This is my childhood library and I went here to kill a couple hours. I wasn't able to use my phone in the back area by the bathroom to connect to my hotspot. The bathroom reeked of pee. I didn't see WiFi password listed anywhere around the study desks. Quite crowded and some smelly patrons. I haven't been to other PDX libraries in some time, but the Vancouver libraries are in much better shape. I left after an hour and headed to a cafe. read more

This is a busy branch with limited parking. The ambiance is a quiet buzz--it was crowded when I went on a Friday late morning. It has all the great offerings on the other MCL branches, plus it's next to a great coffee shop. While my neighborhood branch is closed for renovations, I'll visit this branch. read more

Really nice library, all the modern conveniences - look up and reserve books online, check out books at the terminal, ebook rentals - plus the old school rows of books and various communal areas and private rooms to sit and read or do research. Truth be told, this was the first time in a library in about 35 years! Crazy! And what's even crazier is that I lived in Grant Park for 20 years and drove by thousands of times and never went in, never joined. After spending too much money on buying books and then giving them away as I no longer have space to store them, I "woke" up and realized I could just check them out at the library! So today I got my library card. No limits in the number of books and no fines for being late. How times have changed! All the books I wanted were out but I put about a dozen on hold and when they are available, I'll start reading and returning and picking up another. The woman helping me establish my membership was super helpful and friendly. And if that isn't enough, the very best coffee shop - The Bitter Rose - is adjacent and they have amazing coffee plus bakery items from The Sparrow Bakery in St. John's. So now I can pick up a book, grab a coffee and my favorite Ocean Bun (cardamom brioche bun) at the same time. Score! read more

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The Hawthorne library is closed so I finally got just a few minutes where I could drive over to Hollywood. It's large larger than at least at this point it's cleaner than Hawthorne used to be, but like everything else in the area they have all turned into homeless shelters. Maybe the people working there are fed up, or maybe they just don't like their personal life choices but oh my God the staff there is awful. There was one girl who seemed friendly and in a reasonably good mood, but she was busy. I had the urge to ask the woman who was answering questions for me if she could just leave me alone and I would wait for the other girl. I ended up just leaving and accomplishing nothing. I definitely miss when I was young and going to the library was fun and exciting. I don't like when people in service positions make their bad day other people's problems. read more

Pretty gorgeous and modern library. It's a bit smaller than some libraries I've seen but they have books for children, adults and more. There's computers to use, seating areas with outlets to charge things. You can reserve a private room to study at. There's a decent amount of seating but when there's a lot of people, it's not easy to find a seat. read more

Found a small local community library. It was busy and with a lot of touches for April poetry month and etc. No soft seating, wooden bench seating along the window. Easy parking. read more

There are multiple stuck up sounding assistants for a public service library. Just wow.

MultCo libraries are always varied - hard to know what to expect from location to location. Hollywood has all of the basics: Books, computers, reference help, kids area. So essentially it's a library. Nothing bad there, just normal stuff. Maybe Hollywood is a bit prettier than a couple of others like Holgate or Belmont, not quite as large as Midland but nothing to complain about read more

Staff was super friendly, very informative. I was left very satisfied and ready to come back thank you

Don't know why the ratings are so good. It's just so small. You're better off going to other libraries. The seats aren't comfy and there's no way to comfortable read really. Maybe I'm used to Washington county libraries but this one was tiny and felt like a waste of time. Good for basic stuff....when the computers and seating are actually available. Otherwise go somewhere bigger and better read more

I love this sweet lil library. Right in the middle of the Hollywood district. I come here with my daughter every 2-3 weeks. My daughter loves going to the librarians and asking them for all sorts of various books on animals, volcanoes, the universe, sharks and the ocean, and especially her favorite, graphic novels. They are always so sweet with her and help her get all of her books and even put books on hold for her. She almost always ends up checking out with at least 8 books. She doesn't always read them all but she tries to get to most of them and I think she feels special checking them out. They have a lovely children's section and boast a monthly reading with a service dog! Where you read to the doggie there in a special room. I wish I could remember what the dog's name is. I love the location as it is right by our home and we have occasionally taken bike rides to the library on the weekends. It's truly a lil gem in our neighborhood. read more

