What a nice, tidy, (no so little) library! I love libraries: they are one of the few places you can go to where you're not expected to spend money. You can just go there to read, do research or work on a paper without spending a dime. A rarity, these days. Anyway, South Pasadena Public Library has a really nice entrance. The first floor is the library proper: I'll admit smaller than I expected. But the kids section looked absolutely awesome and had me hankering for younger days. There were a great deal of computers, mostly in use. And a nice little phone charger station: more libraries should have these! On the second floor, there are collection of large rooms which appear set up for community meetings or non-profit gatherings. But the star of the show is the Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library Bookstore upstairs. Featuring a collection of gently used books, with some really cool titles. Many books about art and architecture, crafts, cooking as well as fiction. Prices for hardbacks are comparable to a typical used book store, but paperbacks were very reasonable. But, since this bookstore is the primary contributor to the running of the library, I definitely encourage you to go browsing. Eventually books (and DVDs and Blu-rays) that languish up here for too long get shuffled downstairs where they're on sale for next to nothing. The Friends of the South Pasadena Public Library Bookstore is open Tuesday through Saturday 1pm-5pm M-Th and 11:30am-4:30pm Saturday and 10:00am-4:30pm Sunday. Definitely a nice library. Definitely worth visiting. read more

South Pasadena Public Library - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

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This is a nice public library in South Pasadena. The children's section was huge and there were 2 computers for kids to use with kid-friendly educational games. There was a librarian seated in the section, but she looked busy and didn't seem to want to engage with the kids while we were there. Street parking is available around the library. The library is located in a pretty park like setting. When we visited a few weekends ago, there was a tai chi class finishing up. read more

Such a poor selection of toddler books. Whoever curated this has no clue what books toddlers like or need. Also, the majority of them are hardcover with paper so the toddlers rip the pages. They should be board books, not paperbacks. There is always a wait for any book I've ever wanted. I asked if I could donate some toddler books and they said yes. When you donate a book, they sell it to make profit for the library... I told them they actually need some good books not a minimal amount of money that they're gonna get from selling mine. I'd rather them just keep the board books for toddlers, than sell them for a dollar to use that measly profit for something else in the library. read more

A great public library set inside a gorgeous park like setting. There's plenty of street parking around the building, and the librarian staff were all incredibly friendly and helpful. I stopped by for their holiday book sale and was impressed with the hundreds of great books across all genres for such low prices. The space is cozy, well maintained, and truly feels like a community spot. A gem of a library and absolutely worth visiting. read more

South Pasadena Public Library - Holiday book sale - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

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So many books and awesome stories full of history and laughs! It is awesome‍‍‍ books=awesomeness

Kind of a smaller library compared to their other one off of Walnut Street. This location is a lot much better and attractive in my opinion. There is a nice park across the street and a nice setting of plants and nature at the front door. It looks more modern, and not so much ancient looking and smelling of the other location. There are no homeless here lounging around and bothering people. Books are well kept and so are the DVDs and computers. I just like the vibe here. Service is better too. Only problem at this location is the parking structure. read more

The library is a great place to get some work done. Plenty of tables to choose from. Parking wasn't too bad. read more

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I came here because this is the only library that is housing a limited edition book that I wanted to see, which the author gifted the library decades ago when she came to speak at the library. I was enticed into the Children's Room by the wonderful quilt on the wall, of open books, spine out, each sporting a cover of a different design. Then, I saw the even more wonderful mosaic column by the Children's Room librarian's desk. Scrabble letters form intersecting words, crossword-style, interspersed by colorful, square smalti. Each side of the column is decorated, but differently on each side. I also saw the wall of shelves of "last chance" books for sale for only 50c each! Be still my heart! I left with an armload of new-to-me books, some nice enough to gift. I will certainly stop back in when I'm in the area, to see that fabulous column again, and to see if there are more books that I cannot do without. The staff was friendly and helpful. Easy street parking, as the library is smack-dab in the center of a shady, park-like block. read more

South Pasadena Public Library - mosaic column in Children's Room. - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

Tons of tables, great programs for kids. Came here on Friday with my kids and they enjoyed it. Very organized unlike some others I've been too. Will definitely be back read more

This is a beautiful sanctuary. Great librarians who are knowledgeable and friendly. The space is a wonderful place to sit and read. They have free seeds for your garden. A used bookstore. And meeting room space. All communities should be so lucky read more

Co-vid 2021 update. Very satisfied with my experience for "library take out ". Their website was easy to negotiate and I called to confirm they were doing take out. The person on the phone explained that the books do have a quarantine period when they are returned. On line I placed a hold on the book I wanted. I got a call the following day saying that the book was ready for pick up. I parked on the street and walked up to what used to be the main entrance.. I gave my last name and the librarian got my book from a designated table. I am very impressed with how organized and orderly this transaction was. Keep it going!! read more

