I am a philomath exactly like my beloved father. Ergo, I have always suffered juxtaposition of comparison with my father. A person who loves learning and actively seeks knowledge. New York City features three public library systems: The New York Public Library (NYPL), Brooklyn Public Library, and Queens Public Library. I am a proud member of two. Brooklyn Heights Branch Library is a small library I have visited. It does have great potential. It is very accessible by all points bulletin via MTA NYC Transit. I have reached this library via MTA NYC Transit A train at Jay Street- MetroTech subway station followed by a ten minute walk as the nearest High Street Brooklyn station was inaccessible due to weekend planned construction work. It sits adjacent to Cadman Plaza Park. Customer service is attentive and kind. I grabbed several bookmarks for my Sisyphean task notebook. I have patronized public libraries since I was able to walk in my early childhood. I have borrowed books for many years. I came here to be a participant of Artful Dodgers Poetry on a Saturday afternoon. I am a spoken word performer. It is my first time to attend this poetry series and my first time visiting Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Heights branch. However, this is not my first time performing spoken word. This library was accommodating to this poetry reading series equipped with Zoom and in-person appearance participation. The Children's arts and performance space has a stage equipped with lighting which is where our poetry reading was located. This Children's arts and performance space is ADA accessible ramp to the stage. Seating was abundant. Lighting was dim of a theatre setting. Restroom facilities are relatively clean. It is very functional with good selection of fiction, non-fiction books, DVDs and newspapers. Various events are held here. read more

See all

I'm an avid library-goer, and I attended this branch recently and loved it. Although it was a rainy day, there were several people waiting outside, including myself, to enter the library minutes before 10 am. This facility is large and clean with plenty of workstations and outlets. There's also more than one floor at this branch. I found my new go-to library location and I'm excited read more

See all

Updating my review because the new library location at One Clinton is fabulous. The space is a little wonky shaped, kind of like an arrowhead as the space does occupy the corner of Cadman Plaza W and Clinton St. There is a children's section in the basement, a reading room with plenty of desks on one side of the first floor and a reading circle on the other side, and a teens space on the mezzanine level upstairs. As it is a fairly new and renovated space, everything is really nice and clean. The library itself is massive and houses so many books too. My only complaint is that I wish the desks in the reading room had outlets on both sides of the table and that there were more tables and desks near the reading circle as it is not the most comfortable place to sit and read. read more

Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Heights Library - Libraries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

See all

I stop by the study station frequently and the poor design leads to echo as many reviews mention, specifically in the "quiet" area. You've got half a dozen babies crying at all times, which sound like 100 of them with the horrible echo. My AirPod pros, which are noise cancelling headphones can't block the swamp of crying babies out. I'm not sure what the resolution is because there aren't librarians helping manage the area to keep it quiet. I hope the library considers fixing this issue, seeing as how this is a public library and not a daycare. Also considering the community members taxes paid for the library and it should serve all, not just caretakers looking to offload babies at the library/daycare. It's absurd, some of the nannies let babies cry for 30 minutes straight until guests start complaining, so I guess common sense isn't common. Lastly, the short, male, Hispanic security guard they have is creepy and ogles at women in a perverted manner. read more

This is by far one of the best libraries in the city. A large part of the reason is the amazing people who work here. Everyone I've had the pleasure of meeting and working with has been professional, kind and supportive. The facilities are well lighted, modern and clean, plus the location is centrally located in the city: close to Manhattan and Staten Island, making it easy for the majority of people to get to. There's plenty of public transportation close by. The 2,3, A and C trains are a short walking distance. To put this review in context, I organize and run a writer's group that meets every week here. I'm a regular here. This library worked with me to build our group into a supportive community that helps people establish a writing practice and learn from others. They provide us with a room for our meetings and promote our events on their website and with flyers. On behalf of the many people who belong to our writing community, or just needed support for a project, thank you for making this library our home! Note: if you're interested in the group, check out the library's calendar. Anyone is welcome to come write with us. We don't critique. And all level and types of writers are welcome! Even if you're just starting out or just writing a personal journal for yourself. read more

Library needs to receive funding, there's never any laptops available........................................