Don't dare ask for help or try to interrupt the clerks while they are talking to one another or playing around in the internet. They are EXTREMELY unhelpful and edgy with the patrons. I had a bad experience with a rude clerk & asked to talk to a supervisor-they gave me this guy named Christopher who started out equally edgy and stern voiced-I could tell all he was trying to do was placate me & blow me off (I don't like that from a manager) so I said you probably won't do anything anyway and he EXPLODED at me & basically tried to gaslight me into believing that it was all my attitude and rudeness and he had been trying to be "sympathetic" (!!!!) I told him I just must be giving back what I've been receiving & told me if I was so unhappy I could take a comment card. At first I wasn't, but the whole attitude of that awful place bothers me. I guess just don't dare ask the staff to help with anything!! read more

I joined the human race and checked out my first item at the library in over 25 years. I needed a crash course on how to search and download audio and e-books. The new hire checkout gal was great. And the reference desk guy (blue fingernail polish) was very nice and thorough. There's a great community vibe here, much different than at the Downtown location. Some patrons using the computers looked a little sketchy, but I suppose that's all about the diversified fun. read more

We came here on a recent trip to Portland because my wife grew up reading and loving the Ramona series of books by Beverly Cleary. Beverly Cleary grew up in this neighborhood and the library has a nice map of the neighborhood on the wall and you can even ask them for a small copy of the map yourself to keep and explore the surrounding neighborhood with. One word of warning is that the map is not really drawn to scale...and if you want to visit all the places on the map, you'll want to drive or plan for a very long walk! read more

What a nice library. I'm from S.E. Portlandia and our libraries are a little bit smaller. Just as nice but smaller. I forgot my password and the nice librarian helped me reset it. The query for the internet computer is located in the back with said computers. Not up front like i'm used to. After my hour time limit expired. I walked around the library looking at all the cool things and artwork. Really cool. Really clean. Really friendly staff. read more

This is a lovely library with a very good collection. The librarian was helpful when I needed it.

Its a very good place to pick up a movie for the weekend. This seems to be the location with the variety of choices. But you have to look at the discs to make sure they are not too scratched. This location isn't as good as Belmont at getting back to you when your holds come in. Its nice and roomy and airy with the windows on the ground level. What I do NOT like is the patrolling in the library now...the person who sits at the entrance and then patrols and walks behind you while you are on the internet. It has a bad I don't trust you feel to it. I never thought the library would feel the need to participate in the prevailing winds sort of social climate of not trusting people. I have felt uncomfortable several times with someone stopping behind me to check and see what I am looking at or working on. The library can be a much noisier..but this place has rooms you can sign up for two hour intervals. So that is another plus. I would say a good 2/3 of the staff are kind and helpful if you don't know how to navigate on the internet. I would like the kids to behave better...but then, I've never had kids. This is usually our go-to-library, as the Belmont library has gotten to be over-crowded with all the over-construction in the Hawthorne District and influx of people from out of town...the Hollywood District has not been as touched by that, YET. The other thing I like...is that there are places to go to when you are done at the library...so its kind of a centrally located, mult-tasking sort of neighborhood. read more

