit of a walk from the parking lot to the main entrance, so be aware for those with mobility issues. It is flat, though. I always love checking out the new book section of any library, and was able to find it right away. I browsed the cookbook section and found some CDs to check out. The whole library was very clean and well-organized and I had no issues using the self checkout. They even have an enclosed booth for making calls. So glad I was able to visit this branch - even though it's not super close to where I live, I wouldn't hesitate to stop in the next time I'm in the neighborhood!

I went to the GVSU's Fall Celebration of the Liberal Arts and presentation of poetry night. It…read morewas great! The presenters and their readings were first rate. B.H.Fairchild & Nikky Finney will be two poets that I will be reading soon and often in the future. Thanks Grand Valley for helping me be a Laker for life! R.J. York, class of '68

I can't even begin to describe the nightmare that is this university. Go here if you want to waste…read moreyour time, money and energy. I don't think there is one damn person in any one office that knows how to do their own job. They lost my transcript not once, twice, three times but FIVE TIMES I had to have it re-sent to them because they "didn't receive it" the first three times and then only could find part of it the fourth, which resulted in them signing me up for a class I didn't need only to find out two weeks after the semester started, and having to switch into the correct class late. That's not the only fax they've lost of mine resulting in me having to jump through hoop after hoop just to do something that should've taken hours, not days, and screwing up my entire schedule. I stayed maybe one or two nights in one of their dorms, hated it so much and asked to withdraw from student housing and they still charged me over 2 grand. The campus security is some of the rudest and most useless people I've ever encountered. They issue parking tickets every chance they can get, and one time I left an expired parking pass on my car and some bitch called me saying if I didn't take it off they were going to arrest me?? I called them to walk me back to my dorm one night because there are so many rapes on campus and they took 35 minutes to get to me. And one time I crashed my bike and was crying in class so they had the police called on me and the counseling office had the police FORCE ME against my will onto an ambulance and said I couldn't refuse treatment which made me miss both my classes that day and instead they took all my belongings except my underwear and had me sit in the hospital for NINE hours before a social worker walked in and said I could leave. This place is literally hell. Go somewhere else.