Great community center! Started to bring the kids here so we have a quiet place to finish homework and study. They love how they can reserve a private room and use the many computers to research their projects. The librarians are always so kind and helpful they appear to really enjoy helping the community. Yay library adults! read more

It's been a while since I've been to a library, but I've started getting back into it to make more use of it. I didn't stay here for long because I was primarily here to pick up a hole that I had ordered and it was very easy to find parking since the parking lot is huge, but I forget that this library also has a gym along with a community center room. The library was peaceful and quiet, and it was actually a fair amount of tables to sit and get work done/read. read more

After driving past this place for many years I finally got to stop by thanks to my power being out. This truly is an interesting library. It is friendly to people of all ages. First of all, they have staff members that are very friendly to help and can find anything you are looking for. If you are looking to make some new friends, this is the place to go as well. For the teens there is also a teen lounge where teens can play video games as well as mingle with each other. Del Mar high is nearby so it's pretty clear cut. It's kind of cool for this library the teen comic section is actually quit silent. There were no teens make loud noise while I get my grad school work done. There's also a gym for community members who are looking to get fit. For transit operators this is a great place to take a work break. I am also surprised by how big this library is too. Additional study tables are on the second floor. I would come here again if I am not so busy. Drawback: If you are grad student go here at your own risk because the study rooms are very minimal and can fill up fast. If you are lucky then great job. It was not easy doing my comps review here because I had to switch rooms. Also the internet may glitch out so please be careful. read more

Laughing over Ivan's review stating.."This feels more of like an open environment than somewhere intimate to get some work done with ABSOLUTELY no distractions.." Since when are libraries supposed to cater to your work from home environment? And for free? You'd pay for that type of "work" environment elsewhere. Anyhow, if you do require a more private, quiet space, there are those too. They have a big quiet study room, as well as a private teen room (age 12 to 18) and 2 group study rooms that you can reserve in advance. Seriously, though, if you haven't been to a library lately, no longer do libraries function as those outdated, dreary, dark, depressing basement-type dwellings where you are shushed by the elderly librarian. It's all about community and open spaces. Which, is why, Bascom library is one of the top notch libraries in the area: Open space--nice and BRIGHT light. Bring your earbuds if you are worried about noise. Plenty of community programs and activities. They even have a men's support group that meets weekly. They help immigrant and job seekers getting back on their feet with lots of computers and other adult classes. Lots of reading incentives for families and kids. Their winter reading program gave away free NEW books to kids and grand prizes for both kids and adults (ditto, for summer reading). Lots of kids performers too and toddler storytime. read more

5.0 s review round down to 4.5 rating because of the lack sufficient planning for quiet spaces other than study rooms and open windowed room. This feels more of like an open environment than somewhere intimate to get some work done with ABSOLUTELY no distractions from anything. So I haven't been to all the public libraries in the city of San Jose, but I will say that this is a decent space for all to USE. They have printing that is coin operated, I think like 1 work station for job search that consists of 2 computers, a public computer lab, helpful library staff, study rooms, an open windowed area with light, seems like a decent selection of kids books. This library shares a space with Bascom Community Center that seems to have a gym, a basketball court and a local cafe that mostly serves Mexican style eats like breakfast, pan dulce/sugar bread and to go eats. Not bad and cheap too. The space of the overall Bascom library feels outgoing and caters to Fruitdale locals, a nice place to get some work done! Enso#19 + family space. study rooms. big parking lot and lots of parking in the area/neighborhood. - Small non intimate spaces area for a quiet work setting, get here early for a good spot. Overall a small library. -Can I borrow your attention right now? read more

They just cannot comprehend that very loud toddler computers have NO place in the general library room. It is like trying to read to/with my children in the television section of Target. I have brought it up to the librarian on more than one occasion...they do NOT get it. Tonight is the last straw. The computers are spouting off to NO one and we cannot get them to stop. Finding another branch with fingers-crossed they are not like this. read more

Bascom Branch Library - Big Bird. Shouting at no one in particular. Good luck if you actually wish to read a BOOK in the children's section. - Libraries Near Me - San Jose, California

Solid library, friendly staff. They have some good events too. We use it mostly for kids books, videos, and activities. Only negative is there's a lot of Uber drivers who sit in their cars in the shaded parking. Fortunately there are usually enough empty spots. read more