Beautiful space comfortable seating yes the children can be noisy but there is a much larger section of work spaces that is very quite you do not need to sit in the work area that is noisy. The one draw back is the homeless and vagrants that frequent the library, the library "cop" seems to turn a blind eye to some people having a 9 course fresh out of the trash meal or a passed out pants fully open men sleeping in main parts of library. I'm terrified to think what happens when these people start migrating downstairs to the children's area. read more

Loudest library on the planet, it seems. People playing videos on their computer, folks making phone calls, homeless people talking to themselves, people entering exiting workshops, loud toddlers running around - hard to concentrate, read, writer or do much of anything a library is meant to support. read more

Great place to study. Was actually quiet which I can't for other libraries I have tried to study in. All the tables had their own light and were small enough that no can sit with me, disturbing my peace. Came here on Wednesday afternoon to get in a few study hours in. Didn't go past first floor. read more

Thank you so much Claire for helping our family! Claire is responsive, quick, focused, and eager to help. Goes the extra mile. Feel really lucky to find Claire. A lot of people could say "I don't know" or "try this other number" or "try back next week." But in that situation, Claire goes the extra mile to help or find solutions. She's great at getting back to patrons. An amazing librarian. Amazing person. THANK YOU CLAIRE! read more

This BPL is a beauty from the outside. Situated at Cadman and near the park, it was a nice stumble upon. The chairs and tables are heavy and provide a great workspace. No Card Playing? I guess the ruckus from Goldfish must be disturbing other patrons. Have a good time, pick up a good book! read more

This should win the award for most improved library location. I was worried that closing of the Cadman Plaza location signalled the end of Brooklyn Heights having a local library, but the new, temporary location inside the church on Henry St is fantastic! When I first read that library was going to move into unused church space, I thought the branch was going to me dank and musty. Thankfully, that couldn't be further from the truth. The new Brooklyn Heights branch is gorgeous, and I love the improved self-checkout and check-in system, as well as the expansive collection of new releases and graphic novels. Note: I'd take any reviews and photos on here for this BPL location that are pre-2017 with a grain of salt. Those reviewers are talking about the old Cadman Plaza location. read more

This libraries hours are definitely not what I need. They always seem to close 5 minutes before I can get there. I definitely can't make it there after work w. the exception of Tuesdays. I have to actually set a reminder for myself to hit this first on my Saturday errands or else I will realize at 4:45 that I only have a few minutes to get there. I never really browse here so I can't comment on what they have. I do seem to remember seeing a surprising amount of anime dvds if you are into that kind of thing. read more

This branch of the library is pretty decent. They have a good selection of fiction and best sellers. Of course the Grand Army Plaza central branch is much better, but you can always request a hold if what you want is available at another branch. My only complaint is one time I saw one of the checkout clerks Facebooking instead of helping customers waiting on the line. tsk tsk That's why I'm taking off one star. Also as in any public library there are sometimes homeless people who congregate in the reading rooms. read more

Decent selection of reads but the staff here has a serious stick up the rear. The place is always clean and everything is always where it's supposed to be. I really like this place just minus the staff. read more

I came here to get a library card. Court Street station is the closest stop. I still like the good ol' smell of a paper book...minus the faint smell of B.O in different parts of the building...Ohhh well... The lady in the information desk is not helpful. What happened to my childhood memories of librarians being so helpful?? Cause now, they're just not... Anyway, Since I came here to get a library card this is how you do it: You need to apply for it online at home or at the computer kiosk at the library. If you apply for it at home the card can be mailed to you... but if you do it at the library, you can get it right away. Make sure you have your ID. It's free, of course, and you can get your books right away. read more

How can you be out of books on affirmative action? Lmao. I found this hysterical. But other than that, this library is ok, nothing special. The staff is pretty knowledgeable, except for the one lady at the information desk who is like 93 years old, but...moving on. I usually come here for the business reference books, which they have a small selection of. read more

