We love our local library! It is clean, beautiful, and the books are well- stocked. The librarians are always kind and friendly. The Friends of the Library also do some commendable work! Thank you for your hard work! read more

I had a very disappointing experience today, September 3, at the San Jose Almaden Branch Library. As a resident of the Almaden area for more than 15 years, I have used this library frequently for working and studying and have always appreciated having it as a community resource. Today was my first time reserving one of the group meeting rooms because I had an important Zoom meeting scheduled from 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. With the assistance of a library staff member, I successfully reserved the room and received an email confirmation. About five minutes after my Zoom meeting had started, the branch manager interrupted my meeting and told me that I needed to leave because the room belonged to someone else. Since I saw that a group of children was waiting to use the room, I cooperated and left without arguing. After my meeting, however, I showed the manager my confirmation email, which clearly demonstrated that I had reserved the room correctly. I was then told that there had been a system error and that the room had been double-booked. What I found most upsetting was not the system error itself, but the way the situation was handled. Before asking me to leave in the middle of my meeting, the manager did not check my confirmation email or first verify whether I had made a valid reservation. Instead, I felt that it was immediately assumed that I was the one who had made a mistake. As an Asian woman, I also could not help but wonder whether I was being treated differently, particularly because the other party involved was white. I cannot know the manager's intention, but the interaction left me feeling uncomfortable, dismissed, and disrespected. I understand that technical errors and double bookings can happen. However, I believe the appropriate response would have been to first verify both reservations, explain the situation respectfully, and work with both parties to find a solution rather than abruptly asking one person to leave an ongoing meeting. After being a longtime resident and regular user of this library, I was extremely disappointed by today's experience. I hope the library will review both its room reservation system and how staff handle situations like this so that all patrons are treated with courtesy, fairness, and respect. read more

This is a fabulous big library in the heart of Almaden Valley. It has a great kids park adjacent to tbe library and Almaden community center. Inside, they have ping pong rooms and group study rooms. The library has many staff members ready to assist and greet patrons. It's also very nicely cool with AC running on hot days like today. I really enjoyed this library with its lovely decor as well. read more

Almaden Branch Library - Libraries Near Me - San Jose, California

A fantastic community center in San Jose! They have plenty of camps and daycare options for your young ones. They have a small gym, studio, basketball court, and cafe. The cafe has many menu items; I have tried their Dip n Dot, latte, and smoothies. This library is also an excellent spot to study or work. Be aware if you are trying to get work done in a quiet area because there are a bunch of little kids running around and young teens. Upon arriving at the library, the gym, basketball court, and studio area are on the left. Fun fact: I used to do Karate in the studio and basketball court area when I was younger. I also used to go to a basketball camp here. The book section of the library has books, movies, and CD's that you can check out with your membership card. The library has a teen room, conference room, and tables. It's always nice stopping by this place because it brings back nostalgia! read more

love this library. clean and organized and the staff is very knowledgeable! they have a cafe inside the library, offer good snack!

Shout out to all of the fantastic librarians here who are so very helpful. They care about kids and recommend a variety of books that will inspire them to read. This review for the amazing faculty and staff *EXCLUDES* DONNA, an elderly staff member who, on my latest visit, was incredibly rude and unhelpful. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that she was just having a miserable day and is not a miserable person. read more

The library offers a wonderful weekly reading circle for small children. We participated in the summer reading program , where my granddaughter got to choose a free book each week. The play area and books for the children's area is great. Lots of toys and good books to choose from. Friendly staff, and clean bathrooms. read more

I ventured off here and I was really impressed on how nice this library is. It gets really packed one side of the library is a community center area, a cafe, and a senior center area. The kids/teen area is huge. They have a great calender with lots of really cool activites. read more

