Medium size premise with main library on the ground floor and activity room on second. Everything looks updated and in good conditions. Serenity was the first word that came to my mind read more

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Yay to the local library! I was finally able to visit this location for a specific book that was highly reviewed and recommended. I tried to go twice before and once was a holiday, then the other time there were infrastructure closures. I finally made it today! I called first and checked the website to be on the safe side. I checked out a book called Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls by T Kira Madden. Looking forward to reading it this month for pride. This library is spacious. Computers, reading pods, and a few tables. I believe there's a separate open reading area too, but I did not venture into that space. Additionally, I saw some stairs so there is something upstairs that I'm not sure about. I loved seeing the Pride Month display with several curated books for representation. The staff members were helpful. I'd return to this location and plan to do more browsing when I return my checkout. read more

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I am slowly growing into a library aficionado, so in my mission to find the library with the brightest natural light, most comfortable and cleanest seating, and most reliable inventory, I'm making my way through the Houston and Harris County Public Library system. Looscan Library is charming in a vintage, historical way. There are plenty of open spaces, private rooms, and cozy nooks to settle into with a book. On this visit, I was excited to find a fill-a-bag book sale--an unbeatable deal. $5 and you can fill the bag (they provide) with as many books as you can fit. While nothing caught my eye this time, the selection had a little something for everyone. Printing and information stations are easy to access, and the overall space feels welcoming and home-y. Its Westheimer location makes it an easy five-minute stop from home. With all that sunlight streaming through the building, it's definitely going on my libraries to work from home whenever I need a break from my own place! read more

A quaint library on Willowick/Westheimer that feels somewhat hidden. I found this place on Yelp while looking for a place to study during midday. The first floor's noise level may necessitate headphones since it has a prominent kids section and the library is somewhat small. I went up to the second floor which felt much quieter. The tables were sufficient enough for the sake of productivity, but nothing out of the ordinary. While the library certainly has an old-fashioned charm to it, the interior could use some renovating. Some of the floors look dusty and the library needs some more optimally designed study tables/work spaces. However, the first floor has some really cool individual pod seats for reading (not pictured). Not a bad library. I would return if in the vicinity and needing a free productive space. To be honest, I expected something more out of a library in River Oaks, as the Houston Public Library system has established some absolutely beautiful buildings in less prosperous neighborhoods. It still gets the job done if you need a place to focus though. read more

Not my usual library, but the librarian at the Looscan Neighborhood Library was so sweet pulling my October and November Yelp book club books for me when I noticed that they were both on the shelves. The library is really quite beautiful with a light filled interior. Nice art greets you at the entry foyer. Easy to get my books from the front desk. Bonus: They have a seed library where you can "check out" up to five small seed packets filled with seeds for herbs, vegetables or flowers for your garden. Nice neighborhood library close to Central Market in Highland Village. read more

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I come to this location just to borrow and return books so I can't comment on much else about this library. It's easy to reserve books to borrow by just going on their website - https://houstonlibrary.org/home The library notifies me once my book is ready for pick-up. Once you walk into the library, the pick-up section for held books is just straight past the library desk and are arranged alphabetically by last name so it's easy to find. Check-out is seamless. Bring your books to the self check-out desktop computers where you can scan your library barcode and have your books processed for check-out. You don't have to speak to a single person! Returning books is the same and there is a spot located behind the check-out computers. You can also utilize the return book slot outside the library if you happen to come when it's closed. The staff here is always pleasant and friendly. The library itself has always been quiet and clean when I've visited. They also have a decent sized parking lot which is a great plus! read more

Great neighborhood library, very clean and with a great selection of books. The librarians are always so nice. We come here often for the baby storytimes - we love Ms. Donna who runs them, she's very animated and great with all the babies, the classes are always so full. They always have a lot of events, especially for the holidays so there's something for all ages groups. read more

This is a very nice library in a beautiful building. Great selection of books. The staff is extremely friendly and helpful. They have a "Friends of the Library" with books for sale. Saturdays has a larger selection of books that are available to purchase. This library is worth checking out. Special shoutout to the sweet young lady who helped us get our new library cards. We'll be visiting our local library more often! read more

