I've been a patron since 2019 and I am LOVING the new mall location. I know it's only supposed to be temporary but I hope once the OG location reopens, they'll consider keeping a branch at the mall. It has breathed new life into the mall! Having 4 separate storefronts: adult library, kids' library, events, and bookstore is a genius idea. When I'm with my kids I don't have to worry about volume nearly as much and they absolutely love the little play area they have set up in the kids' library. The librarians are so friendly and helpful and they have a great selection of books in wonderful condition. My son especially enjoys their expansive collection of level 3 readers and their language learning DVDs. He also enjoys the reading programs like the In N Out cover to cover program. The location feels safe and comfortable and our new favorite spot to hang out. read more

This is the best library I've seen for toddlers upstairs on the second floor. The classes they offer are also great. read more

Large selection of books, anime, comics, movies etc. I hadn't been to a library since my teen years. Felt nice to check out some books to read. read more

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This library is a must try if you have little ones. I'm always super nervous to bring my son in to the library, worrying that an outburst might disrupt a fellow library goer. With a separate second floor, it made those fears disappear! Right when you walk into the entrance there is an elevator to your left & the stairs are as well. The second floor has multiple different computers, plenty of chairs, space, puzzles galore, an arts & crafts table, & lots of hand sanitizer around (which I can appreciate as a toddler Mom). LOTS of parking surrounding the library including it's on lot. Next time I will be sure to explore the first floor a little more. Highly recommend this wonderful library! read more

Escondido Public Library - 2nd floor - Libraries Near Me - Escondido, California

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I love the Escondido Public Library. Not only is it free parking, free to get a library card, free to use the computers, study, relax or read here, they also have a 3D printer, AC which is perfect for the summer heat, and 5 billion books, movies, TV shows, magazines, newspapers, audio books and more! They also have tons of educational classes and groups for all different ages if you look at their monthly schedule. We NEED to keep libraries alive because they are amazing!! The people who work here are very nice and will help you find what you need. Wheelchair accessible parking outside, Wheelchair accessible entrance with motion-activated doors, accessible bathrooms and an elevator to get to the second story of the library. read more

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Built in 1981, this library has a bit of history, they have a decent selection of books for many genres, a lot of community events for children happening monthly, clean, spacious with a playroom upstairs for kids. Just beware of the homeless loitering outside the entrance and in the parking lot, make sure you don't leave any valuable belongings inside your car. read more

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My review is about one of their recent workshops and career fair organization. Unfortunately, I lost my job in Big Tech some weeks ago and read on Facebook that the Escondido library was offering a resume revamp workshop, including mockup interviews and career advice. That lasted 3 weeks and was very well organized and conducted. The instructor was really great, she was a professional news presented back in the day that got a new career as...career counselor and trainer. The library facilities are well maintained no matter that you can see it a bit dated. There are 2 levels and loved the tiles created I guess by students from some school nearby. Very cool and homey. I saw all that during the career fair that took place at the end of the workshop. These type of career fairs are a bit useless as in every booth you are being redirected to go online and check their site. Still, that has nothing to do with the library itself, so I am very grateful about this training and looking forward to other activities they might offer to the job seekers. read more

Escondido Public Library - Libraries Near Me - Escondido, California

Library smells terrible, extremely dirty. They need to update this place clean it and provide private study rooms. I definitely do not recommend this place or location read more

The children's room at the library is set up nicely for children. The room is nicely set up....for a variety of ages. Nice play and reading area. read more

Escondido Public Library - Libraries Near Me - Escondido, California

Disappointed on how I was unable to renew a book that no one else was waiting for. I physically went into the library to return and to ask to renew but policy is the book has to be at the library for 24 hours before I can renew it again. Why? read more

Great place to do homework, would be nice to have more outlets though. But other than that it's a great place to study, read books or check out the movies. read more

We opted for the Escondido library since the discovery museum parking lot was full and very busy.....what a great place for kids! Clean, orderly, organized and well thought out to place a complete 2nd level for kids. On Thursdays they have a book reading in the conference room, then fun projects and a bubble machine going for just plain fun. They even have a free snack bar with water, milk, chocolate milk and Mott's apple treats.Our grandkid had a blast. The main reading area for kids has a designated fun area too with puzzles, blocks, comfy chair for guardians. Plenty of room to maneuver around and lots of children's books. They have activities throughout the month as we got a calendar and library card application. I was very impressed with this library and the staff, all very friendly and informative. They kept an eye out for everything, not one staff member was distracted...all very professional. What a great choice to visit and pleased we did! We'll be back with the kiddo. :) ( I was afraid that it would be ridden with homeless, smelly and unkept. Boy was I wrong. And for that assumption I will donate or even volunteer to the next fundraiser they have.) read more