This temporary smaller space for the Brooklyn Heights library still has a nice children's section which is what I mainly come here for. And the staff are pleasant and helpful. Unfortunately there are more times than not where its filled with nannies and strollers (there are signs saying they should be parked outside) blocking bookshelves. One time I went in and 3 nannies with whiny babies were chatting away and in no way reading or browsing for books, yet blocking the whole wall of kids' beginner chapter books. And another 2 strollers blocking a big chunk of the picture book shelves. read more

Plain jane interior with spaced out shelves. Easy to locate off the Court Street R-train. Came here with friends to pick up books. Upon entrance, just a dense warm environment because the library was closing at 2p and saving electricity off AC because of the heat. Sitting at the tables underneath a fan, I got by staying still and just reading and avoided touching the table because it was uncomfortably sticky and warm. No idea how other patrons just sat there with their laptops and books to study. The wifi was pretty slow too and difficult to log on. The librarian on duty was friendly and quick to help my friend. Once we got the books, we were out of there. Boy, outside was cooler with the brief breeze and bits of shade. I suppose if I came here on another not so hot day this library would be better. But for now, low star review just for the discomfort of the warm interior. read more

While this branch of the Brooklyn Public Library is more functional than inspirational, it still has a great selection of Fiction and Non-Fiction books, a large children's room, lots of DVDs, and a huge business center with plenty of Internet-ready computers. The convenience factor is very appealing to me, as I live a few blocks away. read more

Okay, with the digital age, I have not been to a library since...since...maybe college? Oh wait, I did go to the library once up at the IBM Poughkeepsie when I worked there back in 1998. But since then, I can't think of the last time I went to the library. So, what better time to change that than the 3rd day of the new year! During my lunch hour I walked the five blocks or so from my office to head over to the Brooklyn Public Library on Cadman Plaza. The outside was big and grand, but the inside brought me back to the days as a child going to the Baldwin Public Library in my neighborhood. I took a walk around the first floor where there were some tables and chairs that looked like they were still from the 80s. It was actually pretty crowded, but I found a seat and decided to check the reviews online for the library to see if anyone mentioned parts of the library that I should go to. (Good thing I didn't do this field trip in the summer though, a ton of reviews mentioned it was super hot and they often had to close early because of the heat!) I saw that they mentioned a second floor so I went exploring. I took the elevator to the second floor and headed up to another reading section. It was also crowded, but a bit less and I decided to settle into a seat and read my iPad (Yeah, yeah...I went to the library to read a digital book that was in my purse to begin with!) The seats were uncomfortable, but it was kind of nice being there and enjoying the peace and quiet away from work for a little bit. I might be back to read my iPad again. But then again, Starbucks actually might be a bit more comfortable of a place to do that. I can at least say I tried it once though! read more

Small Business Section is Great. Facade is Pretty but inside school look. Closed Sundays. read more

I've been here so many times and was surprised that I haven't 'checked in' on Yelp till now. It's really a noisy library because some people bring their young kids to the library and they make a lot of noise. But I think that's becoming normal in libraries these days LOL Thankfully, we have gadgets to silence all these noises out. However, this particular branch is like-able mainly because of its business books --- you'll be surprised to discover how many books are available for you to read so you'll get more information to grow and expand your business. And that's why I find time to visit this place. I'm sure I'll be back again as I have reserved a book that I expect to be getting hold soon..... read more

Brooklyn Public Library - Brooklyn Heights Library - I heard they're constructing a totally new building here..... - Libraries Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

I almost had a heat stroke in there! Apparently the AC is broken.. which happens, fine.. but after seeing other reviews it looks like this has been happening at LEAST 4 days. Not acceptable. Because of this, the library was closing at 11'o clock today. Wow, how convenient.. When you want to use the computer (there are two computer rooms) you have to swipe your library card to sign in. They then give you a reservation time which is most likely going to be at least an hour later. If you want take care of business and get in and out... I suggest you be the first person there in the morning or not come at all. The process for applying for a card is easy and takes less than 5 minutes. All you need is a valid ID and a piece of mail that you received at your NY address. The staff was pretty unprofessional. Both in attire and attitude. One of the ladies at the information desk was on FACEBOOK instead of being attentive to patrons with questions. Although its pretty close to me, I probably wouldn't return. read more

