Awesome large library with tons of programming! Loads available for everyone. Teens have their own…read moreroom. Littles have a whole play area, story time packs, scavenger hunts (an easy and harder level), coloring, puzzle areas (both for adults and younger kids), computers, activity booklets (one on anti-bullying another on Dr.Seuss atm). There is a conference room at the front where they host events, and have art displayed on the walls. There are loads of staff available to help and something for everyone. Truly a gem of a resource for the area and an easy place to spend two hours (or more)!

A fun, exciting, and vibrant library in Colonie, Albany County. Always a great resource to help the…read morecommunity.

Friendly staff. Parking available in the back. Good location. Pick up a good book and head on over…read moreto emack & bolios across the street.

Dropped in to use their printing services. I was amazed when the associate handed me the colored…read morecopies and I asked how much they said three free copies a day. Also, I'd been looking for a place to donate some books and was beyond enjoyed to come across a Better World Books drop box in the parking lot of the library. Haven't used the service yet but sounds like an amazing thing to partnership with!

A fantastic public library. Spacious, with a huge selection of books for adults, children and young…read moreadults as well as dvds, magazines and plenty more. The library is clean and welcoming with lots of tables and seating for reading. The staff is friendly and efficient. So grateful to have such an amazing public space in the area!

Disappointing you can only visit on Monday through Friday prior to 5:30PM. Most adults are working…read moreat this time. For working adults would be helpful to have weekend and/or evening times.

Beautiful, expansive, in-depth museum (donations accepted)/library/tourist shop…read more In the main lobby is a HUGE history tourist shop that sells novels, snacks, post cards, souvenirs! Above is the main library and below (down a ramp) the New York State museum with exhibits on American indians, 9-11, the Dutch colonies and warfare/exploration in New York State. Since the only lonely review is from some dude who drove from Minneapolis to Albany, to get wifi (says a lot about internet in Minnesota).. I'll leave a short recap of this place. It's fun for all ages. The old museum exhibits were a thrill for my Grampa. He especially loved the re-enactments, stalls with goods for sale and glass encasements with history items; clothes, cannons, miniatures, maps. Awesome exhibits (rotated). Nifty, large (multi-leveled) library with benches to sit near windows. Brilliant place. Review: 5

What a lovely library! Not the typical library from when I was a kid in NYC. This one has high…read moreceilings, lots of light and tons of space. Children's area is separate and colorful, the computer lab area seems to be well-kept and there are comfortable chairs here and there. Obviously, plenty of books to keep one occupied. Upon entering, it was comfortably air conditioned on a warm evening. Bathroom was cleaner than expected. Vibe was quiet-ish...but still noisier than libraries of my youth. Nobody was "sushing" anyone.

This review is for the "branch", not the county library system as a whole, and is relative to…read morepublic libraries in general. It's a medium-sized downtown branch and the flagship of the county library system, housed in a somewhat dreary and dated 1970s building that suffers from the nadir of institutional architecture. The new addition is supposed to open later this year and should make for a much nicer children's department and open up more space in front for adult readers. In the meantime the building is a bit depressing to linger in, and does not have a lot of the comforting aspects for the reader. The construction project has no doubt not helped. Free parking just next to the library, and it's in a neat downtown location across from city hall and catty-corner to the Jay walk. The collection is decent for a public library - not "downtown" quality, if you will, but as a very large library for a city this size and for a relatively small county, it's pretty nice. The county library system in general seems to function well (we've come from another part of the county so have some points of reference), and the staff are very nice and helpful. The collection does seem to be in need of sprucing up -- culling a number of older titles and adding new books more quickly. The computer facilities are below average, but they are entering the age of loaning e-books so I suspect this is a function of budget and not managerial foot-dragging. In any event it's a mixed bag with respect to ability to use the library for research as a whole. I'm a little torn as for rating this, since I can't quite give it five stars -- I've seen five-star public libraries and this is not one of them -- but in terms of patron service I think they're doing better than average for the country as a whole. Can you compare them to the brand new libraries in Saratoga County? Or do you compare it to the storefront library branches in the same county? Or to the smaller but swankier libraries in the towns in the same county system? I honestly don't know, but my sense is that the sheer (relative) size of the collection and the vigor with which it survives in a shrunken user base merits the fourth star. They're adding on: they're moving forward - full credit here where credit is due. For public institutions to actually expand in this day and age means there's something worth paying attention to about this place. That said, it is not a "destination" library, like, say, the Carnegie in Pittsburgh PA or the main branch in Berkeley CA, et alia - it's not the kind of library you'd go out of your way to visit if you were coming from out of town. It's an old armchair that's probably far more comfortable for its affable familiarity than it is for its design. Great to have for locals who can appreciate it. The attention of readers everywhere, however, should be drawn to the Whitney Book Corner, just down the street at 600 Union, which is the used bookstore operated by the Friends of the Schenectady County Library, which is really quite something and which we'll review separately now that there's a Yelp entry for it.