Escondido Public Library - Libraries Near Me - Escondido, California

This is my library. I can claim it because I have been coming since I was a toddler, when it was in the small building that houses the Mathes Center now. We no longer have the East Valley Branch, but this is the larger and better of the 2. As a kid I spent a lot of time in the children's section, even going on field trips with my Mom's friend the kid's librarian. There were the summer reading contests too, that got you prizes. This library has a lot to offer. Computers, E-books, DVDs, large print books. I love that you can request books for free now, and they will email you when you pick them up. They also participate in the ELF system, which will keep track of your checkouts, and email to remind you when they are due. They also have an awesome shop, with donated and discard items for sale to support book purchases for the library. You can get good CD's for $1 (or 50¢ if the half-price sale is on). All of the employees are friendly and helpful, and the library is open late on Mon & Tues til 8. read more

Pretty cool... My family comes here all the time to check out books for the kids. My first visit here was yesterday while I was dropping off my election ballot. As I walked up to the second floor which goes to the kids library, I could see the colorful wall murals and aisles of books and computer stations. I was impressed to say the least. The only other library that I've been to recently was the one up in Valley Center ( It was pretty nice too but much smaller). I was also happy to see this library actually being used especially seeing kids on the computers playing educational games. What was the most fun was learning about, and using the self check out machine. It looked like a photo copy machine but it actually allowed you to scan and check your books!! It was so cool putting a book in the machine and watching the red scanner read the code and check the book out. Recommend - Parking in the back lot is very chaotic. - Homeless milling around outside. read more

Escondido Public Library - Kids library... - Libraries Near Me - Escondido, California

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Escondido Public Library has been a great entertainment resource during the pandemic. I downloaded their awesome Hoopla app to stream videos free of charge, and watched several old favorite television broadcast series, as well as newer movies and shows. Even better is the Libby e-book app, which offers free access to a huge collection of books of all genres. It's so easy to check out, return, and place holds on Libby. There is also no possibility of accruing late/lost material fees, since your e-books are automatically returned at the end of the checkout period. It's great that EPL offers these resources to the community! read more

I enjoy this library! They are open on the weekends too! It was helpful on a hot summer day! The library interior is not fancy, but it is quiet for the most part and clean. People mind their own business. I feel comfortable here if I need to do any studying or have a few hours to kill. read more

It seems to me that the library is so much better when the city runs it itself. This library in my opinion is a perfect example! For clarification: in my humble observation , the libraries in Oceanside and Escondido are better than the SD County ones which again are much better than those run by the City of San Diego. Go figure! read more

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Sad. I have such wonderful memories of this place as a child. Here was my experience today... Went with my Godson. He has been looking for a particular movie and asked the lady at the reference desk, as I walked up and helped him pronounce it correctly she starts condeming him for saying the wrong words. He is autistic and I'm just proud of him for being verbal with his wants while she told him three times I would of never found it the way you said it. Strike one. We find the movie he wanted on our own and go to check out. I have the north county and the San Diego County library. Find out Escondido has their very own card. So I have to go downstairs to check out the movie so I can get another library card. No big deal but half a strike. Get my card, go to check out and they charge 50 cents a movie! I'm not talking Redbox quality I'm talking those straight to video cheezy ones you can find on YouTube. Honestly never been charged at a library in my life! I understand late fees but... We put the movie back, threw the card in the trash and walked out. Wish I had kept my memories. Great place to hang put if your homeless and pretty sure you can use computers for free, but no promises.... read more

Beautiful painting on the side of the building. Kudo's whoever painted that! I have checked books out here routinely and all the people working in the library are helpful and approachable. It has a home town feeling and they have a great selection of newer books. However, I am concerned with the homeless in that area lately. They do have park rangers and a security camera in the parking lot. There are park rangers who walk inside the library perimeter to make sure everything is OK. Recently had to tell the desk clerk that a man in the parking lot was having some type of mental issue and was yelling and punching the air so not sure if it was addressed or not. I left quickly. All in all, this library is a good one. read more

This is a review for the children's section only as I didn't investigate the rest of the library. The kids section is hugs compared to the San Marcos location. It's bright, airy, and there's room for the kiddos to move around. I didn't interact with the librarians or anything, so I can't comment on that. We just went to look around and take out a few books. Other yelpers have commented about the homeless outside the library. I didn't see too many. We'll be back. read more

