Great Wi-Fi, quiet environment, lots of table space. Close to a lot of good sources of restaurant food.

Super awesome and helpful staff! Getting a library card was quick and easy, and the lady was full of helpful tips, telling me all about the library's offerings. Great place, tho I've only been borrowing ebooks! read more

When I came to check it out I wasn't expecting too much but a wonderful employee, Stephanie, showed me everything the library had to offer and introduced me to programs I would've never thought to ask about! Definitely coming back to make use of all the amazing programs! read more

they have books and everything--tables, computers, outlets, even a pencil if you ask. Free place to hang out and just vibe while also expanding your mental. Based library 5/5 . read more

The library staff is fantastic, friendly, and easily accessible. In addition, the library has plenty of books and activities that appeal to different ages and preferences. Unfortunately, I do have to add that due to insufficient library space, it is not optimal for people who require a quiet setting for both studying and reading. Other than that, I recommend visiting for the balanced assortment of books, activities and multimedia in a friendly environment. read more

A special shout out to Rachel of the passport service, she was helpful and had great customer service skills. If you need to get your passport renewed, I would highly recommend making an appointment at San Benito Library. The staff is very professional and friendly. read more

My first visit here was fantastic, starting with the customer service by all staff members. Everyone took their time to ensure I had what I needed, multiple times, which was nice because the longer I searched, the more questions I had which they immediately answered. Its a small and quaint facility but full of resources and happy faces. I'm excited to revisit with my children. read more

Great help in renewing our expired passports. Staff is very professional and helpful. Easy to make an online appointment too.

This is the best library in the South Bay. We used the passport service and stayed to get cards, books, and learn about all the free online learning services. So thankful for Mary and her incredible staff! read more

Small library but growing collection; and very helpful staff. There is a book group operating through the library. Also, they are very good at acquiring books that a patron recommends; and when the book arrives, it is made readily available to the requesting patron. There are major plans to expand the library. We (the county, the state, the support organizations) all really need to pitch in, to take the library to the next glorious stage. read more

Mary Alvarez went out of her way to help me reapply for my passport on a short timeline. She was friendly and professional and I can't recommend them enough for passport services! read more

Great library! Even offers passport services! So thankful to have this in our town. Very organized.

We decided to get our children's passports through our county library. Mary was so helpful and made the process go so smoothly and quickly. Will definitely return for any future passport needs. Thank you Mary for being so friendly and helpful! read more

As a life-long resident of Hollister, I have used our library for many years. Love that if they don't have a book you want you can get it through interlibrary loan. I've gotten at least four books this way this year alone. I almost always find something to read here. I also like to come to glance at different newspapers. I have used the computers to access the Internet. I will sometimes get DVDs if I don't want to wait to get them from Netflix. Note: DVD are only lent out for seven days, and audiobooks for 14, where as most everything else is three weeks. All in all, great service, and I support my public library. read more

San Benito County Free Library - Libraries Near Me - Hollister, California

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This was the best experience we've ever had while processing passport paperwork. The representative was super friendly and very thorough. I would not hesitate to come back again. A++ read more

The Passport services at the San Benito Library was so efficient and so friendly! Highly recommend!

A special shout out to Mary of the passport service, she was absolutely amazing. We couldn't find any in-person passport application in the Santa Clara County and decided to travel to Hollister and we were totally blown away by the efficiency and friendliness of the service. Mary was professional and patient, able to put up with my kids' constant whining and helped us get everything ready. Cannot thank her and the library enough for their service. Great job! read more

Mary was so amazing and helped us get our daughter's passport application done super fast. She was helpful from the first moment we spoke on the phone until we got there and started the process. Can't wait to go back for the rest of my families passports read more

Great Library. A lot of activity's for the kids, the staff is VERY helpful. They have a huge selection of dvds books. Real along with audio books. Highly recommend you check it out. read more

Not a great environment for quiet studying. This is not entirely the staff's fault as the library is really only one big room with a partial divider for the children's area. What is their fault is that they continually talk in full voice while speaking to patrons and to each other. I usually need to access online programs while studying, but their "laptop" area is in the loudest part of the room, between the public desktops, youth section, and the front desk. The advantage they do offer is that they have free WiFi with no access code needed. In an attempt to find a quieter spot, I tried using an outlet closer to the back, but was chastised by one of the library staff, who treated me like I was 6 years old instead of speaking to me like a senible adult and request I go to the laptop area. I guess I shouldn't be surprised as they don't seem to have much else to do. The bathrooms are often used by non-patrons who usually leave it in a poor state. Overall, they have the minimum requirements to study, but I would have a hard time recommending it. read more

