My second home I absolutely love looking forward to the new addition. Yay. I would love to…read morevolunteer. I'm gonna sign up online I suppose.

My adult daughter lives in Santa Cruz, CA and this is the go-to library for she and her family…read more They're voracious readers, with a lot of interests, and regularly check-out large numbers of books across a wide variety of subject areas. They also utilize inter-library loan for holdings not carried by the local library branch. My husband and I were visiting Santa Cruz (June-August, 2024) and went into the library at least three times. I was immediately drawn to a display of recent releases, and borrowed the New York Times Bestseller "On Call: A Doctor's Journey in Public Health", by Anthony Fauci. This book explored Fauci's work not only in guiding the US response to the COVID pandemic, but also his role in researching and addressing other major infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS, Ebola, SARS, West Nile, and anthrax. My husband was drawn to the large display of magazines, and literally spent hours browsing and reading through the most recent editions of some of his favorites. The librarians were very helpful. The library has many computers, with WiFi access. It also allowed me to print out some legal documents that I needed to get notarized (elsewhere). You can also charge your electronics here. There are also clean restrooms. One thing that I didn't find at the library was an area with resources and offerings for the local community. For instance, I unsuccessfully searched for information on local child care options.

I give this library 1 star because the location is beautiful. As far as my experience goes, every…read moretime I have visited the Live Oak Library I left feeling violated and dehumanized. Libraries are my safe place. As a Black woman its heartbreaking to me that Live Oak Library is not safe for me. The downtown library may not be as beautiful, but in my eyes it is a true library: Inclusive and welcoming to people regardless of race or housing status because everyone deserves a place at the library, a place of safety, community, resources, and education.

Great toddler story time with 30 minutes of play followed by 30 minute story time. The library…read moreitself is clean and well staffed. Great stop for anyone looking to take a break and escape into a nice book.

It was out first time going since the remodel and I was left with an open mouth. Beautiful remodel…read more Took my son to get his first library card and just had a blast looking around choosing a book.

I miss the old, cozy, more funky library with its books and free newspapers and bulletin board at…read morethe entrance. The new remodeled library feels sterile and does not feature a good use of space and way fewer new books to feature. What a waste of taxpayer money!

I love to sit in a booth on floor 1 by the window, the one with the view of the whole lawn. I watch…read moreeveryone walk past and no one knows that I'm watching them. I can never get work done because I like inventing stories about each of them. Bathrooms are very conducive to crying. 2019 I cried in a floor 2 bathroom and another girl was also tearing up. Felt very supported. I think they shot a tv show here! Pretty cool.

Stopped in to check out the Grateful Dead exhibit. Nicely set up and super informative. Its a small…read moreexhibit, probably took an hour to absorb it all but was worth it. Parking was interesting to figure out the first time but now I know how to work it. Took an hour hike thru the redwoods and to a bluff overlooking the ocean. Very cool!

If I could rate 4.5 stars I would. This is a great library with plenty of modern amenities and a…read moresafe family vibe. My only complaints: - On the weekend, parking is tight. Multiple people circling the lot to find a spot. - The selection of books is limited. It's a smaller branch so I can't really fault them for that, just a consideration. Aside from that, it's a solid place. Definitely check it out if you're in the area.

I reserve books weekly. The app is easy to use. I just grab my books off the hold shelf and self…read morecheck out. Not even 5 minutes and that includes parking.

I was hesitant to go to this library because of a previous review regarding unattended backpacks. I…read more came here from San Jose Airport to get a library card so I can access thier wi-fi should my phone run out of signal or battery. I had a heavy duffle bag and my airbnb wasnt available til 3pm. But ai had no issues - even when i went to wander the shelves. As long as I kept my duffle bag in sight, I was all good. The lady at the front desk was very helpful and I was able to secure a library card within minutes. Then, she helped me find a book I was looking for. The library is small but mighty, centered on community - providing a safe space for patrons to read, rest, check out books and surf the web. They even have brochures of services should someone who is un-house needs help. and they have a great book selection. I was able to sit and read for a bit before continuing on my adventure of exploring this town. Thank you to the Felton library for the nice respite.

The new library is a godsend to those in SLV. The old church was way too small, with a tiny…read morebathroom. Now the bathrooms are nice, it is well lit, the staff are helpful and charming, the selection of books is impressive, and I like their recommended book section when you first walk in. I am a fan!

This is such a cute library. From the wonderful volunteers to the awesome historic collection it…read morereally has something for everyone. I've always passed it going up and down Old San Jose, but I had time to stop in and I got a library card the second that I could. Everything is by the books and you won't find a computer to save your life. I think that is what gives it the unique charm that most libraries don't have. 10/10

Soquel Porter Memorial Library is an all-volunteer effort to provide library services to the…read morecommunity. It was begun by pioneer descendants in 1912 and has been kept open (except in times of flooding) ever since. When it was ordered closed after passage of Proposition 13 in 1978, the people of Soquel fought to keep it open. It functions like a regular library under the guidance of several (retired) volunteer librarians who are highly skilled. Volunteers accept books and must decide which are suitable for cataloging in the collection. Volunteers deal with county regulations. Volunteers sweep the floors. Volunteers keep the doors open on a regular schedule. Sometimes volunteers get grouchy, but they perform a tremendous service for the town of Soquel. It is the little library that could.

My 9 year old is scared. Yes, we are at the SVL library and she is scared. She won't even look for…read morebooks. There is an unbearable amount of teens partying, throwing things, oh... I just heard something hitting the floor. And clapping. More stuff hitting the floor. My daughter and I have been coming here since she was 4, it was one of our happy places where we could explore books. She won't even go and look for books alone anymore. What is this? Why is this allowed? I have been told that Thursdays are the days to avoid because teenagers take over but it's Friday. And why are they allowed to be a menace here? They are not using computers or discussing books or working on projects. It's clearly their social hour. Why their horsing around is allowed in the first place? Why is this abuse tolerated?

fun great kids books the seats are great it is a great place to hang…read moreout and read books

This is a great library with lots of resources. You can borrow books and laptops or use a computer…read morein the computer lab. There's computers on every floor so you're almost guaranteed to find an open one! There's a quiet floor upstairs and a less quiet main floor. There's also a bottom floor that's best for group studying and is the least quiet. You can also reserve study rooms on the top and bottom floors. My favorite place to study is the back room of the main floor. Since this place seriously lacks outlets, this room is perfect because there's like, 8 outlets per table. However, it's really hard to find a table. I think it's everyone's favorite place :b

I'm sitting in this concrete block as I'm typing up this review. Generally the library treats me…read morereally well, providing me with cozy chairs that I can construct into a bed for napping time in between classes, plenty of computers available if I am too lazy to tote my laptop around all day and most of the time the textbooks on reserve are actually available for check-out when I need them. However, it is finals week and this place has turned into a hell hole. UGH! All of a sudden you notice that this library with its 3 small levels just cannot house all the students on campus. Granted, we have another library, but that one is partially under construction and way out there in the woods. It's too dark on campus to stumble my way over there! So here I am trying to find a spot that has not only a chair in front of it, but also an available - READ AVAILABLE - outlet for my laptop. Impossible. Finally I cram myself into a group of 6 people at a table that is meant for 4. And hallelujah, one of the students was awesome enough to bring a power strip. There is power for everyone's primary study tools! Yay! Except for he just left... Crap. Time to stop yelping and looking at the books instead. Get some more outlets and chairs, we pay enough to come here!