Very few libraries compare to the grandeur of the downtown Central Library, which is probably the only one in the Multnomah Co. system to rate 5 stars, but Multnomah (the most used library system in the nation) has done an excellent job of maintaining and updating its libraries and this branch is no exception. It features the standard brightness and airiness of the newer libraries, with blond woods, large windows and clean lines. There are several private quiet rooms you can reserve for studying or tutoring, Internet terminals, and open tables for working or studying. Personal Telco has a Wi-fi node here which you can access (however, there are no available outlets at the work tables, unfortunately for those of us with short-lived laptop batteries). The selection of books and videos is excellent and has no shortage of new works along with older ones. The most unique feature of this library is the space devoted to Beverly Cleary and her Ramona children's books. Ms. Cleary lived in several houses in the neighborhood and Klickitat St., on which Ramona lived, is just a few blocks away. The area near the checkout desk has a giant marble map on the wall of the various streets nearby, marking schools and businesses that appear in the Ramona books and where the Quimbys' house was. Several of the Ramona books are also on display in glass cases. For people with kids who are reading the books, a stop here along with the Ramona, Henry and Ribsy statues in Grant Park could be a fun field trip. read more

I admit it. I am an library addict. When I lived within walking distance of the Gregory Heights library, I usually went twice a week, and sometimes more. (Yes, that's sad. I know. But it was on my way home from work, and there was lots of nearby parking, and, if I preferred, I could walk there in mere minutes. It was heaven.) But now I live nearish to the Hollywood Library, which I think is the prettiest library in NE, and one of the bigger locations, too. Unfortunately, it has no parking whatsoever, and the street parking is about to get worse (a huge housing complex is going in nearby). The Hollywood library building is gorgeous; I remember waiting for it to finally be done with baited breath. Above it are the Bookmark Apartments, making it the first mixed-use residential/library complex in the country. Pretty cool! The librarians are super friendly, and, for whatever reason, the self-checkout machines seem to work more smoothly than those at other locations. As for books, there is a pretty great selection by Portland standards. There are multiple shelves of cookbooks (yay!), and a large new books section, etc. If you can walk there, go for it. If not, plan to walk a few blocks after you park, and hit the nearby Whole Foods, too, to make the hunt for parking extra worthwhile. read more

Don't know much about the library, but I want to comment on the beautiful new cafe in the building, Cafe Darwin. This place just opened in the last few months, and it is amazing what has happened to the space. It is elegant, with art for sale on the walls, a great staff, and pleasant music. They serve a Seattle brand of coffee, Cafe Vitta, which is A-MAZING. Best I've ever had. They also serve yummy pastries, paninis, other beverages, Tao of Tea teas which are the best, and Voodoo Donuts. Yum. There is plenty of space to sit and relax comfortably - either in leather easy chairs or at tables both inside and outside. Free wi-fi through the library. So much better than Starbucks, and even better quality. Check 'em out! read more

I don't really hang out at the library (I'm more of a coffeeshop gal) - but I'm constantly borrowing, renewing, and returning items, so I make the trip to this library (usually combined with my Trader Joe's run) about once per week. Parking can get busy, but if I can't find a spot right on the same block, I can always find one within a block or two. I was never prompted to write a review until today, when I reported a bunch of CDs as lost (technically they weren't lost, just irretrievable as they are stuck in the depths of my non-functioning car stereo and seem quite happy there). I was ready to pay some hefty fines when the friendly lady said that they can sometimes waive fines, especially for folks who've never had them waived before. She disappeared into the back to speak with somebody, came back, and proceeded to do some math that left me quite happy. Now, don't go harassing them about getting your fines waived just because you saw this review. Just wanted to let folks know that there is some seriously good customer service here. I almost wished they took tips. Needless to say, I'll be back! read more

Good travel section. They have a lot of people working here so there is always help. It seems to be very popular because it is always crowded. read more

Great selection of graphic novels and quiet rooms. Of course this should be a review of the library system since they are connected. You can really get anything by managing your account online. I have to say I rarely stay long at this location. I pick up my holds and am in and out. read more

I wish you were open on Mondays or at least open later into the evenings. Since this is a branch their normal stock is a bit on the lame side. The children's area looks awesome but since I do not have kids I have no reason to go over there. I take advantage of the interlibrary loan a lot so the entire library system is at my fingertips. read more

