The MCPL definitely deserves 5 stars and has always served as a B-town staple. I love that there's…read morea drive through during normal times. It makes navigating multiple kids, nap time, and everyday chaos so much easier. Currently the drive through is closed bc our COVID numbers are dangerous. The MCPL has found an easy way to protect their staff and customers by creating an appointment based pickup system. It's easy - 1) you place your items on hold 2) you'll get an email when your hold requests become available 3) you book an appointment at a day/time of your convenience 4) park your car in the lot and enter the lobby through there. The holds are placed alphabetically and you take your items only (they ask you not to touch anything that's not for you). Masks are required and they have disposable ones in ziplock baggies if you need. I love that they've found a way to keep books and other library items accessible through it all. They have some of the best selection I've seen (for kids and adults alike), along with always stellar customer service. They even have crafting kits you can request! And toys you can get on loan (not sure if that one's possible during COVID but it sure is great during normal times). Super love this library and very thankful for it.

I Love That Library It Has All Kinds Of Books, Movies,…read moreGames, And Music! I Would Love Go To Back Sometimes And Borrow More 9/10

This gem is well-organized for the best browsing. The staff is mostly volunteers who know and love…read morebooks. It serves the good purpose of supporting library programs. The prices put owning books in everyone's reach.

This is seriously the best bookstore in Bloomington. Nearly new books for amazing used prices!…read moreCharming staff! All sales benefit the Monroe County Public Library.

This place is the best! The librarians are so nice but take library cards without telling you.read more

I am constantly pleased to live in a county with such a good library and to have a branch as fine…read moreas Ellettsville. Staff are always so gracious and pleasant. Loans or transfers come from the main library so efficiently that my requests online take only a couple of days and I do not need to go downtown. Parking is usually (but not always) available without hassle. Inside is clean and fresh an open. We should all have an annual, appreciate your library day. People just do not realize what a huge thing this is if they have always enjoyed these benefits! They have also had the easy check out for years, buzz your card, press your pin, pop down your book and hey presto, you are out the door. I love to speak to the librarians but when they are busy or I am ni a hurry this is terrific.

The archive a the Herman B Wells Library is an absolute gem. It is located on the 4th floor in the…read moreWest Tower. I cannot laud the staff enough for being so kind and communicative to visitors. While their collections are in great shape, I especially love what they have done to market themselves and the collections. They have all kinds of magnets and bookmarks, but the best part are the recipe postcards. These are recipes from the archives that have been published in postcard form for people to take. Way to make the past come to life!

Wells is a good place to go- usually. There are busy weeks (finals, Icore, midterms) where I…read morewouldn't recommend going because it's hard to find a place to do any work. They have group break out rooms, "talking" floors, quiet floors, a cafe, the stacks- where it's quiet individual studying, and so much more. Not to mention the books! The cafes and the food in the basement is really good! I love the little coffee shop in the basement.

I don't often review 'non restaurant' locations, but my experience at the Southwest branch of the…read moreBloomington library today left me needing to give rave reviews. It's been forever since I've been in one of the local libraries because I'm such a Kindle reader. But in order to use Libby, I needed to get a new library card and signed up online. The process was simple, and ultimately it led me to the point of needing to visit the Southwest Branch (close to my house) and show proof that I am indeed me, and that I live in Bloomington. A utility bill did the trick. First and foremost, it's a beautiful facility. I didn't spend much time there, and probably won't be there often simply because I'm a digital reader. BUT let me say I may use it as a quiet space and place to read. The woman at the desk (Cathy or Cathi sorry I can't remember) was amazing. She was super helpful, friendly, and not only made my card but laughed at one of my jokes. She went above and beyond to tell me about how to use the library, explain policies and pointed out both Libby and Hoopla. She was great. I used to work part time in a library, and hold them near and dear to my heart and she's exactly what I love about libraries in general. If you're on the south side of town, stop using the downtown branch and move your library activity to this location. They have a great facility, will take anything you reserve from other branches straight to the branch, and you can pick it up there. Kudos to our town for believing in the value of these types of spaces.

Awesome Library space, friendly staff. And there's a beautiful Labyrinth and sacred space to walk…read moreoutside.

This is a stunning law library. We have been going around looking at law schools with our daughter…read more Visited Indiana University Maurer Law School and ran across their library...WOW. When you walk in the law school in Baier Hall, the law library is on the right...everything else (classrooms, faculty, administrative offices, etc.) is on the left. The library is five stories tall and wrapped around an atrium of the same height. There are soaring windows on the first two levels (mostly looking out onto peaceful Dunn Meadow), loads of various seating on all the floors (carrels, large tables, soft cushy lounge seats, etc.), small breakout rooms seemingly everywhere, and, of course, ranks and ranks of shelved books. The whole place is wired for easy connectivity and when added to their computer room, this library has everything the budding lawyers need. This law library is an attraction all by itself. Exceptional.

Gorgeous. Seriously beautiful campus/building. Helpful staff. Near Starbucks, if you like your…read morecaffeine. As is the case on most campuses, parking is tricky.

The Selection Of Movies Was Jam Packed! The Service Was Good…read moreAnd The Value Was Great And Cheap 10/10 If You Want To Buy Some Movies That Is Not Goodwill, I Recommend This Place!

Great store with lots of selection. They have some cool vintage items and lots of older books. The…read moredeals are great and you can get most items for $4 or less in my experience. Also, they do lots of incredible sales!

After finishing a trip to the Mathers Museum of World Culture, my wife and I selected a doorway…read morethat leads to the museum portion of the IU Archaeology department. They share the same building and although there is a separate entrance from the outside, we found it easiest to simply go through the doorway. Note that we didn't see anyone monitoring the museum during our visit, so we just browsed on our own. The museum is part of a larger area which includes a research library and even more exhibits in the central lobby area of the upstairs portion. (Note we did not explore the lower floor which looked off limits.) During our visit, we saw a lot of informational window booths with facts and artifacts that have been gathered from our state. There is a strong connection between this facility and the Angel Mounds in Evansville. There are several displays with information about the Angel Mounds and other mounds which were shaped like snakes, or marching bears. There are also windows with info on artwork inspired by animals, stands showing tribal shields with info, and science facts about animals that have lived in our state. The museum is unique in what it offers, but I understand that it won't appeal to everyone. But considering it is free and puts things into understandable relationships, it does offer value to those who may be interested in local history and/or nature. Review #2205

Nice historical society with some solid exhibits. They do a nice job of portraying the history of…read morethe county and have some interesting exhibits that rotate. One thing I was disappointed in was a lack of Hoagy Carmichael representation, since their archive has a bunch of items in relation to him, including pieces of clothing. The only mention of Hoagy I found on exhibit was part of a little exhibit on famous musicians from the county. Hoagy was further down on the list and you had to listen to a bunch of other snippets before you could get to him. I expected him to be more prominent in this location. I really liked that they had reasonably priced gift shop and a really nice selection of used books/DVDs/sheet music, etc. While the exhibit wasn't doing much in the way of Hoagy, I picked up some really nice used items in relation to him.

This local-focused, self-sustaining non-profit is a great find! The Center offers a museum,…read moreresearch library, and gift store. There are many special event throughout the year and the exhibits refresh often. The building is on the National Register of Historic Buildings and the volunteers who work there are amazing. The grounds are beautiful. Museum Admission: $2 adults, $1 children, under 5 Free (most special events are free) Parking: street or one of the parking garages located 3 blocks away Food: none Credit Cards: Visa, MasterCard