As a student and young adult, there are a few attractive points about Almaden Library...but I wouldn't say it's my favorite library in the Bay. I love the complimentary STRONG and free wifi. This is a great place for me to use the internet while getting my work done. There is also a gymnasium attached to the library that altogether make up the Community Center. I think that's pretty cool...and there's a little cafe as well. It's a great place for community members to meet or kids to come after school. The restrooms are clean and spacious. However, I didn't like that there weren't many tables/individual spots for studying and keeping all of my textbooks. I only found a table after walking all the way down the library to the magazine/newspaper room--and that's where there's less air flow (smelled like dusty attic) and snoring people...not my cup of tea. But all in all, it seems like a great library for young kids (children's section is beautiful!) or just people who are looking to catch up and do some light reading. Not really a convenient place for hardcore studying. read more

Great place to study with multiple places to study according to your needs. There is a room that you can rent for study groups, a room designated for teens, a quiet area, and staggered desks scattered throughout the library. In the entrance you will find a cafe that has coffee and snacks (I haven't tried it yet). There is a self-checkout for books and two information booths for your questions. Adjacent to the library there is a community room and fitness center. Bathrooms are located in the foyer. Kids area is great as they have different events that occur. Lots of summer programs at the fitness center and the library. I studied for three hours and I can see myself here again for putting in a couple hours of studying! read more

Almaden Library and Community Center is an Excellent facility serving South San Jose. It is located on Camden Ave., just west of Almaden Expy. It was the first building in San Jose to function as both a Library and a Community Center. It is a beautifully designed building and I am proud to say that I played a role in helping to build this magnificent facility. Refer to an aerial picture we took of this project shortly after construction at: (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/MGEkzMJhkutXWGYeqAd-DQ?select=KAVgrzMKfMBjWlZhAU5IfQ#KAVgrzMKfMBjWlZhAU5IfQ) For more information about this Library go to: http://www.sjpl.org/almaden For more information about the Community Center go to: http://www.sanjoseca.gov/prns/communitycenters/almaden/default.asp Also, check out "Friends of the Almaden Library" (FAL) at: http://www.almadenfriends.org/ SAN JOSE JUST HAS SOME OF THE BEST LIBRARIES AROUND! Thank you dot-com tax money! :) read more

Almaden Branch Library - An aerial pic. we took just after we finished construction. - Libraries Near Me - San Jose, California

This is a wonderful library as it is also a first-rate community center as well. We've benefited from the typical services you would imagine from a library and community center but there is so much more. My young teen daughter got to be a library ambassador (her first job), we have gained access to lots of community resources we would not have known about otherwise and the supportive interactions with great staff like Jo-Ann Wang make us feel really like a part of the community. Thanks! read more

Veryyyy nice indeed. This place still male kind of new. Like the selection of movies. Nice and quite. It's even open until 6pm on Saturday. Damn yelp. It's wanting to write more that I want. Two or three sentences should be good enough. read more

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Friendly faces. Family oriented. Super safe. It's a smaller library yet has a proportional isolated sections. Kids section is in a corner which is nice so that they won't disturb others. They have a handful of private rooms. There are a lot of events for the locals. Also daycare. read more

Awesome library! I am so happy to have found it today! My library in my neighborhood burned down quite a while back so as I patiently wait for it to be finished, I have been venturing to other libraries in the nearby area. There is tons of parking here and even on a Wed afternoon at 3pm I could find parking. Also included with the library is a community center including a gymnasium and recreational area geared for kids. They also had a Blood Drive going on in their Community Room. Now I know where I can go to donate in the area. Staff is super helpful here. I had a question locating a book and the librarian was friendly and pointed me in the right direction. He also informed me about reserving books online from other locations if I never need those services. I should take full advantage of that...so I did and reserved two books at other libraries to come to the Almaden location. How easy! Including a wide array of adults books, they have a children's book section and a teen section as well as a large selection of DVDs, CDs and books on audio. I love this place...will definitely be back to use it in the future! read more