I went to this library a day after going to the Cupertino public library. The demographic population in Cupertino are bigger library-goers than the ones by this Bascom location so thankfully for me, there were tons of tables to choose from for my study session. This place has enough parking (not a ton of spots, but enough), free WIFI of course, private study rooms, reading area by a faux fireplace, & a lot less patrons than some of the other public libraries in the area (Edenvale, Tully, Santa Teresa). I have found that in my time of traveling around to different cities, San Jose has the best public library system. The libraries in San Jose are cleaner and more modern/updated. I've been to various public libraries in cities like Denver, Aurora, Davis, Sacramento, and New York but none are as modern as the San Jose ones. So great job San Jose! read more

Kudos to Jeff for working with me to find the 6 books of the Spanish alphabet that I needed for my after-school program at Steindorf STEAM. The children will be learning the Spanish alphabet today and I wanted them to have ABC books to read afterwards. We were able to find enough for each one to have their own and then trade off. We got every level from a bilingual board book to an ABC specific book on words from the sea. There is even one that uses the letter of the alphabet to introduce a verb in addition to a noun like L is for "leer los libros." All this at a library that does not have a heavy Spanish population. read more

Bascom Branch Library - An assortment of Spanish ABC books for my after school program in the Cambrian School District. - Libraries Near Me - San Jose, California

PROS: - Very quiet - Lots of tables with outlets - FREE WiFi - Bathrooms are very clean - Workers there were super helpful and always had a smile on their faces (which is nice to see for a change) CONS: - None that I could think of! read more

I like that this library has plenty of free parking. The Rose Garden library is short on parking sometimes, and MLK doesn't have any. The wifi here is free, and you don't even need to sign in, but it doesn't work everywhere equally. In some of the study rooms you need to move around a bit to find a signal. There's just a little problem I'd like fixed here. There's no blinds in the study rooms, so sometimes there's distractions going on outside, or glares from sunlight off passing cars that can be distracting and cause headaches. No pokestop at the library, but there is one nearby you can just barely reach in the corner, and there's also a gym here. read more

After an extra year of waiting, the Bascom Branch Library finally opened up last week. We took advantage of a family events night to pop by after work to check it out and were very pleased with the new local branch, OUR local branch library. The entrance at night is absolutely stunning and the fact that the community center with its fitness center is attached makes the space active and dynamic... nice vibes. The offspring-unit loves books and went straightaway into the age appropriate child section and buried its head into the books while the spouse unit and the self unit browsed both the kids books, and ones for our own reading pleasure. It was like going into a new book store where most of the collections were brand new and it just felt good. Fairly well attended on a Wednesday evening after dinner, but well worth the quick dinner to take the time and enjoy this library. Has quiet rooms, group study rooms, tech room for computing and a dedicated teen area for the older offspring units. Spacious and airy, though the aisles in the non-fiction area were a bit tighter than ideal as two persons searching on opposite side of an aisle woudl not be able to cross each other without yielding to another. That all said, it is a really nice library and one we will plan to come back to regularly now that there is one so conveniently located. read more

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This is a great facility. After being built it took so long to open. It would be nice to say it was worth the wait, but frankly this community should not have had to wait. A top notch library and community center that is worthy of the neighborhoods it serves and all of the City of San Jose. Great job. read more

Bascom Branch Library This lovely branch of the San Jose Public Library is open as follows: Mon CLOSED Tue CLOSED Wed 11:00 AM - 8:00 PM Thu 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Fri 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sat 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM Sun CLOSED Please log in to the branch page for more information at: http://sjpl.org/bascom read more

So glad I work close by to this library! I read on average about 1 book a week, usually recently published fiction, so as much as I love buying fresh new books, the money starts to add up. I live in Fremont, but the Alameda County Library never really has the books I want--the books I reserve are always checked out for weeks, if not months, on end. In general I've found that the San Jose Public Library system has an expansive selection of books. They have lots of copies of new books available and most of the time I don't have to wait too long to pick up the book I want. I haven't been in the actual library for long periods of time since I usually just browse the shelves for a few minutes and then pick up my book on hold, but it's a pretty clean, quiet space. I did use the bathroom once and it is not very clean =(. I really love this library and it's saved me hundreds of dollars on books so far! read more