South Pasadena Public Library - Books waiting for pickup - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

Old Library (founded in 1895) in South Pasadena. The buidling is beautiful and the surroundings are a great background for reading under an old, shady tree. I loved its grounds, nice, quiet, calm, lush with vegetation. The library is nice, with great resources (not part of LAPL), quiet, relaxing. They have a bookstore, closed on Sundays. The library is open daily, check their site for its current schedule. I happen to stumble over this Library and since I am a book worm, I had to visit it. Charming building, loved the grounds, I took a nice break there on a hot summer day! Great resource for the area! read more

I recently donated about 80 old books to this location that once belonged to my late father. I specifically chose this location because I love supporting my local community. Organizing this donation was made very easy by the staff who were very helpful and friendly. read more

My favorite local library, strong emphasis on friendly staff and librarians. Something unique about this library is that there isn't as strong of a focus on it being pin-quiet, more like moderate to quiet speaking levels. Large selection of manga, and all kinds of books, 3 week policy, kinda funny-shaped restrooms, could do with more comfy chairs... read more

Cool little library, but you'd think with the history and quaintness of South Pas this library would be on a different level of spectacular and I am sure one day it will be but not so much now. It suits your needs for reading and research but beyond that don't expect anything beyond the norms. The outside sitting area is probably the best part of this library but then again every part of South Pas is amazing. Hopefully in the near future they will redo this place in its entirety and be on par with its surroundings. read more

Great library. Friendly, knowledgeable staff. They have a pretty big collection of graphic novels if that's your bag. The kids section of graphic novels could be a bit bigger but overall the kids department is pretty solid too. read more

The Library is clean and they have a great selection of titles. And of course Air Conditioning. All Big pluses. The staff is a mixed. Some are friendly and knowledgable. Some are knowledgable without the friendly part but at least a third of the staff is neither friendly or knowledgable and that's problematic for a library. So, as long as you don't need to talk to a librarian this place is great and usually quiet enough to read and study. read more

Good library in little charming community! The place does get packed, they offer story times, events, for free! Pros: - love the little bookstore located inside the library. They offer some books for sale downstairs near the check out stand and bigger selection upstairs. All pretty reasonable prices! Found some kids books for .50 cents each. - large selection of different books - kid selection has plenty of books, puzzles and toys - during the summer, they offer a different kids program each week ranging from STEM to magician show! Cons: - it is a bit run down, it hasn't seen much update at all. - the air conditioner is not that great, since it is a old building! - can be packed at times... so hard to find a seat to study. read more

South Pasadena Public Library - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

I've been frequenting this library since I was a little girl. From summer book reading programs for kids, to spending some time doing homework in high school. This library is special to me. It isn't big, but it has a lot of charm and personality with a great staff. It's been closed due to the pandemic, but I still find myself spending afternoons on the lawn with friends. It's a nice quiet place where you can meet up with friends outside, have lunch on the lawn or tables, and enjoy people passing you by. Many people come and to teach their kids to ride bikes, walk their dogs, or sit on benches to people watch. It's also a hot spot for photography, and sometimes I'll find local musicians playing live. It's well shaded and there's a coffee shop across the street if you're looking for refreshments. I love this library. read more

A quaint library in the heart of South Pasadena. The outdoor space is beautiful, and the staff are friendly. Unfortunately, this library is not connected to the greater Pasadena system, so you are limited to this one location for book selection. A lot of seemingly homeless folks hang out here; this leads to limited space to work at the work tables. If this bothers you, I would try out another library. read more

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Beautiful library with an amazing friends of the library bookstore!! Highly recommend you visit this library and get a library card if you have a valid California ID! read more

A charming little library tucked just behind South Pas' downtown area. The grounds are well kept for peaceful reading and even picnicking! What I love most about this quaint library are their resources for little tykes. They have an abundant assortment of board books, CD's and DVD's which are age appropriate for my little one, even since he was born. They offer a nice selection of classics such as those from Eric Carle as well as newer titles, and they constantly replenish the shelves with up-to-date titles. Their CD's include everything from Raffi to Sesame Street, Disney.. Rockabye Baby and on and on... And DVD's include Sesame Street, Elmo, Baby Einstein and Little Pim in tons of languages! My little one and I are in for a treat every time we visit, as we love their designated play area stocked with blocks, Lego, puzzles and toys. Renewing material is a snap online and parking is sufficient surrounding the building, with up to 4 whole free hours of street parking! read more

