I really like this library! The staff is always so welcoming, and helpful! This was actually the 1st library I came to when I moved out here. The kid loves their storytime here and always asked to come to the "Carlsbad" library. We also like how the children's area is set up, and the librarian in the kids area is always so friendly and helpfully. read more

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LOUD Librarians! It would be a four or five star but the librarians don't know how to keep their voices down--including in the upstairs QUIET section where it is mandated to stay quiet. They are sooooo loud here. People go here for quiet and study and research... it shouldn't sound like a coffee shop!! read more

I love the convenience of this little village library and I check out books here regularly. But, today was the first time I actually sat and read in the library and I must say this is the loudest bunch of librarians I have ever encountered! They seem nice enough but when delivering information they definitely shout loud enough that I would guess anyone in the building would hear them. What happened to "library voices"? read more

All the staff were so friendly today. Linda helped me get set up with my library card . She was helpful patient with calm energy . Bridget was super attentive with helping me on computer and with printing I needed . I really feel the staff were there to make visit productive and support me. The library had layed back environment not super bright lighting . Plenty of seating and tables to do work or read . Not modern but I'm happy to go there again . read more

I expect much more from ALL the many wonderful libraries I'm very familiar with in California, the SW and Colorado. One time they fined me for a hardly noticeable, very tiny water stain on the outside binding of a book - a $35 charge (which is nothing compared to my car costs of over 1K. per month). This was not really about the conditions of the book (the book was just fine), no it was some crazy personal issue against me. I figure others are right to call such government departments a fiefdom. It was like ICE attack dogs surrounding me like some dystopian nightmare witch-hunt. All the many other times were just fine (overall) when I would go to read magazines, news papers or get online. Oh, the Learning Annex is a dream and such great people there, and Dove Lane library (the main branch) is great, but all the women that day primed to do their mass harassment to drive me away. Ha, public libraries are for the general public not for those with unresolved emotional issues of those in a position to bully patrons. Btw, I treat all people with respect and likewise everything belonging to that or any library. Downtown Carlsbad/the "Village" keeps getting worse with their overseers - typical along the coast which is why the state has a net migration exodus, but where would you go? They targeted me because they know the provocations wouldn't have me acting out. Likewise the local/nearby Senior Center is whacked out with the same mindset. Too many stressed-out, contentious gatekeeper "Indian chief want-to-be personalities. Chances are you won't see that, as if it's not a problem. Well, until it is and wildfires are all around you, or like how the L.A. fires were secretly allows to zimmer underground till it wipe out more neighborhoods, or mass shooting & other people who can't take it anymore. read more

Beautiful library. Truly very nice. The staff talk to loud. What happened to libraries being quiet? I was reading until I decided to fall asleep because I couldn't take it anymore. A staff member checked up on me and asked if I was okay--I appreciate that. I was okay, just tired. Later, a different staff checked on me and told me I couldn't sleep in the library. Is that in the rules? I checked the Rules of Conduct and don't see it. Theres rules like don't eat or drink/watch your kids/don't be disruptive, but you want to tell me to not sleep when I was reading before? Please focus on checking books out. And tell the lady snoring next to me she cant sleep either. read more

My son came to this library with his math tutor 2-3 times a week for the summer to have his math lessons. They have small rooms you can reserve and use for group meetings. When there were no rooms available they studied in the children's area table. The staff were really friendly and the AC was always I found the library to be well maintained as well. I think it may not be the largest library with all the resources but it certainly is a good library for your basic library needs There was always adequate parking, as well as it was located right next to the freeway^^ read more

Great little library right across the street from the metal sculpture garden. Easy to navigate

I had some time to kill while in the area on a Thursday evening and was grateful to find this library was open until 9pm. Based on the building's old exterior I wasn't expecting much, but was pleasantly surprised as I walked in to find a busy, two-story library with a friendly staff and various resources. The first sign that I encountered read, "Borrow a tablet for free" and I couldn't resist. I applied for a library card at the front desk and the friendly clerk directed me to the reference desk, where I was able to borrow a Samsung 7" tablet for an hour (any longer than that and you'll be charged $5). Although this was my first time here and I live too far away to become a regular, the Georgina Cole Library deserves five stars based on one thing: their atrium. It's a small-but-lovely outdoor seating area in the middle of the library. I took my borrowed tablet and found a few PDFs I'd been meaning to read from my Google Drive, sat down in the atrium, and relaxed for the next hour. Before I left, I took a quick look around and found the community room packed with participants in a computer workshop, a second floor with its genealogy collection (apparently, one of the largest in Southern California), and a few shelves of used books and magazines for sale. read more