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This has always been one of the nicest libraries - it's clean, bright, with plenty of space to not just read books but also to just study. There is an upstairs that has conference tables too and it looks like the campus of a nice fortune 500 business. There are some nicer looking areas too which were closed off for employees so one has to wonder what goes on in there! That's the review for this library but if I may get on my soap-box, I do have to wonder why the city library located between an expensive private school and the most expensive neighborhood in Houston (River Oaks) is so much nicer than the city libraries in the poor parts of town. It's still the same city, isn't it? The George B Meyer library in the Westbury neighborhood was run-down and "closed for renovations" some 13 years ago and they never reopened. It's just odd that the area with the people who can most afford to buy books or have access to a quiet place to study, have the nicest library while those in poor neighborhoods can't even get a library reopened. Anyway, yay for this nice library! read more

Not sure why it is highly rated. Maybe the children section. While the adult book section is well stocked the reference desk staff seems more inclined to be on their cell phones than engage with patrons The sitting area with newspapers smells and chairs are damp. When I told one staff member he just shrugged Houston libraries are the domains of the homeless or houseless whatever. People on cell phones. Not worth millions spent HPL system is the worst Texas and perhaps country. Leadership needs to be replaced. Buildings are beautiful but managed poorly read more

great library overall. nice spacious area with comfortable seating. very friendly staff willing to help. read more

Looscan Neighborhood Library - Libraries Near Me - Houston, Texas

Very helpful and friendly , also very quiet and not busy at all. I will definitely continue to go to this one

I was very sad to learn that the Jungman library has closed... I really liked that library. A moment of silence in its honor please. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I love to read and usually purchase the books, however, there are times I am reading a book just because it was recommended and choose to get it from the Public Library first. My book club decided on a questionable book for our next meeting, so I went to my good friend: http://www.hpl.lib.tx.us/ to try and find the book. That's when I got the sad news that my dear neighborhood library had closed. Looscan, however, is very close to my place and we even share a zip code! lol I went to check it out and from outside it looks like a nice building with a huge clock on the top half of the building. when I was just walking in however it smelled little old. I didn't make judgement and just went in and explored a little more. The library is not huge, but it is definitely a good size for a neighborhood like Riveroaks. They have a beautiful children's section. They also have some very cute and stylish chairs around their periodical section. Plenty of space to study and of course very quiet. This library did not seem too busy as all the computers were free (as in not occupied). I did read on the site that they have wi-fi, which is great! I will definitely be visiting this library often, as I always like to escape everyday life to do a little reading. read more

Looscan Neighborhood Library - Libraries Near Me - Houston, Texas

I really like this location. It is very welcoming. There are private study and meeting reading rooms upstairs. Additional seating is also located upstairs. There are plenty or sitting and reading areas throughout the 1st level. Grab a copy of their calendar. They have numerous classes and activities available to the public, especially for the kiddos. Most of all the staff here is so friendly and nice which further compliments the atmosphere of this library location. I'm new to the city so this will be my base location! read more

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Great place to have quiet time and study, the only thing is the parking gets a bit competitive when it gets crowded as there is really limited parking spots! So come early or go at a time when people are more likely leaving! read more

Looscan Neighborhood Library - Hours of operation for reference (to compare with hours that Yelp gives) - Libraries Near Me - Houston, Texas

Had to give it five! I know there are multiple HPLs around town; but out of the two libraries I've been to, Looscan is head and shoulders above the other. It's everything you picture in an idealistic library. And I am reviewing this based on the place to read/study and not on the books. This place could be labelled as quiet, classy, well-maintained, modern, spacious and cozy just to name a few. That's why I've been taking the hour-long trip on the city bus every Saturday to come study here. Definitely worth it! Wifi is very fast and you can find an electric plug almost everywhere. read more

Looscan Neighborhood Library - Looscan library downstairs - Libraries Near Me - Houston, Texas

Love it here, except for the screaming children today. Best to come on a weekday. Super convenient location right in the middle of River Oaks and seconds from Highland Village and Central Market. It has a decent selection, an extremely helpful staff. They were very nice as well. They are open on Saturdays until 5 which is awesome if you want to go on the weekend and still sleep in a bit. read more

Looscan Neighborhood Library - Libraries Near Me - Houston, Texas

One reason I'm giving this four stars because of the help! The selection is horrible if you're looking for anything business. Really frustrating. read more