South Pasadena Public Library - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

They only accept cash or check for fines. No credit cards, trade ins or bartering! =p So make sure you stamp your materials before you leave with the date you are due, to save yourself from making an unplanned "donation". read more

Many pleasant changes at this library in the past 6 years have inspired me to update my last negative review. For the most part, the librarian service has improved. The selection of books and DVDs remains thin, but what's available is excellent quality. It is quiet and pleasant. read more

I don't live in or near South Pasadena, but I've been to this library twice, both for bookish events. The first time was for a book club meeting at the invitation of my friend Don Cannon, who passed away last year. Don was a wonderful man with a great passion for books, and he and Jean U. of Book'Em ran this mystery book club out of the library after Book'Em closed a few years ago. I love libraries (my first job was at a branch of the LA Public Library) and this one definitely fulfills its role as a community hub and resource for readers, in South Pasadena and beyond. I haven't actually spent time in the main spaces of this library, but I've hung out in two of its community rooms, first for the book club, and more recently, for a party for the Mystery Writers of America. The library is lovely, both inside and out, charming and nicely maintained. I don't know how one goes about reserving space here, but it seems like a cost-effective place to have a gathering. Every town needs a quality library, and this one has South Pasadena covered. I'm glad that I got to visit Don's book club when he was alive, and hope to come back to this library in the future for more book nerd events. read more

People are so rude these days, especially the reference librarian Paula. I had just purchased an iced coffee from Starbucks and since it was my first time coming to this library, I did not know that I could not bring this beverage into the library. Instead of kindly informing me that I could not bring this drink into the library, she raised her voice in the library in front of other patrons and demanded that I throw it out. This behavior is quite unacceptable. This library is quite small. There is not too much seating within the library. I do like the fact that they have free WiFi in the library. However, the experience of being here was diminished when I encountered that rude reference librarian. It is also very hypocritical of the reference librarians to talk up a storm then rudely telling other patrons to be quiet. It is just too noisy to be classified as a library. read more

It's a functional library that's quite dated. Seems like a product of a bygone era that's behind the times in terms of community usage. Specifically, this relates to the ability to understand meet the needs of the users. The best of the library is the quaint neighborhood and the exterior facade of the building. The internet is hassle-free which requires no login or authorization (looking at you Cerritos) and parking seemed reasonable on a Sunday afternoon. I found a spot with a two hour limit. The patrons seem to be on this Sunday lots of older individuals with half doing reading, looking at newspapers or books and the other half surprisingly on their mobile devices or laptops. In terms of usage, the desks and tables are all older wooden furniture. They have "character" and but there is a distinct lack of outlets to plug in our productivity devices and the carpeting is quite dated as well. As a busy library, the only usable space is the first floor as the second floor houses one meeting room, their bookstore and restrooms which were both locked. The restroom on the first floor had one stall and one urinal, quite tiny for so many people. Overall, a decent local library to get some work done between meetings. Nothing worth going out of your way for but for the local families looking for a place to read it's acceptable. read more

Just a tip -- apparently this library isn't hooked into the LA public library system -- so if you return a book here that you picked up from another library -- expect about a 2 month turn-around time. NO KIDDING. And if you get charged late fees, call your local branch and just say "I dropped it off at the South Pasadena library" and they will get it... it will take weeks if not months to get it back in the system... my mistake... YIKES. read more

Nice place to relax. read more

South Pasadena Public Library - SEP2013 - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

Story time on Fridays. Pro- Excellent location with parks and trees. The time is convenient for kids and their naps, there are multiple classes. Maida, the librarian is just simply awesome, she likes the kids and it shows with her passion as she sings, dances, and reads to them. There are seasonal events like Lego night and moon festival which is ideal for child development and enrichment. Also the summer reading program is a great way to motivate kids to read, it's fun and they get weekly prizes for their efforts! You can register online and check out the schedule as well. read more

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Who doesn't love the library? I love books, real books, with actual pages. I need to feel the pages as I turn them, I'm not really into the swipe left option my kindle provides me. I think that everyone should have a library card. They're free, so there's no harm. I don't normally read books more than once, so very rarely do I find a book worth buying. This library isn't very large, but it has a great selection. I am into biographies right now and I definitely won't finish with their selection any time soon. Signing up for a library card takes all of ten minutes. Go do it. read more