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4/2018: Children's storytime on wed at 10 is very cute. The ladies were wonderful. We relocated from Orange County where we had a delightful storytime in Huntington Beach. This is almost as cute. However, the 10am is designed for 3-5 year olds, so when all ages are present, it's a deterrent for the age group it was designed to engage. I understand having young kiddos (I had 3 in under 3 years), but I always controlled them in situations, so they did not bother other people. (1) Parents, please keep your kiddos seated during storytime, it's rude when they stand up & block other kids. (2) Parents, please ask your kiddos to NOT take someone else's letter square, it's rude & upsets the child who picked that letter first. (3) Parents, don't talk on your phone during storytime, it's rude. Are you catching the common thread..? Parents...It's Rude. read more

I love this library! Compared to Dove Library the Georgina Cole is smaller and has more of a homey feel to it. I've come here a ton in the past year. They had a sign up though stating they will be closed for remodeling from September 1, 2015 to early 2016. Love their little outdoor patio in the middle of the library! And it's the closest library to me, located off Carlsbad Village east of the 5 freeway. read more

Not sure why this library has bad reviews. Sure it's on the smaller side, but that makes it so much more "homey" feeling. We have a toddler and the kids classes are awesome. Wednesday-Friday 10am - totally free and great to introduce kids to a group environment and structured learning! read more

The weekend hours soooo suck. Open at 1 on a Sunday, really. And close at 5 fri,sat, sun. Guess you just encourage going out and drinking instead haha. When you need a place to study for medic school. Not the spot during the weekend. The search continues. read more

My daughter and I find soo much enjoyment with this library! From story time prior to Covid...to renting books after!! Everyone has been amazing, definitely enjoying our weekly venture over!! read more

While trying to get off at the outlets for a quick bathroom break while driving down to Del Mar, I took a wrong exit. Rather than forcing ourselves to get to the outlets, we figured we'd see what else was in the area.... and stumbled upon this library. Plenty of people coming in and out for a well set up library. Kind of a cool feature they have here is the outdoor seating area, in case the weather is nice and you want to read in their garden... We also didn't bring books to read for our trip so we stopped by the rack of used books and picked up a couple of good reads for $1 a piece. :) read more

Built in 1967 and named after Carlsbad's first library director, the Georgina Cole Library is easily one of my favorite building's around. Besides the 180,000+ item's, their is a Genealogy Division to trace your family tree. The Atrium in the center of the library fills it with light leaving the florescent lighting on "low" Don't sleep on the CD/DVD section as well. Some really good stuff in there. Found many older cd's that you may have missed to add the collection. A true Carlsbad landmark. The Dove Library is newer and bigger. But my heart belongs to this one. read more

Quiet, clean and good lighting! Good place to focus on work or to read a book. They have comfy seats as well. Staff is generally helpful and friendly. read more

This library is like the shabby little cousin of the Dove Library. Free parking in their small lot. Small selection of books inside. Much smaller available selection than the Dove Library. Their upstairs area is a waste of time. Its dedicated to genealogical research. No books. It seems to me that this particular location would benefit from renovation. That and an influx of books. Even their librarians seem grumpier here than at their sister locations. read more

There are many things to complain about including the quality of the toilet paper available in their bathrooms! However, for me, the most annoying and persistent problem is losing my wireless connection to the internet through my HP Pavilion G6 Laptop, with their system forcing me to repeatedly click 'Disconnect', then 'Connect' (again), as 'Library Guest'. Here are the details of the Network Connection error messages I receive: "secure login failed"..."Secure Connection Failed"..."You must log in to this network before you can access the internet". And then when I am prompted to click "Open Network Login Page" i will repeatedly get the "Secure Connection Failed" page over and over again. On the 'Library Guest' icon on my taskbar i then have to click 'Disconnect', then 'Connect' before clicking the "Open Network Login Page" finally works to get a connection...then around 20 minutes later I will again get disconnected, forcing me to repeat the above procedure. It is absolutely ridiculous, and this did not happen just a few months before (Note that I did get my laptop checked at a local PC Repair shop, and its OK. I have also reported this to several of their tech support people and they have been unable to help). I believe that what is happening is that as networks evolve and upgrade their systems, the balance between security and internet access leans progressively more and more towards security at the expense of internet access. Another recent problem is that if you work within a USB Drive environment and attempt to open and save a document within that environment, the document will often freeze giving you a "Not Responding" error message. And then, if you try to close the document you will get a "Reporting error to Microsoft" window that hangs indefinitely, forcing you to log off the computer...and then even the Logging Off process will hang! Note that this freezing / hanging behavior can also occur with any other program that you open within the USB Drive--incl. the browser. ...And what about the absence of a landline telephone? With all that being said, the positives outweigh the negatives which is why I am giving Georgina Cole Library a strong 3 star rating. read more

