When I had to spend several hours in Tumwater while my son took the SAT at the high school, I…read morethought the library would likely be a typical underfunded small town example, with one grumpy old librarian who has to do all the work, but hopefully open and usable to get some work done. I was surprised and pleased to find a very nice, obviously very well funded library. And I think there were at least six employees there. The one I asked about a reading area was cheerful and helpful. If anything, it's maybe even a bit better than the King County Library System I enjoy at home, and KCLS is widely recognized as world class. I had a very enjoyable, productive time there. If I could go there often, I would.

The whole Timberland Regional Library System is awesome and we are so lucky to have it in the South…read morePuget Sound. BUT by far, the Tumwater Library is the best of them all. The library is clean, quiet, and you don't have to plug your nose while browsing for books like you do at the downtown library (homeless people, God Bless Em, sleep and hang out there and the library smells very foul and I have seen two very physical fights on two different occasions with homeless people while I had my small children with me......we don't go there anymore - doesn't feel safe) I am sorry people are homeless, but it sucks that we can't even enjoy the library. Anyway, I digress.......Tumwater library has easy access, great parking, and the staff are all super attentive and very friendly and want to help you. I love this library!

I came here to study for a bit after dropping my son off at camp. We do not live in Olympia so this…read morewas my first time here. I almost let the negative reviews steer me away from coming and even tried a local college library first before arriving there to find it closed. I decided to come by to this branch and see what it was like for myself. It was clean, quiet and not overcrowded. I didn't ask for assistance myself but witnessed many people getting help from staff. Yes, there were some people who appeared to be homeless but they all seemed to be sitting in isolated corners just reading. I didn't notice any foul odors other than the general wet dog smell that places like this have when it has been raining & it was raining moderately when I arrived. They appeared to have a large selection of zines and other local literature and many offerings for teens. Everything looked well organized. I'm glad it was open and able to accommodate me.

Ever wonder what happened to all those punky, independent riot grrls from Olympia's glory days?…read moreThey're librarians now. They mostly sit around looking at computer screens and gossiping. Sometimes they host boring events featuring Oly dorks like Calvin Johnson or whoever, and very few people actually attend. The place itself is filthy and a bit small for a city library. Homeless people seem to be welcome judging by the state of the bathrooms and various areas of encampment. The staff doesn't want to be "uncool" by asking anyone to leave, because, revolution?

Can I give the library 4.5 stars??? 4 stars for the library itself, and then 5 great big golden…read moreglitter-covered stars for the employees. The building is super nice -- light, airy, welcoming. The book choices (I'm mostly a non-fiction reader) are ok. I like that I can make copies. But the people who work there are top-out-of-sight knowledgeable, helpful and friendly. I 'm so impressed with every one of them. Applause to these wonderful folks!

Came here for the introductory sewing class led by Naomi, and I have to say -- Naomi is an amazing…read moreinstructor. They were patient, willing to answer every question...and I had a lot of them! They never made anyone feel bad for asking. They also set up the Zoom camera really well so we could clearly see what they were doing on the sewing machine, even when their back was turned to the class. It was a unique setup I have not seen before, and honestly something other instructors, coaches, and teachers should consider using for live demonstrations. The front desk staff were incredibly kind, foo. They took the initiative to introduce themselves while i waited in line and made surey questions were answered right away. They never acted too busy to help, which made the whole experience feel welcoming. I would definitely come back -- even just to study. The library has beautiful artwork displayed throughout, and the space feels open without being overwhelming, especially with the many book shelves. Overall, a really well-run class in a really neat environment.

Very photogenic. Beautiful 1890s historic Queen Anne Victorian. Great architecture. Worth taking…read morea look at and snapping some pictures.

Used books with decent prices, but a very random selection of books. A treasure hunt.read more

the good folks here ALWAYS consistently communicate with us as warm intelligent family friends…read more They are professional research assistants with a myriad of knowledge. I am looking forward to assisting with a future 2024 in-store book club group.

It's ok. The tour given by my daughter was nice. They have a lot of activities for the students…read more It's great that the bus system runs regularly through there also. Small campus.

Great place to chill and study B)…read more I don't even attend the school, but we need to invest in more community centers to fight the ingrained cultures of individualism.

It's ok but the bathrooms have mold and no one cleans up the common places for the price you pay…read moreit's nasty, food is left to rot in the kitchen and there are a lot of required classes that don't really relate to certain majors

Juan the chef is amazing when I come to the Cafe juan has the best costumer service and is a joy,read more