I feel like an update is called for, especially after reading a disgruntled 1 star review that is…read morevery subjective and not( in my opinion) representative of many patron's experiences here. While I sympathize with that person's situation, a bad Yelp review will not remedy those conditions, nor will it accurately portray how good this library is. Since my first review I have visited a handful of other NJ libraries and feel that this branch exceeds almost all of them. As with many things in life, it is the little details that matter. Starting at the entrance, and even at the exit doors( which are somewhat interchangeable ) you encounter book shelves containing FREE books. The subjects vary widely but I like to take a minute or two to scope out the selection. I have found some gems too!( most recently a very clean copy of Hawking's " A brief history of time") As another reviewer noted, there is almost always a book sale going on, the costs are about $1-$3,these books are in very good condition and are organized by subject or genre. As far as their book catalogue goes, most of my favorite fiction authors are represented, and the more contemporary ones are updated with their newer works in a timely manner. Older and critically acclaimed authors are also present, and their better known titles can sometimes be found with more than one copy. Recently I've been taking advantage of their DVD selection and find it to be much better than most other libraries. They seem quick to acquire new releases and many popular premium channel series are available. Skip RedBox and come here if possible. There are many programs and events to attend here as well, mainly for children but adults are not left out. They are now doing Saturday afternoon screenings of various movies, some for the whole family, with others being more R rated.( a recent screening of " American Pastoral" comes to mind) I have found the staff to be very friendly and often find myself discussing books, movies or authors with them. There are plenty of work stations, some with computers and others set up for you to use your own. And some pretty cool seating options too, think cozy couches and big Papasan type cushion chairs. Heck, there's even a table with a communal jigsaw puzzle awaiting completion. As I stated in my prior review, I hope that Mercer County residents and visitors utilize this resource. You might hear me complaining about how my tax $$$ are used, but not in reference to our libraries. 4.24 RIF Yelps

Gorgeous library! It makes this ("real" book) non-reader want to become an avid one!…read more We came for movie rentals only on this quick trip but maybe in the future, we can just relax on their cozy, colorful chairs & read while relaxing. Scored a free pretty bookmark with lots of my favorite color - red - in it.

Mercer County Library is my local library. I usually go to the Lawrence Headquarters as it is…read moreclosest to my house. First, the staff is amazingly friendly and helpful. The library is always clean and well organized. You have access to the books, DVDs, CDs, magazines etc. from any of the library in the county system. The card catalog is pretty easy to use and I like the addition of the listing of bestsellers. Also- ebooks are available. Cool.

I LOVE THIS LIBRARY…read more I really do, but we only spend about 30mins to an hour tops. The reason? I saw a newly added cell towers directly across the library and the water tank is located back of the library has cell towers. In case you don't know much about cell towers, please do yourself and your family a favor and research. Research: the health effects of cell towers in adults and children, microwave radiations, dirty electricity, long term effects of WIFI in your home and public places, what is 5G doing to your body and EMF from smart meters. Ignorance is not bliss, at least not in this case. #TOXIC5G #STOPSMARTMETERS #MYBODYMYCHOICE #OPTOUT

I love the children's section of this library! Now that the days are getting a little colder, I've…read morebeen scoping out places to bring my 1 year old to occupy him during the day. This library has a bunch of activities for babies as well as a cute little play area with a large selection of books. The staff seems to be friendly so far from what I can tell. Definitely a fan!

Very disappointed in how the county library system treats their community. I checked out a library…read morebook that was old and in very poor condition. Accidentally returned it to a library drop box in another county and it was never located. Bought a like-new replacement book with the same ISBN number and they would not accept it. They made me pay for a new book even though their book was in very poor condition.

Lawrenceille is the head branch of the Mercer County Library System. It is an excellent location…read morefor borrowing books, CDs, and DVDs (including TV on DVD). A large selection of local and national newspapers and magazines are available. I enjoy this branch as the staff are extra friendly. They never make you feel awkward for extremelyyyyyyyy late books. More recently, they have an e-book borrowing system online for kindle and e-readers.

Having moved recently from New Jersey, I have come to appreciate the main branch of the Mercer…read moreCounty library system (in Lawrenceville, off route 1) even more. This is a terrific library. Here's why: 1. It has an excellent fiction section, including a generous selection of "classic" authors. I have been in libraries where the focus is on the latest hardback best-sellers. They have those here too, but they haven't seen fit to "weed" out the traditional titles that really every library should have. 2. In fact, their whole book collection is good--history, religion, art--and their children's section is extensive as well. 3. They are one of the few public libraries these days that keep a paper archive of magazines, and it's quite extensive. I think there must be a library director here who isn't "up to date" with the latest trends in library science, and the patrons reap the benefit. 4. They actually still have books on cassette tape (as well as on CD and playaway, of course). I have a cassette player; they have quality tapes. Seems simple, right? Again, there's no reason to "deaccession" good material when it might be useful to patrons. 5. They have a very strong collection of foreign and Criterion Collection DVDs--much appreciated. In sum, there's someone here who's made a lot of good decisions on how to run a library. Building's a tad shabby, but who cares? I wish the library where I live were this good.

If I could give zero stars I would…read more Unreal subhuman treatment from all librarians, not exaggerating. Started the experience from when I asked if I could park across the street, she looked at me like she didn't know what a parking spot was and why I was even speaking (I was really polite). Then 45 minutes into our meeting, she barged in with a scowl to say that "because the bathroom was out of order, they needed to close by law." We said no one needed to use the bathroom but she said it was a legal issue. Previously she had asked that we be more quiet this meeting (our book club has met here before) and we were doing a good job. And keep in mind the only reason that these rooms exist is for meetings. We didn't have a problem with being asked to leave, that's in the library's right. However she handled it so poorly, treated us like trash, and lied straight to our face with way too much audacity. They all wanted to leave early and that's the only reason they did this. The only thing this could be classified as is bullying. Will not return and would not recommend to anyone human.

As a lover of books, I've been to many libraries in the area. I am always met with kindness and…read morerespect by the library staff. Well, that hasn't been the case here. I was met with the most unprofessional treatment by one of the librarians here at Allentown Public Library. We have utilized this library a few times in the past for a couple book club meetings and we hardly ever get greeted with a smile or nod of acknowledgement when we arrive. We reserved their meeting room for our February meeting several months in advance and during our meeting last night, we were abruptly interrupted and told to leave the building within 5 minutes due to the bathrooms not working. We are a big book club so we needed a little more than 5 minutes to clean up and leave the room how we found it. Plus, a minute or so to figure out how and where to proceed with the meeting. The librarian came back less than 5 minutes later with a worse attitude than before telling us we had to leave now. We tried to politely explain that she abruptly interrupted us and expected a huge group to just quickly clean up and vacate the building, and it wasn't that possible but we were trying to. She mouthed back with a terrible attitude that she didn't care and we had to leave now. It sounds like this person doesn't work well under pressure, nor do they know how to use proper customer service skills. There may as well have been a fire with the urgent demands she was making. I'm really disappointed with the treatment she gave our book club, and upset too. We all have good intentions and many of us utilize the Monmouth county library system on a regular basis. None of us should have been spoken to that way. The whole staff should be embarrassed. Needless to say, we will not be using this library again. It is a shame because this location is pretty much the perfect midway point for our members, but we would rather utilize our community resources somewhere else where we can be treated respectfully like normal citizens.