The Niskayuna Branch of the Schenectady library system is closest to my home. I use it regularly…read moreto pick up books I have "ordered" through the excellent online ordering system. Also, I return books there either inside or in a bin outside if the library is it is not open. The staff are pleasant, efficient, knowledgeable, and pleased to assist. Pluses: There is/are A children's area complete with tables A few computers Chairs scattered around to sit if wanted A copy machine that always works it seems A community room that can be reserved if wanted A bathroom that is always clean Ample parking A ramp near the handicapped parking that leads to the entrance No late fees The grounds of the library are maintained nicely by volunteers who weed and plant seasonal plants. There is a short trail near the edge of the parking lot where you can walk, observe birds, and chill. The branch receives heavy use and is appreciated by residents.

This is the Niskayuna branch library of the Schenectady County Library system, located on Nott…read moreStreet just across from City Hall. Since this is a first review, I'll cover the basics. This branch is on the small side, but is a nice modern building of very recent vintage. They've got better than average hours and very helpful and courteous staff. We've been to the kid storytimes a few times, which I have to report are somewhat below average for the genre. There's a big community room in the back, which is where meetings and story times are held. The children's section is nice and large, and there are toys to play with, a nice seating area, and a separate juvenile reference section. There's no "sound segregation" between the kids' section of the library from the rest of the library, so unfortunately the kids have to be quiet, relatively speaking, even though they're off on one side. The adult collections are what I'd call popular adult-circulating. The collection of books in general is very much on the old side - browsing both non-fiction and fiction sections I have found it a bit stale, although many libraries have had challenging times for new acquisitions of late. But they do try to keep the popular bestseller-type-stuff on the shelves and they have an assortment of DVDs and CDs and so forth. I don't generally use the library for the latter but one appreciates the effort they make in keeping all forms of media fresh. There is public internet access, but a county library card is required, you must reserve a session, they're timed, and there's filtering software. There are a few computers dedicated just for library catalog access, which tend to be the ones we use. It's thin for any kind of research, including somewhat regrettably local history. For that you have to go to the downtown branch in Schenectady across from city hall. One feature to note: outside in the parking lot is the entrance to a short walk through a marshy woods - takes less than five minutes to walk, and it's a nice little tromp. There's no play structure at this library (they don't seem to have discovered this serendipity of architecture in New York, that we can see) but there are some benches in the back the younger set can climb over. All in all, a very homey and welcoming, if small, branch.

What a lovely, peaceful, happy place in the beautiful village of Kinderhook. I could/often do spend…read morewhole afternoons here. XOXO.

The renovated library is beautiful and the staff is always incredibly friendly and helpful. Just…read moredon't forget your earplugs / headphones--unless you're in the quiet room--it is VERY NOISY!

This is a pretty nice dog park. It is located with a whole park complex that includes several paved…read morewalking trails, a pool area, tennis courts, baseball diamonds, and fields. We have only explored the dog park area, which consists of two fenced in areas (one for "large" dogs, the other for "small" dogs) to run around in. A gazebo which provides some shelter from the sun is located in between both of the areas, and the fence runs through it. Like all dog parks, as the season wears on the grass slowly gets worn away and the gazebo gets dirtier. The cleanliness of the grass itself is entirely on the responsibility of the dog owners to pick up after their pets. I haven't had too much trouble here in that regard. Water is available for the dogs to drink, but bring a bowl (though some are usually here).

Colonie sometimes gets a bad rap…read more Perhaps because the most obvious symbol of the town is Wolf Road where it seems like all the national chain restaurants open shop to the detriment of our regional culture. Traffic gets snarled up on this arterial too, which makes it a place that some people avoid like the plague. But some of my favorite things in the region are in Colonie. Yes, there's Trader Joe's, which I am still ever thankful decided to open up an outpost in Albany. But Parivar on Central Avenue with its back-of-store kitchen is an amazing place to get delicious Indian street-food served without pretense while catching up on a bit of Bollywood and picking up some dried lentils and spice blends for home cooking projects. And it's not just the exotic ethnic places in Colonie either. Because this town is the home of Ralph's Tavern which has been feeding families wings, pizza, and mozzarella with melba for generations. In the summer there is Scoups ice cream, which is just about adjacent to The Crossings. The latter is probably the single best outdoor playground for young kids in the area, even though I wish it had more shade. And during the growing season, The Crossings plays host to a farmers market. For a suburb of Albany, this town has a lot going on.