I thought this was an extension of the Baptist Church next door for the longest time! I mean seriously, look at the business photo - it looks like a church. Then a coworker and I needed a place to do some work and Strbizzle couldn't deliver (my heart hurts about that actually). Dang River Oaks, this is where your property taxes go to? Let me just say this is not like the other Houston Public Libraries I have been to. It does not smell. It does not have vagrants. The bathrooms are automatic flush/hand wash (and not from the same source) and well maintained. The upstairs area has rooms to utilize for privacy and all the furniture is well maintained (even with a very modern looking egg chair that I will check out on my next go around). Free wi-fi if you need it and friendly library workers. This is very nice. I will now do my admin work or borrow books amongst the rich. They keep it classy. read more

Parking nightmare. Seriously gross. I get less angry looking for a space and/or paying someone at my parking lot on Washington, than attempting to find a space here. It doesn't matter if it's a weekday at 2pm or a Saturday at 4pm, you're going to walk in angry from parking lot fatigue. Inside, there's not an empty chair or table. Not even a library stool in sight, so forget reaching the tippy-top shelves or sitting a moment to thumb through a book. In the short time since it has reopened (at one time it was a house with mostly just kid's books), it has gotten slightly run down. I was taught that if I needed an answer to an obscure, "unanswerable" question, that I should ask a librarian. I often forget this. About two years ago, I asked a Librarian a rather simple re-registering to vote in a new county question, and was given a LUDICROUS answer. It turns out that he was a high school student. Too young to vote and inept at answering referential questions. Really, the only reason I go here is if I don't wish to pay for parking, I don't otherwise need to go to the downtown location, I've accidentally requested my reserved books held here, I'm in the area and have a book that I need to return in my car. On a positive note, there is a giant section with reserved, waiting to be picked up movies, CDs, and books at the front, next to the Librarian desk. Pretty sweet deal that you can request materials online and when they are at Looscan, you receive an email. If there's a parking space to be had, you could get in and out of there in a minute or two, since they have self check out stations. read more

Parking can be questionable seeing as the lot is tiny. Besides that I felt as if this location was very accommodating. There was a vast amount of seating all over the library. I didn't take a peak of the upstairs, however, I'm sure it was well organized and neat. Compared to another library that I visited across town, this location has all of the bells and whistles. Oh and no restroom smell like the other lady mentioned. Thank God for that because I was worried that it would be unbearing. read more

I appreciate this library so much. It's in the design of it that keeps me drawn. I feel so comfortable coming in here. The librarians are so lovely and perfect. Also, the used books are a quarter and the dvds to check out are of pronounced taste. The true university these days is a collection of books. - Thomas Carlyle Medicine for the soul. - Inscription over the door of the Library at Thebes He that revels in a well-chosen library has innumerable dishes, and all of admirable flavor. - William Godwin read more

This library is located in the River Oaks neighborhood which means it's a very nice public library. I came here to study with a group of my classmates and we found it quite hard to want to discuss our lesson. This library is super quiet by the way. The wifi wasn't very reliable as it was super slow and would go on and off. If you're thinking of downloading large attachments or streaming video, you might want to skip doing it here. Also, the parking was a big pain in the ass. They don't have many spots and it fills up pretty fast. Knowing the residents around this neighborhood, they won't likely use mass transit to get there, so parking will always be a hassle. read more

Finally got around to visiting this library & mostly had a positive experience. The reader (Miss Donna) for preschool storytime is great! Her personality is animated & she's friendly towards the kids but I believe her strongest characteristic was her tremendous amount of patience. It's difficult for most young kids to sit still & remain quiet but Miss Donna remained nice & calm the entire time & didn't seem annoyed at all that some children couldn't contain their surplus of energy & excitement. Wish Miss Donna had storytime more than once a week but will definitely be back for storytime! One of the front desk employees was not friendly at all. She seemed annoyed that I didn't know where the restroom was & had to ask. I even tried to smile at her while checking out my books & the scowl remained on her face. Just my two cents but perhaps unfriendly folks should be reshelving books rather than having frequent interaction with patrons who stop at the front desk to return books, check out books or ask questions? On the flip side, the female that assisted me in getting a new card (on the other side of the front desk) was polite, very friendly & provided detailed answers to all my questions. She even briefly engaged with my toddler before we left. read more