Happened to just walk into this library the other day as I was in the area. Was amazed to see the expansive collection of children's' books. In fact the kiddie space is really large, and well designed to hold even an adult's interest. What a pleasant change from the overcrowded Sunnyvale/ Santa Clara libraries that I usually go to! The collection is also well catalogued. Neat ambience throughout -no loose books/ toys lying around. My son and I spent an entire wholesome hour here reading his favourite books. The only downside to the visit was when we had to leave, my little one bawled his eyes out when I told him that we could not check any books out because we weren't members, since we don't live in the Almaden area. Any library that can evoke that kind of reaction in a young child has got to be doing it's job right!!! read more

This is a wonderful Library here in Almaden. It's easy to find, has a cute park right next to it and plenty of parking. I came in one afternoon just to browse and found it really cute. From their room to use computers, to the books, CDs, DVDs to check out it is great and free! Everything is really clean, organized and new. Also, there is a small cafe to buy everything from coffee to sandwiches - so that was nice. It lost one star from me since it didn't have a great history selection, I love history . . . read more

All I can say for this library is: WOW, really? a public library with a complete dvd rentals stack, with gyms inside it? The only thing this place needs is an indoor swimming pool and you will have a YMCA. LOL. no joke. You will find varieties of program here, from senior citizen program to baby lapsit time, teen program, and etc, I mean.. this place is awesome for a public library. I've never seen a public library this clean, this big, anything a person needs for a public library. At least I can see where my tax $$ goes. HA! read more

It sure took long enough but now that it is done, I don't know how anyone could have done a better job than these designers did with this library. It's as close to perfect as you can get, certainly the best of all the city libraries that I have been to. Easy to get to down Camden Ave across Almaden Expressway. You have a lot of parking (4 times as much as Vineland), a beautiful lobby and information center. Everything is so modern-looking. There are tons of DVD's and VHS's to rent. Self-serve checkout is also awesome. Tons of books; both new and old. 2 shelves of bibliographies. Teen rooms, Computer access. A food court. And lots of natural light with all of the plate-glass windows to let the sun in. No closed-in feeling here like in the old library. The staff is also very, very helpful. If you need anything, they are right there to assist you. (This review does not include the community center, I will review that separately.) read more

It's really a library to put other libraries to shame. It's brand new, clean and full of new-looking books, dvd's and other items. It's part of a community center so there are lots of other people milling about. There's also a cafe to buy snacks. I liked how you could scan your own books to check them out, a cue from the grocery store that really works here. Plus they have free wi-fi, something I will be taking advantage of again and again. read more

Love coming here because its close to work and it's a great place to study. I come in the afternoon usually, try to make it before the rush. The library is within a the almaden community center so that's why it can get packed and noisy. Afternoon weekdays are crazy because there are tons of people and parking can be a hassle. If you don't like the noise of children running around and screaming then don't come during after school hours haha. Other than that, the facility and building is really nice. Farley "new" hasn't been around too long. The library is actually located within the Almaden Community Center. Has many different rooms and activities for children and the elderly. Which reminds me, beware of horrible parking, older people and parking...well most people know how that is haha. I do love what they do for the community though and they always have things going on to keep your family busy. But since this is a review of the library and not the whole center, I really like it. Aside from the children running around sometimes, if i come at a good time, usually before school is out, then it is fairly quiet. The noise doesn't bug me too much though. But if it does, there is a room in the back corner of the library that is closed for no noise. Plenty of tables to work at with outlets in all of them which is super convenient. Free wifi too! And if you get a library card here you can use it at all libraries in San Jose I believe. read more

How can you not love your local library. The facilities here are updated and modern. They have a community recreation center that I haven't had a chance to experience yet. The library has a great selection of books, magazines and dvds. This a great place to while away a few hours with the kids. read more