I love this library. Lots of real books and filled with kids doing homework. I live right up the street and visit often. It needs better air conditioning though. Now I hear they want to tear it down and build condos and a smaller library. So sad. read more

I'm still amazed by the amount of Brooklynites who have no idea that this library exists. It's been around for several years and it's a real gem. There are two levels. It's very clean with well stocked bookshelves and actually quiet. Brooklyn Heights library is in fact so quiet, that you almost expect the staff to be made up of strict, old fashioned schoolmarms with their hair pulled back in tight buns, wearing reading glasses with chains on them. Fortunately, no one here looks like that. The business library is first-rate. Free internet access in the computer room with your library card. It's just annoying that users are limited to only an hour of internet usage. Internet access is limited to no more than 2, timed sessions daily. There's a very informative bulletin board tacked up with info regarding everything from childcare services to city exam postings. Self checkout and a book drop for returns after hours. read more

As a librarian, I felt that this library is an embarrassment to the profession. It's a lovely building, but inside it looks old and dingy... sort of like a public school. It seems they strictly enforce quiet, making it a rather non-welcoming environment. C'mon, "shushing" people went out with eyeglasses on chains, people! I'm not a BPL member, but I happened to walk by the library, and remembered that I still needed to pick up this month's selection for the Post-Apocalyptic Book Club. I checked and my NYPL library card says right on it that it entitles me to check out books from any Brooklyn branch as well. In I went, and amazingly, they had the book I needed on the shelf. Before taking it downstairs, I asked an elderly staff person to be sure my NYPL card was good here. He said that yes, it is, but that they like to encourage people to also get a BPL card in order to increase their stats. I took the book downstairs to the checkout desk. The people there informed me, with much non-library-like attitude, that no, I absolutely could not use my NYPL card, they didn't CARE what it said on the card, and that if I wanted to get a book, I had to apply for a BPL card. I agreed to fill out their form, while behind my back they complained to each other about people with NYPL cards. Then, before I finished, they told me that, oh, I also can't return the book to my home branch, I have to come back to Brooklyn to return it. OK, if that's policy, fine - but the excuse they gave was that "UPS doesn't deliver outside of the borough." Um, UPS delivers internationally. And ILL services are available, so books travel around all the time... from one borough to another, and even nationwide. Sick of being asked to jump through hoops, I just left. I went home, requested my book through NYPL's online system, and had it delivered, hassle-free, to my home branch. Now it is on my desk. read more

This place feels like a high school library from the 1990s. I'm surprised they don't have a card catalog. It's small and sad, but it's the closest to me, so I suffer through it. Browsing the paltry shelves is kind of pointless. You're better off reserving the books you want online, picking them up at the front, and then getting the hell out of there as quickly as possible. read more

The library is pretty on the outside but looks dated on the inside. The service is SUPER slow. There are like 3 staff members who are supposed to check out people but they're in their own little world. I think this library is disguised as the DMV. The only reason why I go to this library is because its easy to pick up my books. They really need an automated check out system so I don't have to wait 10 minutes to return books... yea there's no drop off slot. read more

A bit cramped, a bit drab, a bit boring with a lack of variety. Good for studying though...and it looks like that's what most people come for. read more

Great library. Everyone who works there is so helpful. Great selection. I wish they'd order more new fiction. But other than that I am so very grateful for our local Brooklyn Heights Library. YEAH librarians, Thanks for your hard work! read more

Great temporary location, despite the size constraints. Noise can be a real issue because of the lack of walls. Chief complaint lately is how COLD it is. The AC must be set at around 65 degrees - this is the second time I've mentioned something, and the second time I've had to leave because it's so cold (and I wore/brought extra layers in anticipation). read more