Don't you miss going to a library? I know I do. Now everything is on the internet and my books are on my iPad. First time ever going to the library in Escondido and I had such a nice experience. Came a few minutes before they opened. I was surprised with so many people waiting to get in. I came to fill out some paperwork to reserve a room for a workshop for my old work. The people there were so friendly and helpful. They were working with a new system and everyone was so calm but still learning to deal with something new. Was able to view the room and plan out what my old work needs for their workshop. I had a very nice and pleasant experience here. Great library! read more

I like my library in Escondido. I go there often as I drive A LOT so need a LOT of Audiobooks. Thanks goodness Escondido Public Library has a lot of them. In the last year they also did a huge clean up on them and got rid of a lot of old stuff and have been getting a lot of new stuff. I just wish the new stuff had less sparkly vampires and more suspense without British accents. But, I can put in requests for things and I haven't yet, so who am I to complain, right? Anyway, I can check out a zillion audiobooks if I want (and sometimes I do!) and they charge 50 cents each. I am happy to pay the 50 cents because that means they are earning money for MORE! These books are due back in three weeks, but you can renew immediately for another three weeks if you want. I do all that renewy stuff online, which is handy. Paperbacks can be checked out with NO return date (I think they actually prefer you keep them heh) They have all of the usual library stuff and they have events that take place there. I always mean to hit up the big Scrabble tournament they do, but haven't made it yet. They also have public computers available for use, but I've never used them so don't know the details. If you keep an eye out, you'll see that they REGULARLY do giant book sales (besides the small used book store that is always there) where you can buy barely used books for a quarter - even nice hardbacks if you like those. So, that can be really awesome. next door is the Mathes Community Center and many community classes are held there. Check out the Escondido Recreation catalog for some of the awesome offerings. I attend a Tai Chi class there on Saturday mornings and it is REALLY awesome, taught by Nina Deerfield. Overall, this library complex is a great resource for Escondido residents. They've been doing a lot of updates and yeah, there are a lot of homeless folks hanging around outside, but homeless folks need books too! read more

Staff here go out of their way to be obnoxious and create problems for library patrons. They are the loudest people in the library, having loud conversations with each other that can be heard across the library, putting away books by slamming them on the shelves, rolling a loud squeaky book cart around, bumping into walls, holding loud conversations with no respect for others. I've never seen so many careless, uncoordinated librarians. They must hate their job and patrons. Everyone else in the library is quiet and peaceful. The staff is the problem and causes problems. read more

Not sure why people give a low review of a library because of homeless people??? What does that have to do with a library . We live in CA - homeless are everywhere. And yes they are allowed in library - surprise- some like to read and also need to hide from the HEAT Library itself is very nice for such a small town. Clean and good selection of books read more

I actually found this library on yelp! There was a quiet section and that was all I need to "hear"! Bah doom. Anyways other than your average street noise and kid crying once in a while it is cozy here. Slightly outdated reminding me of the time my mom used to take me to the library on summer days for crafts and picking out my book of the month (which I never read) For now, Kayla Chhh. read more

Escondido Public Library - This is as interesting as it gets for me! - Libraries Near Me - Escondido, California

We love the library! We are there all the time! Want a movie not on Netflix? They got it. Want an obscure book? They'll find it. Like audio books? They have Libby. Want your kids to read to giant lizard on Tuesdays? Check. One stop shop. read more

I visit this library frequently and my experience gets worse each time I go. For example, today I parked on Kalmia and several transients were on the sidewalk playing hacky sack, smoking and swearing up a storm. I had to walk around them because they did not move from my pathway. When I was here last week, a homeless woman came in with her Pit bull. I am not anti homeless or anti Pit bulls but the dog was jumping around, barking and clearly out of control. No body questioned her. On other visits, I have seen ladies lathering up their arms and legs (bathing?) in the restroom, men sleeping on the chairs and homeless people congregating outside the sliding doors. The library staff is nice and the selection of books is good so I give this review two stars but the atmosphere, clientele and outward appearance leave a lot to be desired. read more

The main Escondido Library was just renovated so you can ignore the "old and dingy" comments. It's become a lot more quiet too with lots of big tables located next to brand new electrical outlets for laptop users in the Quiet Area at the back. Give it another chance. Most people love the improvements! read more