5 stars +++ for Passport Services. I was able to make a Thursday 6:30PM appointment for my sons two weeks out. The authorized clerk was ready at 6:20, handled everything quickly and professionally, and we were done by 6:40. With expedited service we had their passports in hand 10 days later. It couldn't have been easier, the experience was just so...civilized compared to the 3AM campouts or 3 month appointment booking delays in Santa Clara County and environs farther north. After you finish, go to The Grove for a bite or a drink...thank me later. read more

I got a email about this libraries curbside program because my daughter has a library card and i saw the picture of the lady named Mary in the picture. She is the nicest lady and is very helpful to everyone. This place I hope is happy to have her. Thank you San Benito library for being the place to go even when you are not open. I hope you open up soon. read more

Check out photo of revise ordnance which is totally do to me calling the pele in Hollister fat and stupid due to 1 hour parking in front of library and 3 hour parking in front of resterants! read more

San Benito County Free Library - Parking regs - Libraries Near Me - Hollister, California

Thank you so much for sharing your community room so that the local Buddhist group could have a teaching there. It was a wonderful teaching. You supplying the room is very gracious and appreciated. read more

My 2 year old and 4 year old love coming here on the weekends to pick up kids movies for rent, they even had fancy Nancy, vamperina, all kids favorite movies. As each girl had a card, we were able to rent 20 movies plus I had my library card and rented them some books and mommy got some cooking books, what else could we ask for, it was a nice weekend watching movies, and all for free.. read more

Passport applications accepted! Who knew. Had appointment for Hollister post office but their system was down. San Benito Free Library to the rescue!! Walked into a super cute and very clean and organized library to a very warm welcome. It was almost like we were invited into someone's home. The staff said go ahead and have a seat and noticed we were just having a hard day. They offered my daughter and us snacks while we waited and even to open library card or have a tour. The passport agent came in and explained that they did not have appointments on Fridays yet. After hearing what happened to a few people from the post office she was so kind to take us all in and help us out within minutes. We were so pleasantly surprised about the genuine kindness still out there and here in California. The staff here truly made our day. In the end she even told us what's available online since we are not from the area. Great hometown library. read more

We just moved here this weekend with our soon to be 2 year old son. So, in an effort to be involved with our new town and meet new people, I took my son to the 0-3 year old story time today. It was AMAZING. It was held in a special room that looked like a preschool and had about 10-15 0-3 year olds. Miss Carol is the lady who leads it and she read two books in the beginning. One of them was a lift the flap book about animals and each child was allwoed to have a turn to lift the flap. She asked David about 3 pages in and he said no. A few pages later he had warmed up, walked to the front of class by himself, turned the page and made the same noise as the animal (it was a barking sea lion, so appropriate!) Afterward, she had them come pick out one musical instrument and they got to learn some new songs. David got so excited after each one, he would jump up, clap, and scream yay!! The other parents thought he was a hoot. She did Old McDonald but had felt animals to go with the song and each child was allowed to put one on a felt board during the song. David got a red race car and didn't want to put it up. Then they played with special bubbles that you can hold without popping, and then had free play with toys. They celebrate birthdays (one child was celebrating his and got a balloon and gift!! The teacher made sure to get David's birthday to celebrate!) They even give out certificates and books for attendance milestones. It is free and every Monday from 10:30-11:30. We are going to attend every Monday! What a great treat for us. I highly recommend this library to anyone who lives here and even my friends who are visiting. This is what a small town library should be. read more

Now open on Saturdays from 1-5 pm! Staff is friendly and very helpful--always willing to make the extra effort for a patron. They do a terrific job with limited funding. Great passport service, too! read more

I've been going to Hollister Public Library for almost a year. It is always busy there. They have activities & events for people of all ages. There are nice computers for public use to access the internet and they make printing easy. They've got a great selection of books considering their small size & they have a system for inter-library borrowing in case there is a book you want at an out-of-town library that is in their network. Just ask. They also rent DVDs - very cool! - both educational as well as movies. One of the things that I enjoy immensely is the book sale that is held directly behind the library on Saturdays from 9 am to noon. I have found some great books there at bargain prices. Most of all, the staff is immensely helpful & very friendly! read more

This place is loud! A library should be quiet or at the very least not have screaming children and staff that shout across the library. Some of the staff are really helpful which is why I gave this two stars. On a few occasions I've encountered staff being rude to other people and even one another! One time I stood in line for check out and there was a woman behind the counter who was on her phone and it wasn't until I coughed a few times she put it away and then came over to help me. While she was very nice I felt it was rude to not be paying attention. Their internet is very slow, they just got new computers but they work at the speed of a snail. The only advantage is if you can afford a laptop or a tablet they have open access wifi and you don't need a library card. read more