I like many things about this library, its location, the beautiful outside area to picnic with family, the children's section, and always a free computer. HOWEVER, some staff could be a bit friendlier and less stoic when it comes to problem solving. I was late returning a few books, tried to pay on-line and turns out you cannot. Then I called and tried to pay over the phone, again you cannot....its cash or check only. Nowadays you expect other options. It makes it difficult for a busy working mom still trying to teach the value of the public library to kids when 1) they don't waive/forgive late fees even if its your first time and then, you try to pay but they don't take your debit or credit card. Plus, then they block future use. Gees! read more

Parking is limited at this library. They do have a huge conference room upstairs which is great if you need to do business or in my case homework. You don't even need a library card to reserve it which is also a bonus. It has a small town feel to it. Not sure how the selection of books is here. I'll mostly be here in the conference room to meet with my cohort. read more

I love working here, it's so peaceful and never too crowded. Is it weird that I like its old vintage scent? If you're into history, you will too! This library is a great place to get work done without being bothered. A good 'ol neighborhood library in the smack middle of LA. read more

South Pasadena Public Library - Libraries Near Me - South Pasadena, California

Brief Review: While it is older and smaller than most libraries, it has everything you need. Not the best place for quiet study so bring earbuds. Time of review: Monday from 10-6pm Ambience: It has the charm of an older library with carpet floors and wooden chairs. Not a lot of wide open spaces in this library. You may or may not like that. I loved the grassy areas outside with the trees and benches outside. Wi-fi: Free public wifi that does get a little slow when the library gets busy Study Tables: The larger tables are wooden with glass countertops. No outlets right at the tables that some other libraries have. There are some desks facing the walls that have outlets located below the desk. Parking: 3 hr street parking adjacent to the library. You'll need to park further down the street if you want to stay longer. Staff: Did not have a chance to interact with them, but no specific complaints. Noise level: It was quiet in the morning, but the noise level picked up in the afternoon when the students got out of school. Even though I was studying next to a non-enclosed "designated group study" section, I felt that none of the patrons attempted to talk quieter in this area. I felt it was fine if you have earphones and music. read more

I used to come here when I was young and this library is really the best out of the local ones! The inside of the main section is dark and gloomy which gives off perfect chill vibes. It's a great place to get work done without being bothered. Other libraries would have kids running around or be over crowded with students working on group projects and strangers taking up the spots to just relax in the cool air conditioning. I would definitely come here often and it's fun for exploring the various books. read more

While I absolutely adore South Pasadena, I'm not entirely keen on the library. It's pretty generic and definitely serves its purpose without any pomp and circumstance. I want to feel like I'm a coed meeting my study group at some prestigious university or Judy Jetson in a futuristic dome of technology that just happens to also house books. I don't want to feel like I've been transported back to my 3rd grade self in the '80s having to look in encyclopedias to complete a book report. The pomp and circumstance affords me the luxury of the previously mentioned mind getaways, while the lack thereof makes me just want to hurry up and get on with it. Whatever it is. There is ample free parking around and of course, free wifi, but there's not a ton of ideal seating if you're in need of some laptop juice. A ton of kids...and not entirely quiet ones. read more

Sure, I grew up here, but I come back even as an adult because they actually have a very good selection of books. I find titles in their catalog that most libraries don't have when I don't feel like trekking to the big Central Library in Downtown LA. Sometimes the librarians or staff can be a bit pushy when you talk to them at inconvenient times, but they still try their best and get you what you need. I needed a particular book and I managed to get to the library 30 minutes before they closed because I had come directly from work, and despite them usually not issuing out new cards (mine had expired from not checking something out for over three years, unfortunately), they did for me. I was even unable to find a book and the reference desk swiftly, and gladly, found the item I was looking for. It is small, but it has charm. No matter when I come in here, there are people here reading or trying to find something, and of course a number of people on their notebooks accessing the free wireless connection. Very nice for the cozy atmosphere because it usually doesn't get very crowded. read more

This mid-sized library isn't the fanciest place around, but it's perfectly serviceable and has most things a person would probably look for in a library. There's a wide collection of books (fiction, non-fiction, self-help, etc.), current magazines, comics/manga, movie DVDs, and music CDs. There's a number of tables to work at, and there are sections for children and middle school/high school students. I've generally found the staff to be helpful and friendly. This library takes book donations. I brought ~30 textbooks and other books, and they took all of them. With nice grassy knolls in shade, the area outside the library is a nice spot to hang out, especially after taking a gander through the Thursday Farmer's Market. read more

I haven't belonged to a library since college, but I signed up here recently since I can walk here from work, and, hey, free books! Given that, I can't really compare it to other libraries. It's pretty small and sometimes doesn't have the books I'm looking for, but the building (and the little grassy park that surrounds it) is charming as all get-out. The staff is kind and helpful, and going there is always like stepping into a different, quieter, better world. read more