Renovations are supposed to be improvements, but in this case they were a couple of steps backwards. I'll explain: 1) The Atrium (or outside patio) added a touch of class. Something no other library had. 2) Dropped WiFi and/or slow Internet. Neither was a problem before renovations. 3) Parking lot is pitch black at closing. No lights. Very unsafe. 4) So noisy I can hardly hear myself think, yet the librarians have shit fits if my cell phone rings. 5) Parents need to take their small children to the parks to play. There are several nice parks in Carlsbad where parents can supervise their children's play so they are not bored and pitching temper tantrums in the bathrooms. The old bitty in the genealogy dept upstairs is rude and gave us attitude. My husband is diabetic and carries his diabetic supplies in a shopping bag. She kept insisting it was food even when we explained it wasn't. I wish we had complained about her. Another reviewer had problems with an old lady who works here. Perhaps this old lady should retire. On the plus side, the Cole library has a nice layout. Perusing books and CD's is easy and so is ordering them online. read more

I normally love my local library. It's convenient, airy and cozy at the same time, and has all the amenities you could ask for in a local outpost (it's not the main library for Carlsbad, much less the county). I go there often if my wireless is out, as it was recently, to borrow or buy a book or to just have some peace and quiet to read. Which brings me to the only complaint. Upstairs is a nice getaway from the comparative hustle and bustle of downstairs, so I expect actual peace and quiet over by the window, away from the ancestry discussions. However, yesterday I was trying to work on my computer because AT&T was working on the wireless cable at my house and two people next to me were talking nonstop. There are signs everywhere that say to keep your conversations quiet and to a minimum. I could barely think with this incessant chatter in my ear. I finally asked the upstairs desk attendant if there was something she could do and she told me that conversations were allowed and didn't even bother to leave her desk. It was a disappointing response to my reasonable request. read more

I like this library and have been going here for many, many years. The new renovation is nice and they have a lot of lovely books on offer but.... Since they reopened and have the 2 kiosks for people to check out their own books we are expected to check out our own books even though the librarians are standing around talking to each other. They intimidatingly tell us to check out our own books. We are expected to wait in line to do this while they stand around and talk to each other. The counter is now set up so there is no place to set down the books to be checked out except for one counter. This is not right!!!!! I asked to talk to the manager and was given a card (double thickness card stock I might add $$$). I did write a note on the comment card so I hope to get to speak for all of us out here that would appreciate a little customer service. After all we are paying for it!!! read more

Ok I just had some very bad days and just some rough nights and plus dealing with mercs and saving my native american tribe and just was upset over personal things.This is a great library. Well maintained and great staff derserves a pay raises. read more

I'm not happy with this library. Note this library is beautiful. Studying is difficult as the library is really loud. Employees are loud, visitors voice echoes and it's really difficult to study and concentrate. The floor upstairs is a good concept as they have a few tables, and is designated "quiet area," however, no drinks are allowed, only bottled water. I was told I couldn't stay because I had coffee, which is really disappointing considering I really needed a place to study and downstairs has limited tables available. read more

Love this library, but i must admit this review is for the baby/toddler free music/reading classes that they offer!! The teachers are great, very warm, inviting and creative. The break the class into two groups. One in under for safety and have soft toys, reading with words and fun music that involve mommy and me basics. The other side for older children, involve dancing with musical instruments and a story time!! Educational, fun and free!! Can't beat it!! read more

A good library overall, helpful staff, and a reasonable selection of books, given that it's a smaller branch of the main Dove library. Free WiFi which is good. They need to work on enabling printing from personal laptops like the library in Boulder, CO. It's quieter than several other area libraries so I come here the most. The upstairs genealogical area is the quietest place to study. No library is a truly "quiet" place like they were when I was a kid, so one has to adapt to the new library reality. It does have a bright, airy feel which I like. Do wish they had more outdoor seating than just the two concrete tables by the elevator. One thing I'm unhappy about is they charge to check out a DVD. First library I've been in that charges for every DVD, not just the newest releases. read more