The Almaden community center and library is nice, open, and airy. Parking is sometimes a little difficult if you want to find out near the entrance but if you drive around or wait, usually a space opens up. Staff is very helpful, while the libray is not the largest, they have a good selection and you can resrve books online. The library will then call you once the books are in and reserved an you can go pick themup read more

ooh this place is great. i love me some library. it's stocked pretty good in movies (got a few and wasn't even planning it) + they had some books that i couldn't find in the other local spots. nice YA section and quite spot. it's in the community center which i also find nice, got to see people doing different things and when i got there early there was a books for donation section that caught my eye. local flyers and even a small coffee shop. what a gem in the community. read more

I am an Almaden native and am lucky to have such a awesome newly built library and community center. I used the library's wireless internet very recently and it seemed to have been upgraded. I maybe mistaken but the connection seemed to be much better than when I last used it months ago. The library itself isn't huge, but when combined with the community center it is quite large. I personally have a pass to the fitness center which I use 3-4 days a week and love having it. It is so close to my home and is probably cheaper than any other gym. Their new pass allow you 25 visits for just $24, and it lasts over a 6 month period. And you can even drop in on a few classes on the back of your card. read more

The back computer Lady was s o helpful And amazing service I feel great to come here to use these services Great fast printer at great rates read more

My children and I are really enjoying this library. As my eldest is now an avid reader this is really a life-saver. Until now I'd been buying all his books. We went armed with a book list from his teacher, and tend to find every third book on the list there, and have been able to request nearly all of the others. On our first trip there was a man making balloon animals and a juggler. I had to pre-emptively explain the library won't ALWAYS be like that, haha, but it was a nice start. The building is nice and new looking. We have yet to find the 'cafe,' open but by the looks of the cups of Jello in the case, I am going to guess they may not have what we're looking for as a healthy child snack anyway. The minus one star is for the preschooler-height computers in the children's section. REALLY? This is a library, for books. I get that libraries have now extended into loaning movies, fine, they are off to the side. But why do you need little noisey computers for small children in there? It's distracting when I am reading with my children and just something I have to tell them 'no,' to. We come to the library to enjoy books and encourage reading, not more screen time. I wish your computers would be in a separate location for those who wish to use them, and not right there in the middle. read more

The new Almaden Branch library/Community Center is one impressive building. From the crystal sculpture hanging over the lobby area, to the openness and light from large windows, from a modern feel, to consideration of modern needs, there is a lot going for this building. The community center areas are large and well maintained, there is a coffee shop just off the lobby, and the staff are always friendly and helpful when I'm in there with a question. The library itself is much more modern and up to date than before. There is self-checkout (which is not only faster but is pretty darned cool), the reserved book area is also self-service (so no more tracking down a librarian to go get your book once you've received notification that the book you requested from another branch has arrived), the DVD section is large and very comprehensive, there are plenty of computers in the room for public internet access, and again there is lots of light from large windows that gives the whole place a good feeling. When it comes to actual books though ... well, that's why the four stars instead of five (actually it would be 4.5 stars if half-stars were allowed). Now, first I'll say that the children's room is large and really well stocked and the teen books are in their own small room that has doors - so the teens chattering (obstensibly "studying together" - yah, right. LOL) can't be heard throughout the whole place, but the adult book section is not only considerably smaller than it used to be before the rebuild, but there are still large tracts of empty shelves. It's visually uninviting as well as personally depressing. The last four times I've needed a specific book, I've had to wait while it was sent over from another library (although I must say, being able to log in online from work to order a book and then getting an email when it's waiting for me in Almaden is pretty cool). I hope that in time they will fill the rest of those shelves and increase the depth of each section, but for now I feel like unless I want to read the latest Danielle Steele, I'm not likely to find what I'm looking for sitting on the shelves of this branch. And as a bonus: I just discovered that the branch has a blog that keeps you updated on events happening at the library and community center: http://almadenbranch.blogspot.com/ read more

What is not to love about this wonderful library and community center. We in the Almaden area are blessed to have such a wonderful facility.