This is a great library, although it's difficult to get a parking spot after 11 AM. The place is clean and staff is friendly, but they certainly need more tables to keep up with the number of people that want to be there. read more

Looscan Neighborhood Library - Libraries Near Me - Houston, Texas

Clean, quiet, comfortable seating and good-size meeting rooms, including a sunny reading room. Near the Galleria and across from Yummy Central Market. read more

I absolutely love this library. The open and airy environment is so inviting. The librarians are extremely helpful and knowledgeable whenever I have a question. I order books and CDs to be checked out all the time. No problems or issues with the process. I show up, pick them up and am so impressed. When I read other negative remarks I am shocked. Not only have I never experienced problems they refer to in reviews, I have never seen it happen to others. Please continue with your great work because I so appreciate this cozy library. read more

I often go to this library with my kids, they love it! They do have a variety for the kids to choose from, plenty of little tables and chairs and yes, it is very quiet!! I found out last summer that they keep out the books from the summer reading list of several schools. It makes it sooooooooo convenient!! The bad....parking lot is small read more

It's a modern comfortable building in a convenient location. It's very open. Almost too open. It feels like it needs more books ... LOL. The video section has improved with an eclectic collection foreign and American titles as well as documentaries and educational videos. Parking is very limited, almost impossible at times. Come early after opening or way after lunch to avoid the parking crush. Also, they have different hours every day so check the schedule to see if they are open. All in all, it's a nice place that I visit often. read more

This neighborhood library has a nice selection of books, and many patrons take advantage of the online reservation system. It's easy to find a book you want and pick it up later at Looscan. Parking is tough sometimes; I park on the street in the nearby neighborhood when necessary. Decent seating, fun storytimes for kids on Wednesdays, a large SF section; I'm quite fond of this branch. read more

One of the nicest libraries I've been to in the city of Houston. There's lots of individual study spots on the first floor and plenty of windows to look out of. I haven't borrowed any books yet but it looks like they have quite the selection. It's very quiet and peaceful there. One of my favorite ways to kill time and let traffic die down a bit. Biggest drawback is the how small the parking lot is. Sometimes it can be hard and you'd have to wait to get a spot. read more

Wonderfully resourceful library! Not as up-to-date as the Central one but this has more seating, less homeless crowd waiting outside and more yuppies deeply devouring their books. Picked up a bunch of Hemingway, Plath and the likes. Will return to cruise on the Classics wave. read more

This is a newer library and is very nice and inviting. Very state of the art, but also relaxing. never too crowded. However the staff is a little rude when it comes to helping you, so you kind have to find and search everything by yourself. Otherwise this place is in my opinion one of the best libraries in Houston. Corner reading room is also a great place to enjoy a good book or just relax. read more

Large spacious library. Always find what I'm looking for. Good number of computers to use and enough chairs and tables to study/read. I've been to a number of Houston libraries, the employees are always helpful & nice. If we want to keep it that way please do not use the kiosks that are popping up in libraries. People need jobs. They may say it's for your convenience but it's about hiring fewer employees and a library doesn't have that many to start with. Do you want a kiosk to take your job? Ok all done. It's a great library. read more

Great location for studying and reading. Love this location. I wish it was larger. Which is why I rated it 4 stars.

The Good: The staff here is great -- very friendly and helpful (in my experience, anyway); the library is very clean and well-organized; the selection of books is at least decent (it's a small branch, so they won't have everything, but you can order what they don't have); they have good places where you can sit down and read. The Bad: The parking situation is awful -- the lot is nearly always crowded or full; getting into and out of the parking lot is difficult since you normally have to make a u-turn in traffic on Wesleyan to do it; their hours vary weirdly from day to day, and they're not open on Saturday or Sunday; it can be loud -- people sometimes talk on cell phones and at high volumes inside. It's a decent place, but not my favorite. read more

Small but it's very nice. It's one minute away from my house and I go there for anything I need: borrowing books, printing, using computers or even just to reading, bringing the kids who I work with to play or watching movies. They do a lot of stuff over there. The best thing is that you can even borrow books from other libraries and they leave there. It really nice read more

Very unwelcoming and unfriendly staff. It is Very unfortunate to have people like this work at such a great location and beautiful library. If you are unhappy at your job then why work there? If you don't like helping people..why choose this job? It makes no sense. I will continue coming here until the library near me is finished with their renovations. read more