This is one of the smallest library I have ever visited, I don't see any librarians working there. I came all the way here just to return my DVDs yesterday, the drop off place was the right side from the entrance. Then you would probably see a sign saying "return". Drop all your library material to the opening area near the wall and then you are done. I didn't have time to check on the second floor but the library was super duper quiet. Some seniors were just reading newspaper or magazines, actually not many people notice this spot neither. It's a great place to drop off your books or DVDs or maybe you can study more efficient here because of the quiet atmosphere. However, it's not a interesting to hang out with friends. My friends and me were rushing to leave right after I return my DVDs because it's abnormally quite!!! It's kinda scaring as well. I have no idea when they gonna scan my DVDs and record to the system because my online library account still indicates that I owe the them. SMH. read more

The computers are slow. Painfully slow. Turtle walking through molasses slow. Absolutely ridiculous.

I like this library. I don't interact with staff much, but they have always been helpful when needed. I'm leaving this review in response to another review. The incident the other reviewer, KB, who complained that the receptionist needs help multi-tasking. I was first in line waiting for "navigational assistance." The receptionist was helping a gentleman with his query. KB came in, tried to cut me in line, and then demanded to be assisted immediately and then berated the receptionist when she wasn't given priority. She then berated me for refusing to let her ask for assistance first. Apparently if she's late, everyone must stop what they are doing to serve her and if she doesn't get her way, she loses her temper. read more

I love this branch of the BPL - the staff is always friendly and helpful and it's the kind of library I feel I can study in. Very pleasant place for students, families, everybody. read more

Easily accessible via mass transit to Borough Hall. I loved that this branch is dedicated to small business development and attended one of the free seminars/workshops hosted by the NYC Department of Small Business Services. The librarian at the front desk needs to multitask assisting a patron while greeting another patron in need of navigational assistance to attend a free course that had already begun. If I did not speak up, who knows how long I would have waited for the gentleman ahead of me to conclude his inquisition? The unisex bathroom could use a little help with cleanliness. read more

This library is right off of the Court street station on the R train, across the street from the New York Supreme Court. The look of the library is mediocre, looks like any other Brooklyn Public library. But what really had me annoyed was the heat! Now I know the system is broke at the moment, but you seriously can't crack the AC? Not even on low? It was cooler outside than in the building! Funny story; as we were leaving, we saw a sign on the door that said "Library closing today at 2pm due to heat!". Wow, go figure. This place is great if you actually have an agenda. It's the Business and Career library, so you'll find plenty of books pertaining to the business, law, and psychology field. And the biggest plus? They have all the United States official law publications stacked up against the back wall! Looking for a certain case or maybe a bill signed into law? They have the publication. They also have books and published articles on current internships and the job market. So if you're actually trying to find a job or need help preparing for an interview, they have plenty of books to help you get started. On top of that, they have plenty of leisure books- autobiographies, business publications, magazines, etc. Great for casual reading! I borrowed 4 books, I should be set for a bit. The good thing is that since this place is part of the Brooklyn Public Library system, their library card works fine, no special card required. You can also return the books to any Brooklyn Public Library, so traveling shouldn't be that much of a hassle (for me at least). read more

It's been a while since I was at the Library, let's see, oh yes, 1993, then again 2016. Well, when I was a kid I practically grew up at this place. last weeks visit brought back lots of memories. The staff was warm and helpful and you still get the creepy characters hanging here for hours. Nothing new here. Now there is security, and a TSA guard checking for contraband and all sorts of book dangerous materials. Everything at BPL, is streamlined, databases are on-line, there is WiFi, and no Starbucks concession, but it's just a matter of time. BPL, is a marvelous resource for those of us who learned how to use and navigate card catalogs. (What's that you say, look it up!) BPL and all NYPL need our, and yes yours too support. So please give generously, your cherished freedoms depend on it. read more

I liked the facilities, the interior, and the exterior, unfortunately the way it's set up, the noise from the door travels into the rest of the library. If you can handle that, I have no other complaints. read more