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I love the Escondido library! I almost don't want to write this review because then my secret is out! Did you know you can rent movies for 50 cents? audio books and music cds for 25 cents. Of course you most likely won't find new releases here but its great for someone that likes the oldies but goodies! This library also has literacy services and classes for the public. I also enjoy their author book signing events that happen periodically! You should check it out but if you don't whatever!!! Less competition in the dvd section for me! read more

Escondido Public Library - Libraries Near Me - Escondido, California

I give it a three cause there are weird people that go to this library. street walkers :) Other than that i think they have a great selection and the staff is nice. read more

I loved coming to this library as a kid! The renovations they've done make the place look great and clean. The have a quiet section, as well as a teen and children's area. There are also computers for everyone to use. Events are always going on at the library, whether it's a concert or a book club meeting, there are many ways to get involved. They even have an event called Paws for Reading, where children read to certified pet therapy dogs to improve reading skills or for fun...can we all agree this is just too cute?! read more

The library has a nice set up. It is used by the homeless as a place to sleep and I was followed out to my car and circled by a man talking to himself. read more

People say libraries are a "thing of the past". I respectfully disagree. Reading a physical book may not be as necessary as it used to be, but a library offers sooo much more to the community it serves, and the Escondido Public Library scores well in that regard, We recently took out 6year old to get her first library card and reading books for school. The staff at the library made the process as quick and painless as possible. On our recent visits I have also found both the children's and general sections to be clean and easy to navigate in finding the books you want or need. On most any given day you will find the children's section bustling with kids, but it has never appeared to be chaos or a disaster of flying books and playing kids, as you might imaging. I also must say the the "self checkout" machines are very mice, even a 6year old can handle them with ease. read more

Easy checkout, decent natural lighting, adequate seating, and your bathroom handsoap smells of ALMONDS! I like! An old man passing by laid a supersonic egg (farted audibly) just before I hit the submit button on this review. NASTY! read more

Sad. I had to go here to return some books and asked where I could use a breast pump while I was there. They said there was nowhere in the building I was allowed to pump. This is the first place I have ever been that would not allow me to use my breast pump. I am about to explode. Literally. read more

A very nice old fashion, people friendly library. Staff is very helpful and friendly. Internet PC's are available, I believe there are 10 PC's to use for 60 minutes at a time and 4 for 15 minutes. Clean, quiet and a large place. read more

Love renting movies from here. I love foreign movies, so this is the place to go. Rent "Starbuck" a real funny French movie. The library is really different than when I was a kid. They now let you bring in drinks, use one of their tablets and it's not so quiet any more. I love taking friends kids (since I don't have my own) to story time at the library. The little ones love it. The downside to the library is that it smells pretty bad. There are a lot of homeless roaming the library, but I guess they need a place to chill. This last time I went the police had to escort out a drunken, homeless couple. So I would keep the kiddos out of the lower level. Other than that, no problem! read more

Nice building - Decent Collection I have been to quite a few different libraries in my time, one of them being a very highly rated one for Riverside County. That being said I find this particularly library to be quite pleasant. The building is pretty easy to spot from the road and it has a lovely little courtyard in the front where one can sit and read. The interior of the building could use a little upgrade as it looks as though everything came from the 1980s but otherwise it's always clean and smells like any old library. The collection at this library is decent. I give this library four stars overall as they need more variety and just more books in general. It would also be nice if they carried multiple copies of one book so that we could renew them. I would also like if they had multiple copies of their books on CD, I always venture into the library in hopes to check out the Harry Potter series only to find the first book is constantly gone. As for the people talking about the homeless situation, you really need to go to the library in the morning or earlier in the day. The homeless are never around when I come here and in fact most others have said that they seems to have stopped coming here all together. I would give this place another chance. Overall this is a lovely library and I enjoy coming here once a month to pick up some new reads. read more

Ever since the upgrade of the facilities, the Escondido Public Library is a wonderful place to visit and get cheap entertainment!!! The video and DVD collection is a great place to spend some time in finding those rare gems that you can't get at a DVD Box Express location. Careful with the foreign films...they are not rated and can be risque and border crude and rude, even with english subtitles. I love the way you can also reserve books...they even call you and let you know that the book is waiting for you...and all you do is go over the reserve section and find your book! How easey is that?!!! read more

For a booklover, this is the place. Armed with the Goodreads app, can be in here for hours. Staff is always nice. If you're short for time, you can sign in online on their website and ask them to hold books. Those will be in front right next to the self-checkout (WIN!) lanes. In & out in less than 5 minutes. read more