This is a great library. My boyfriend and I found ourselves in here for quite some time today. We were returning some books and decided to browse the movie sections and also some good reads. The facility is super clean and organized. It was quiet, but not uncomfortably quiet to where you feel like you can't speak. Great selections of books and movies. Great place to come to do homework, research or just hang out with a good book. read more

This library was worth the wait. Visually it is stunning. The floorplan is wide open with a lot of check out computers with a helpful staff. The book selection is first rate. This branch seems to have more "New" fiction and non-fiction than the others. I think the Cambrian Branch gave up a lot of their new stuff to this location, which is OK. it is a shorter walk from my place, which makes my selfish heart happy if not necessarily healthier. Excellent place to people watch also, a key to any good library. read more

Small library but it has everything we need. Recommend you request books to be picked up here, especially if you have little ones because then you can spend more time in the children's area. read more

Bascom Branch Library - Puppets to play with. - Libraries Near Me - San Jose, California

Wow I absolutely love this library. It's very clean and organized and the workers are very helpful. There are computers EVERYWHERE. They have sections for kids and teens and its pretty quiet so it is a nice place to read and study. The bathrooms are immaculately clean. They have showers in there too and the water from the fountains taste very good. Haha this is turning out to be such a weird review. Anyway, i don't live that far from here and i'm definitely going to be supporting my local branch. read more

Very friendly staff ,that is willing to help you with any problems you may have. A nice quiet place to study if you are in school. I would highly recommend this Library!!!! read more

Opened in 2013, this small-to-medium sized (20,000 square feet) library is well-lighted and maintained, with clean restrooms and common areas. The basic design is one large "great area" with small special purpose rooms for reading, computer stations, etc. Library staff members are helpful and friendly. As I write this, library hours are essentially 10:00 am to 7:00 pm - Tuesday thru Thursday, shorter hours on Monday, Friday and Saturdays. Closed on Sundays. Fairly comfortable seating abounds, although 2 person study stations are very small, with barely enough space for a laptop computer and a book. Given the generous spacing between stations, larger stations would seem to be feasible. Power outlets are hit-or-miss. I'm job searching and, while I have high speed internet at home, I regularly work at a library to create a disciplined routine. Passable WiFi speeds: downloads and uploads at 4-5mb/s, but I lost connectivity twice in an hour. Noise is greatly amplified in this library - noise levels are best described as intrusive, especially during the Baby and Toddler Storytime. I'm rather surprised at the reviewers who claim this branch is quiet. The "quiet study" area is essentially open to the main area and, while noise is somewhat muted, it is still very difficult to concentrate. After an hour, I gave up and drove to the much more sedate Cambrian branch. While this is a new and well-maintained branch - and is probably great for parents - this library is less than ideal for work, study or quiet reading. read more

I've been coming here for about a year now. Not for books, but for their private study rooms. I like how I can reserve a room in advance to get tutored for accounting. The inside is neat, and very well organized. One odd thing I noticed was that there were romance novels right next to the children's section. That was a bit odd. read more

Loved children book selection. Huge collections on pre reader level, which is wat i was looking for my toddler kids.

FIRST Review: I have visited this library twice to study for my exams. Both times my experience​ was great because even though the library isn't too large, somehow they have managed to keep it super quiet. I loved how many people were sitting close to me reading books/news papers without causing distractions. Besides its nice that they have spacious parking and a convenient cafe. I will definitely visit this library more often :) SECOND review: I came here today again and it's super loud because of the kids. They should definitely consider having kids activities in a separate room so that their noise wouldn't cause distraction. There wasn't a single quiet area to study. read more

When it is open I love this place but the down fall is and always has been the hours. I come here wanting to do homework, study, and anything else work related but yelp gives the wrong hours so whenever I come they are closed. I wished this branch was open earlier and also later. Aside from all of that I think it's mostly just a waste of my time to come out all the way to come to a closed library. read more

Arrived at this library location in plenty of time to see an informal event featuring (Lion Dance by) Vinh Son Liem Lion Dance Group in celebration of the 2013 autumn Moon festival, and the event was outstanding. Almost dropped my camera the show was so good, and the people in audience as well! Library and related services excellent as well. Great! read more

Love coming here to catch up on my reading or study. I will recommend to all my family and friends.