I will always have fond memories of this little library because I had to spend quite a lot of time here when we first moved out here and had no internet connection. They were very helpful in getting us set up with Carlsbad library cards and made the process pleasant. There never seemed to be too long of a wait to use the computers. I haven't always found the exact book I wanted, but I have always left with something. The dvd area is way better than some of the libraries back in Virgina- mainly because of their documentaries and the fact that they have new releases. The cd selection is a really varied, almost strangely so- they had several Ani DiFranco cds (awesome!), lots of Pearl Jam, Thom Yorke's solo album...but then there was also Paris Hilton (not awesome!) I guess we all have different tastes? The Georgina Cole library is a nice and quiet little community spot. read more

Such a pleasant place to be when trying to study/complete assessments. I personally don't understand people that go to cafes to get their studies done.. How can you focus with all that noise and food around you? Cafes=socializing/coffee/light reading, library=studying/reading. Yea back to the library.. There aren't many seats but I didn't have a hard time finding a seat on a Saturday afternoon. Parking wasn't bad either. The staff at this library is absolutely wonderful. Every one of them. Such friendly people who go out of their ways to help you. Nice and organized shelves, pretty large children/teens sections, free wifi, and computer access (with library card). Speaking of computers, I love their computer usage system. You scan your card and wait to be assigned to a computer, which is labeled by a classic author's name! Love that idea! I'm always hoping to be assigned Austen. Lol read more

I love this library! It is open 7 days a week! This is amazing considering all the cutbacks in city services in the past year or two. It is relatively small but very busy with a wide selection of DVD's, computers, magazines and of course books among many other things. This library perfectly blends the nostalgia of a 60's era local library with the modern conveniences we need in the 21st century. read more

Meh. This location is way too loud to be a library. Staff are nice but talk loud and I hear babies/kids crying constantly. It doesn't help that their parents talk just as loud, instead of calming their kids/babies down. I guess you can call this place "kids friendly" and use it as a kindergarten. It's difficult to get work done with so much noise. read more

This is a students Library for sure! Several groups of students have group discussions here. There are plenty of tables with outlets for devices, and lots of computers on both floors. Because so many students and kids use this library, it is not the quietest, nor the easiest to pleasure read, however it is a great place to host a group project and is just quiet enough if you are in a pinch to study. They also have great decor and ambient lighting. Beautiful sculptures out front. read more

Georgina Cole Library - Nice set up. Easy to figure out. - Libraries Near Me - Carlsbad, California

This library has two stories with a genealogy department. Usually, it is very quiet and easy for me to focus. Something to keep in mind is that there is a lack of plugs upstairs. Only the tables by the windows have plugs for computers. I have found the librarians to be generally considerate, respectful and helpful. It has various events for people of all ages. It's Baby Rhyme time is lots of fun for children 0-18 months. They start out with songs and provide toys for free play for the last 20 minutes. They have a children's event calendar with at least two things scheduled a week. I plan to attend more of these events. I know a library trend in North County is to have a coffee cart, this library does not have one. While, it is not the purpose of the library, it is nice to grab a coffee or a snack if need be. This library is an older library and I personally like the character that comes with the age of the building. It feels lived in, relaxed and like home to me. Moral of the story: Great kids events, quiet areas for working but lack plugs, no coffee cart read more

Very disappointed with the renovation. New carpet and details but the openness of the downstairs makes for very loud and distracting chatter. Employees speak loudly and even though I try to hide upstairs to get my work done the echo is even worse up there! Employees need to be reminded this is a library. 3 times, not going back again for a while... read more

Wonderful city library that recently had a full renovation. Computers are nice and new, convenient location and hours. Every staff person I encountered was extremely polite, friendly and helpful. read more

Awesome place to be productive. Clean, quiet, helpful staff and many resources available.

Some people who work here are great. But Dione is overbearing and aloof. I didn't feel that she was a polite public servant.

Can anybody tell me why this library SMELLS like a bad perfume shop???? I can't stand the headaches I get from the strong smell!

I really like this library. It is cozy and comfortable. I also like the summer programs they do with kids to keep them reading. I would bring the kids more often but all they want to do is play on the computers which is exactly what I am trying to get away from when I go to the library. read more

Good library and friendly. When I reserve one from dove it gets to this library in a day or so. I will admit the selection is rather small and dove is way better on selection. read more

Not happy to make the drive here. I stopped by on a Saturday around noon and it was just hard to find a place to sit. Seating was very limited and there were quite a bit of people in the library so I understand, but I still would have expected more chairs. I noticed there was an area in the middle of the library with chairs outside so it was nice to have the option to get some sun and read a book. In the end, I found an empty table to get some work done and due to the size and limited seating, the table, which had four chairs was filled by two additional visitors within minutes of me taking a seat. So much for thinking I was going to get some concentration in - no way! This is not the place for someone looking to study and searching for a quiet place to focus. I do not plan on making a come back here anytime soon. read more