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Durham County Public Library

4.8 (19 reviews)
Closed 9:00 am - 9:00 pm

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James P. B.

A stunning library. Multiple floors and lots of little nooks to get away and read or study.

Booth-style seating (different color schemes in different floors of the library!)
Jolina C.

Happy to be the first to report and review the new Durham County Main Library which just reopened last week after a looong massive reconstruction!! And woww--one of the best libraries I've ever been to. Durham really stepped it up on this one and I know it will be one of my favorite spots in the city. Each floor is dedicated to an age group--children, teens, young adults, and adults. The children's floor has a storytime spot, lots of kinesthetic and creative installations for kids to play with, and take-home projects. The teen's floor has a gaming area where they plan to have a PS4 and XBOX. The young adult and adult sections have loooots, and I mean loooots and loooots of seating and reading nooks, study rooms (of varying privacy and setup) for every reader as well as computers for use. They have an outdoor balcony on the top floor, and outdoor spaces on other floors as well. They have a sizable auditorium on the 2nd floor. Also, they offer a huge collection of books, e-books, and CDs/DVDs. Durham County Public Library is now such an eye candy inside and outside--the interior design and furniture/fixtures are so colorful and modern! I was raving about how much I love it to the lady at the top floor counter and she said "Isn't it sooo nice? The old building used to look like a scary courthouse. We are so excited about finally reopening!" The library membership is 100% free for Durham country residents with an ID. For non-Durham residents, there is a $50 annual fee.

Caroline Z.

I'm the first to admit that Amazon.com has made me spoiled. At the click of a button, shazam - books are en route to my house, with SuperSaver shipping. Recently, though, I've rediscovered the fun of the library. Saving money is nice. The Durham library and I got off to a bit of a rough start - the librarians were quite stringent about the rules and regulations of obtaining a library card, and later gave me grief for using a card with my husband's name on it (I thought it was a "family" account. Apparently not.). So that irked me. What I do like about the libraries here is that although the individual branches may not have nearly enough books for an avid reader, they have a very efficient online request system. When you think of a book you want, you can go online and request it, making a note of which branch you'd like to pick your book up at. You then receive an automated call when it's ready. I'm over at my local branch (Southwest) almost every week picking up books that are waiting nicely for me on a shelf, wrapped in a piece of paper with my name on it.

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2 years ago

A very nice and clean libary in downtown Durham. This location has everything you could ever need. Free wifi access as well

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4 years ago

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16 years ago

A wonderful library. They've got it all. I'm grateful to this contribution to our community!

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Review Highlights - Durham County Public Library

If you miss a sale, you can find books from the Friends available for sale at most, if not all, Durham County Library branches.

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Duke University Libraries - Perkins

Duke University Libraries - Perkins

(7 reviews)

I come here to study sometimes. There are lots of different areas in the library to fit your…read morestudying mood: - big, sturdy, wide wooden tables on the first floor of Perkins for those who need to see other people studying in order to study - cozy armchairs spread throughout the library for those who want to comfortable read papers or books - a deathly silent, no-food zone closed off with glass doors on one of the upper floors for those who hate when others are munching on crunchy chips - The Perk, a mini cafe connected to the library - the Link, with plenty of interactive study rooms and areas on the ground floor You don't need a student ID to get in, which is both good and bad. The bad is that laptops seem to have a tendency to run away if you leave them alone. The good is that you don't have to mentally hit your head against the wall if you somehow forgot to bring your student ID. Other downsides include: not a 24/7 library, no nearby parking, and it gets very, very crowded around exam weeks. Otherwise, great WiFi with plenty of conveniently situated outlets, plus you can bring in food (just clean up after yourself), and obviously a great place to get work done.

What's not to love about Perkins? Poor mobile service in the Link (and zero service for T-mobile…read moreeverywhere, but that's not Duke's fault), but that's it. I love Perkins, and I'm stunned that there are no reviews for it. As a former Duke student who forgot her alumni card at home, I learned what it meant to be a guest of the library. Perkins is public, which means that anyone can walk in during its normal hours WITHOUT a Dukecard. All guests can go to the circulation desk to request an hour of computer access on any of the computers on the first floor with red tape across the top of the monitor. This is only valid once a day, and requires photo ID. (Alums, on the other hand, can use ALL computers with unlimited access ... if they have their IDs. Whoops). The different floors and rooms have varying environments to suit your study needs - the Gothic Reading Room or Carpenter Reading Room if you want an old-school, classic feel, or purple ergonomic reclining chairs and floor-to-ceiling dry-erase boards in the Link for modern and high-tech. The first-fourth floors all have normal large tables to study on and bookshelves around you to remind you that you're in a library. There are private cubicles and desks for dual screen access, and study rooms of varying sizes. Perkins, I miss you tremendously now that I've graduated. Really, you don't know what you have til you're gone :(

Durham County Public Library—Stanford L. Warren Branch - Stacks

Durham County Public Library—Stanford L. Warren Branch

(4 reviews)

We stopped by this little gem of a library branch after it was renovated for a long time. The space…read moreis very small but they have a decent selection of books, DVDs and meeting rooms. The staff were very polite. We didn't check anything out this visit (my wife was in the middle of reading a long book) but we're glad we stopped in. They have an amazing faux stained glass window that really catches your eye from the outside or interior. Very cute little library branch.

I have been utilizing this branch of Durham County Public Libraries for about 4 years now, and I…read morefigured it's time for a review! I like to thank of myself as a public library advocate (can you tell I'm a nerd lol) because I tell all my friends about how they should use the library and get books for free! I love that Durham County Public Libraries make it easy for you to place holds on books you're interested, and all you have to do is go pick them up when you get an email saying your books are ready for pick up!? They also offer audiobooks (available on OverDrive or Libby apps). Due to COVID-19, the libraries are not open completely currently. They're only open for book pickups. Once you get an email saying you have books ready for pickup, you can head to the Durham county library website and make an appointment. I will say that having to make a 15 minute appointment ahead of time can be tricky (non-covid times, you have about a week to pick up your books. They just sit on a "holds" shelf), but I am so thankful for the option to borrow physical books during this period. They have your books (and others' on a table in the lobby of the library. A staff member (way more than 6 feet away) will ask you your name so they can cross it off the list, but it is essentially a no-contact pickup. They only allow one person in the lobby at a time. I've felt safe every time I've gone in! If you're not already, you should be a library card holder!

Durham County Public Library - libraries - Updated May 2026

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