In Multnomah Library system Hollywood must be my favorite branch. I live near the Belmont Library, but that library is very small and tends to get many homeless people which I would have no problem, but the usual strong stench is very difficult to read or do work around. Although, the staffing at all Multnomah libraries has been superb! The Hollywood Library is large for a city library, has many computers for internet and four large tables for community use to plug in your own computer or device. I only wish there was a reading area with comfy chairs to relax and read, but I have a good idea at why there isn't. Too bad. If you really are looking for an awesome library and up for a little commute there is a clean library, with a cafe, beautiful outdoor setting, and several reading areas at the Hillsboro Library on far west side. read more

I really enjoyed my time in this library. Free internet, a cafe nearby (with kombucha on tap) and tons of decent restaurants in the neighborhood, plus a whole food market (in case I wanna combine my library trip with my shopping trip). There are plenty of seatings for studying and reading. If you prefer quiet time, you can reserve a quiet room. For me, I enjoy the background noise (especially the bable of kids) while reading. I only hope it can open till late into the evening, even on weekends. read more

Some say the key to surviving the rain is the coffee or the beer, but the truth is that local craft beverages, delicious as they are, only serve to accompany the true antidote to seasonal affective disorder: good reads. Portlanders survive- nay, thrive! - in the wet because we have the best public library system in the country. How subversive! And each branch is a quick walk to coffee. Amen. read more

It has everything I need, with wonderfully helpful staff and volunteers to boot. The neighborhood would be poorer without it. Five stars!

Clean, bright, large library with lots of great items. Has a coffee shop next door.

Nice building in a nice neighborhood. Friendly and helpful staff and ample resources (i.e. computers, printers). Somewhat of a smaller library but does the job. Just be warned, it can be very crowded all days of the week and may not always be the quietest place if you're looking to get work done. read more

Our library system rocks. The people at the Hollywood branch are always helpful and cheerful. I appreciate them. I recently loaded a library app on my iphone and it works great. I recommend it. read more

I would never have thought that a library would be adjusted for modern technology. This place does have that. There is a general space where one can cruise the 'Net and read a book. That common room is a nice feature. I do like the CD selection. It is a bit extensive in the Jazz genre. It can be seen from the street so it isn't hard to find. Plus - I would have never thought that a bookstore would have a coffee place right next door to it. read more

Yesterday my wife, son and I went to the Hollywood library to pick out some books to read as a family. I found the staff there to be very helpful. The child librarian was great, we told her what subjects our son was interested in and she brought us many books to choose from. She made us very welcome. The Multnomah County Library is a wonderful resource. read more

This is my favorite library. It has a great selection of books and also movies. There is always a place to sit and they have quiet rooms you can reserve if you need to study. The hours could be better, but overall this library has a great feel. read more

I love our community library. Sometimes you can't find what you want in house and have to get it transferred but there is always a surprise to find and the employees are always helpful. In the Lucky Day section, I recently found a popular hardcover that was impossible to get at the library. read more

This is a wonderful neighborhood library and I'm a huge fan of the Multnomah County Library in general!

The library is the best tax dollars well spent! What do want to read or listen to or watch. It's great because If you don't like the book you haven't wastes 35bux. read more

Although I don't live in this neighborhood anymore I still come to this library almost everyday. It's easy to look for music and movies, everything is well organized. The staff are helpful but not hovering. They usually have the books I need when I need them. I simply love going there for research or for pleasure. read more

It's a nice little place and it may not be the largest branch, but it does pack a mini punch that you'll at least be able to find something to take home and read or watch. Perfect location for sure! read more

It's as if the librarians have never been taught library manners. I have never heard such a loud bunch, which encourages those in the library to talk loudly as well. If I wanted to hear so much conversation I would go to the coffee shop to study. Ridiculous and very frustrating. I get they are helping people but even my kindergarteners know how to use library voices more efficiently. Shhhhh! read more