Just recently discovered this place while i was on a walk with my son. They have lots of great activities for kids and adults. The library portion is super nice and organized. I think this is going to become one of my toddlers new favorite places. read more

First time visiting a SJ library today and I had to get a library card. The librarian was extremely helpful and patient (there was some discrepancy with my online application). Everything worked out in the end. The books are well organized and this library branch is not crowded at all, which makes for an enjoyable experience. I'm looking forward to returning to borrow more books. I'm a little disappointed about the business hours. This place would have been nice to study at when my classes begin in the fall but sadly it closes early. read more

The facility is new and modern and incorporates a community center as well with weekly activities and events. They have a great selection of movies, books on tape and of course traditional books. There is also a computer lab. You check yourself out at a string of kiosks and book return is outside and automated, scanning your returned items as they slide along a conveyor belt to be re-stacked. The staff is friendly and helpful and made it easy to get a library card and become familiar with the library. read more

This library is absolutely great! I've been coming here since we moved here several years ago since this place is so nice and convenient! It is located inside a very nice, clean, big, and modern looking, community recreation center with a small cafe (baked goods, cold and hot coffee, smoothies, sandwiches, sitting area etc.), mini gym with good equipment, indoor basketball court if you sign up, big room that usually hosts events like parties, and a separate public park literally right next to the community center!!!! The library inside is just so nice looking with many wide big windows, has polite staff who are willing to help with anything, computer room and study room if you sign up, and many books. It also has magazines, CDs, and DVDs (mostly old) rental, but I can't say anything about them cause I've never checked them out. There's a great children section (toddlers, elementary school, some junior high) that has: - great books (Magic Tree House, American Girl, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson etc.) -4 people tables with chairs -sitting area in the back for the kids and parents -about eight computers (not so new but works fine) all for the kids. Also, there's is a small teen room (8th grade and up) that has: -many teen books (Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars, The Mortal Instuments, Looking for Alaska, The Selection etc.) -Manga and comic books -4 people tables with roller chairs -TV (rarely on) -about 3 computers. There's also a big non fiction/adult section that has: -many books (biographies, how to books, and normal fiction adult books etc.) -nice sitting area with about 4 people tables with chairs -another sitting area with couch like seats in the back of the adult section. Just a little tip: if you don't see a book you want, you can just request it online ir at the libary itself. Also, it gets a little noisy when school ends on week days because elementary and junior high kids come in around 3-4 pm so if you don't like the noise, come in a little earlier or later. It gets pretty packed on Saturday because it is the only weekend day available! My only complaint is that it closes on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday! I wish it were open all week cause its so amazing!!! read more

The library seems all-right, but some of the staff seem to make inappropriate/rude decisions on getting people to leave the library. Before the library closes, some of the staff have decided that flickering the lights is a good approach to getting people to leave. Not only is this childish, but this may even cause seizures among certain people. It is the job of the staff to go around and ensure that no one is in the library; rather than doing so, they feel flickering the lights near the front is an appropriate/lazy alternative. Flickering lights may be a decision some teachers make at an elementary school, but how about treating people in the library with a-little more respect. read more

Love it, it looks great, great community center, the gym is great. The library is great too lots of books for kids and adults. Lost of computers for use. Great place to study read more

Wow what the heck, nice public libraries exist? Almaden library is clean, modern and has a diverse array of materials. I haven't been to my own local library in years but I'm pretty sure it doesn't have movie dvds, manga, or self checkout counters. I'd give this place 5 stars except for the fact that it's only open 4 days a week and open later than 6 only on 1 day. read more

This is a really cool place. However, it is very far south, which may not be an issue for those living in Almaden or South San Jose. It is both a library and community center like the Seven Trees location but in a much nicer neighborhood. read more

This Library is the best one i have ever been to, there is a small snack shop, a basketball court, and it is very big. It is very quiet and very pleasant environment to relax and read in. It is very elegant, and clean inside also. The parking is fantastic with many spots, you never have to wait for a while for someone to finally leave. They also free wi-fi which is very nice because then internet access is simple. This is the best Library by far, because it is also a community center. read more