I was passing by and decided to stop by. This library is in the middle of a neighborhood. It's gorgeous you can see it from far away. It looks like it used to be to be a house and they turned it into a library. As soon as you walk in there in there is a staircase to go upstairs or downstairs. This place is bright nice and open . It's very clean and they have a lot of new books. I went on a warm day and the air was blasting. Very nice library highly recommend checking out if you're in the area. read more

I love this library a lot. Personal is friendly and helpful. They do their best to do pleasant things. Recently they organized seeds bank - it was great idea! I hope they do it again in spring. read more

Beautifully kept library. Nice staff and Salem is a nice walking city. Bit touristy so getting away from downtown core is nice. read more

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So much books it amazing so many the people that work are so help full and so many kinds of books

Mansions to libraries If the Salem Public Library kind of looks like an old brick mansion, that is because it really is. Or was. Built in 1855 by the successful sea captain John Bertram, the building was renovated and now serves as the public library for the town of Salem. A pretty cool looking place but certainly not as opulent or extravagant and many other New England libraries. But it does definitely have a strong and stoic character to it. The inside is pleasant but again not as grand or stunning as some other local libraries. One of the very nice things are the wonderful staircases. Some real care and time went into building them. The people working here were very nice and the library is convenient, clean and very user friendly. Easy to find what you are looking for although it did seem a bit crowded by the time we were getting ready to leave. Seemed like about a hundred people all came in at once. A nice old library that has a subtle but pleasant charm to it. It's nice that lovely old buildings like this are finding new homes as libraries. read more

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Very very friendly and helpful staffs. The children's library is on the ground floor, stroller and wheel chair friendly. Offers toys, coloring, story times, DVDs and children's books. The children's bathroom is always clean(there is a changing table). There is an elevator in the building. First floor has DVD for adults and second floor has computers. You can get discount coupons from library for museums in Salem and Boston. We come here very often and staffs are just Always friendly and I felt very welcome. read more

Another thing is that in the computer room they have it so cold with the fans going. I can never enjoy my experience and can only stay for brief periods because it's so cold. One day they had the fans off when it was hot outside, then had the fans on when it was a colder day. Makes no sense. Turns the fans off and raise the temperature. Too cold! read more

Everyone who works here is really friendly, especially in the reference department. I am in school to become a librarian, so I was in quite often last semester working on a project about the SPL. I met the director, who was really helpful with getting me information I needed, and the ladies in Reference helped me find other items I needed. One interesting thing I noted is they don't make you pay your late fees in order to check out books. As a librarian, I find this odd, but as a patron, I kind of love it. Shhh, yes, I do have overdue books from time to time. They offer a lot of interesting new books, a ton of trade paperbacks, a large dvd selection, as well as being part of the NOBLE network, so you can borrow from around 15 other area libraries via interlibrary loan. The space is big and inviting, and usually quite packed. I found it a little disheartening that more people were checking out dvds than books, but at least it gets them in the door. It did take me more than one try to realize the lights in the back stacks do actually work, you just need to flip a switch to turn it on for a specific aisle you want to browse. Which is actually pretty neat now that I understand it. read more

Easy to get to,knowledgeable staff,and great book selection. And the printing is a steal at just 10 cents a page. I've been a regular visitor since I first relocated to Salem three and a half years ago. read more

I've been coming here since I was a kid. Now I bring my kid. We were in the area and he needed to pick a summer reading book so he picked one out. The lady at the front says absolutely nothing. Not a "Hi, hello, how are you?" We get nothing. Not even eye contact. The only thing she says when she hands back the book is, "Alrighty." Not a "Thank you, enjoy your day." Nothing. She wasn't doing anything but standing there. The least she could have said was a simple "Hello." I just find it pretty rude we were barely even acknowledged. Who knows, maybe she was having a bad day, although she was all smiles and talkative with her co-worker. read more

The Salem Public Library is a nice place, and the people who work here are friendly and helpful. For such a small library, it has an impressive collection of comic books and manga, a particular interest of mine. Its online catalog is easy to use. I always get prompt emails when my hold books arrive, and the interlibrary loan system is very welcome as well. All in all, I enjoy my time there. However, I wish that more of the patrons of this library would shut their cell phones off or mute them when they come in to work. I also wish people would learn to keep their voices down instead of holding conversations at the top of their lungs in areas where others are trying to read or study. It's super annoying. I imagine it's disruptive for others as well, and it isn't as if there aren't signs everywhere (including on the front doors) asking patrons to silence their phones when in the library. And no, it's not "those people" (i.e. the homeless or those too poor to have their own home Internet service) making the ruckus, but what appear to be ordinary upstanding citizens. This is not the fault of the librarians, of course, as I have seen them asking epople to shut their phones off when entering the library. But they have better things to do than police people all day, and I suppose nothing can be done about it except to be That Person who stares when someone starts talking loudly on their cell phone, and even asks people to please be quiet. There are times, however, when it is so bad that working at home in my Boston Street apartment with all the noise of traffic, construction, and people yelling obscenities at each other in the street is preferable to being in the library. Which is a shame. It shouldn't have to be that way. read more

This library is amazing :-) but I'm so sad Miss Coutney is leaving the children's library. :( There are plenty of book choices, and there are plenty of things to do there! The children's movies are in the children's library, ( bottom level ) and so are baby music CDs. Anyone in Salem should come, even people from Marblehead, Peabody, or anywhere else near Salem should come! :-) Come And Enjoy The Fun!!!!!! :-) read more

If you are latino the service you will receive will be different. My opinion from my own experiences.

This library should simply not be allowed to remain open. It is, by far, the filthiest and completely unsanitary building. I do know this. I've been a resident of Salem for nearly 50 years. I've been to this library many many many times, during all seasons over the years. Last winter, this library suffered the most unimaginable water damage from all the snow we had. But, the library has been in this terrible condition for many years before that. The desks, tables and chairs have a black grime on them that remain due to have never (as in never) being wiped down. Trash is everywhere, especially on the desk stations in the back, on the top floor. This area is the only area in the library where you can use the free Wifi on your laptop/tablet/computer. The have a small area, just in front of this area where you can use their computers. The computers there are covered in grime/grease/dirt as well, as they are never wiped down and used constantly all day long every day. Should you have to go use the free Wifi area, you will have to tolerate people eating, drinking, talking on cell phones, talking out loud to their computers (playing video/online games), sleeping/snoring, and often fighting with each other. The fighting is due to the many homeless people who use the library for a place to hang out, often during the cold winter months. Absolutely no one comes up to this area to monitor or check this area. You often find 6-8 people at one time sleeping on the desks, snoring or arguing with other homeless people. My issue is not with any homeless person. I find it incredible sad that they have to resort to being at the library to keep warm/cool when they have no where to go. My issue is that it has become the ONLY place they can go. Also, the people eating there leave trash everywhere and spilled coffee cups just remain where they are. No one cleans it. Last winter, the ceiling remained exposed, with huge trash barrels on the floor, all over the floor, to catch the snow/water pouring down from the ceiling. I thought, finally, someone will have to fix this place up and how pathetic that it has to come to this for anyone to wait this long. But, they only patched up what they could, put back the old ceiling and took out the barrels. The already dirty, molding carpeted floor (which became even more moldy), remained. It is sad that such an historic building should be allowed to deteriorate to what it is now. The carpeting throughout is historic. That isn't a good thing, it's a "health department needs to close it down" thing. I avoid this library at all costs. read more