I absolutely Love the Chehalis branch of the Timberland Library system. Like the Centralia one,…read morebecause it's connected to the Timberland system, you can check out any book in the group ... in person or "order" it (as I try to explain to my youngin's) and get it delivered to wherever you're at. This branch, to begin with, it beautiful! Landscaped grounds and a lovely fountain up front; and set up on a hill with stairs leading up to the doors (there are ADA accessible ramps too). It is smaller than the Centralia branch, but with that it is quieter and not as busy! Still very good selection of books to have in stock. There are also plenty of study areas and tables to work at. I have taken advantage of these a lot lately and I never have to worry about being interrupted, urged to move by other people wanting to use the space, or not have a space to work. It's also very safe-feeling ... so I don't fret about leaving my stuff at the table and walking around to stretch or use the restrooms (which, BTW, are incredibly clean for being a public restroom!). There is also a great children's literature space, which a huge collection of texts ... board books, pictures, early chapter books, and young literature. While there aren't as many toys and playthings as the Centralia branch, there are still things for the littles to play with and keep them occupied (especially the toddler-aged kiddos). All in all, with the friendly staff, quaint and cozy atmosphere, and selection of books & magazines ... I fully recommend the Chehalis Timberland Library!!

This is a beautiful building with very friendly staff. We love going to the library and my kids…read moreoften request trips to the "fancy library" so they can put coins in the pretty fountain out front. Go check it out!

We absolutely LOVE the Centralia Timberland Library and feel it's the best Timberland branch in the…read morearea! The staff are extremely friendly and helpful in whatever you might need - whether it finding a book, getting something put on hold, or answering general questions. They all are eager to help and support. There are thousands of books to browse through and check out. They really have a robust selection of all the genres that you would be looking for. Because they are a part of the Timberland Library group, it's easy to request a book at any of the many branches in the area and they'll get it delivered here. There is a smaller second floor that houses all of the teen and young adult books. There also is a teen only space up there for book groups and studying. I think it's great to have that genre of books all set up for them like that. In the whole library space, it really works. Best of all (at least for us), is the children's section! It's huge ... and it's walled off so the noise does not travel out to the rest of the library. :-) There is a ginormous selection of children's books and videos here. Additionally, there is play space that has lots of creative toys and traditional toys for the kids to play with. My boys love going here and spending time reading and playing. Plus, they have children's scavenger hunts around the entire library and offer stickers for the little ones who complete the hunt and/or clean up the toy space when they're done! The library also offers several classes or groups in various topics or arenas. Lego Club, Creator/Maker Space Club, Read Aloud/Storytimes, etc. Lots and lots to chose from. Regardless of your age or your book genre preference, the Centralia Timberland Library is the place to be! It is one of our GO-TO places in town!

With all the financial problems why are there people sitting around? Everytime I go in I only see…read morethe same older gentleman doing any work. The rest are sitting around talking to each other.

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!

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.

Wow, so nice. I love to visit libraries, especially as I visit new towns. This one is old and yet…read morelooking so clean, updated, and welcoming. Great use of space with so many things to look at and yet not cluttered. Good variety of materials upstairs and down. The homemade quilts and even the wall calendar just add all that much more to the vibe here. The parking lot is small but plenty. And recently resurfaces with clear white lines so it is easy to park just right. The kids are a lot of the ground floor space. Fills with so many options which is helpful as kids can go through books quickly.

Rude librarian. I was going to renew my card today (since we live in Kalama, not Longview, we have…read moreto pay $50 for 6 months or $100 for a year) and I was willing to pay that... but once the librarian was so rude to me/had attitude, I decided not to. It cost $0 to be a nice human & that customer service turned me off to the library entirely.

We were exploring small towns south of us and happened into the Toledo library. What a quaint town…read morewith some wonderful people. I was able to educate my kids on what a microfiche machine was as they had a working one with a large variety of newspapers dating back to the 1800s. Two sweet ladies working there helped us login to the public computers and my kids and I explored the town's history. Just lovely. We bought a few historical pictures/post-cards, and one of the ladies said there was a farmer's market running in nearby Winlock, WA and that she had a table there with handmade goods. Off we went to explore Winlock and we stopped in to purchase a few of her items at the farmer's market. We wish all towns were like this.

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

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?

Lived in Astoria 5 years now, the library has met my expectations. Staff has always been pleasant,…read morehelpful and resourceful, even during the difficult 'temporary' building while the remodel was underway. The remodel is gorgeous; artwork tasteful and local. I feel some of the space is wasted, but perhaps they're just waiting for new ideas. Lots of events scheduled, mainly for kids. Private rooms of various sizes available for use for meetings, study groups. Ample computer workstations, which I use on occasion. If you're like me, I cant afford to keep a working printer at home due to ridiculous ink cartridge prices, so on the rare occasion I need to print I put it on a stick and head to the library. Unlike WA libraries, where printing is free, they charge a modest amount, $.20 for B/W and $.50 for color. I was disappointed that the current printer cannot do double-sided. they have a self service pay station which is buggy. I entered a job for 8 color prints, I logged in to the station, pulled up my job, put money in the thingy, and immediately the printer started spewing out someones resume (not my stuff). The librarian was able to help me. The color prints are not very good for $.50 a pop. Anyway, I'm excited for the library, I'm going to try to start using LIBBY for digital books via Astoria Public Library.

The staff of the Astoria Public Library is very prejudiced against the homeless and those with…read moreAutism spectrum disorder (ASD). On Thursday, August 22, 2024, I spent a day at the APL, while visiting from Florida. In the morning, there was a person seemingly with ASD, who was speaking to himself while on a public computer. The library employee told him that if he wanted to speak to himself, he would have to leave. I honestly can't say he actually heard and/or understood her. She approached him a second time, about five minutes later and asked him to leave the library and to not come back today. His reaction was that he seem to not fully understand and he turned his head toward her, and then a bit past her and asked her what she was saying. This gesture made it appear the patron may have been hard-of-hearing in his right ear, and he turned his left ear toward her. She told him to leave and not come back that day. So does the library have a "quiet' policy? One would think so, based on this interaction. And if the library had remained quiet the rest of the day, I would not be leaving a comment. Several hours later a small group of teens came in and proceeded to go to the upstairs teen zone, which has no sound barrier to the lower level. They were speaking so loudly that you could follow the conversations downstairs. And since they were all speaking over one another, they got louder and louder. It seemed this was actually a library sponsored event, with a member of the staff with the teens. If the library has a rule about sound levels, it should be enforced to the level of the sound, not to who the person was. This type of discriminatory action taking place at the Astoria Public Library, or anywhere in America, is so last century