Best library experience for my little! Events and variety of activities for kids multiple times a week, reading programs where kids get prizes for checking out books, scavenger hunts, animal showcases, helpful and patient staff. They have first come, first serve study rooms, and lots of study space. Only things I'm not crazy about is it gets crowded after school time and the picture books and early reader books are kinda hard to find if you're looking for specific topics. Using search on the computer can be helpful, but its moreso when you get to the book aisle the book finding gets a little more challenging. I've worked in several libraries and I really like it here! Highly recommend. read more

This library is very convenient and offers a great place to meet and research individually or as a group.

Love to take my little ones here! It's located right next to the shoppes. The library is very quiet, friendly staff and have lots of books and meeting rooms as well! Been coming here for the last few years and have never had an issue. My boy loves the astronaut station and the rocket station as well! He can spend hours pushing all sorts of buttons and lights. Overall a friendly place and will continue to bring my kiddos here to enjoy the books and the atmosphere. read more

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We visited this place because they have reptile show. Big library with lot's of book collection. They have NASA setup in the middle. Good information about NASA. Definitely will visit again. The library in the same parking lot with city hall. Little bit confusing for the first timer read more

James S. Thalman Library - Libraries Near Me - Chino Hills, California

5 stars for the children's program! We attend the younger kids program ages 0-5 and the staff do an amazing job at keeping the kids engaged with song, dance, books, and crafts! They also have events throughout the year with more crafts, games, balloons and airbrush tattoos. Special shoutout to Ms. Dani, who brings such incredible energy to every class!! She's super animated and enthusiastic when engaging with the kids which really makes the program that much more special. read more

One of my family's favorite libraries Great location right next to the shoppes They always have such a fun variety of events, classes and actives for kids all year round It's a great big space in the kids area too for kids to play with all the space themed buttons and lots of seating areas to sit and enjoy the books or do homework Love all the different promotions they have to help encourage the kids to want to read and check out books read more

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Such a great library to come and study. They have free wifi without a library card needed which works out well for me because I'm not from the area. There are also lots of books, DVDs, a section where books can be purchased, and a kids area. There are also plenty of parking spots as it shares a location with the city hall. The area to study is pretty quiet but if you need a space to have a meeting, you can go into the conference rooms. I think you do need a reservation for those rooms though. Overall, fantastic and spacious library! read more

An absolute gem in Chino Hills, this library is so beautiful, big, and clean! The staff are l extremely helpful and the selection of books, media, computers, and free wifi make this a fantastic place to find some quiet study or work time! The library also has a great calendar full of classes and activities for kids and adults of all ages. This is a great way to add a new skill or learn more about topics! I definitely recommend this library! Cheers! read more

I know I'm a bit late to share my thoughts, but I wanted to highlight this wonderful library I visited just before the holiday season. Hence, picture of the Christmas tree! =) The location of the library is perfect--right next to city hall--and makes it easy to swing by after grocery shopping at Trader Joe's or grabbing delicious ramen at Silverlake Ramen or pizza at California Pizza Kitchen. Parking is ample, with a nearby garage for convenience. While the main lot can get busy, it's heartwarming to see such a strong sense of community, with mothers, fathers, and grandparents gathered in the read-aloud section in front of the library. Inside, the atmosphere was lively and inviting, and I was impressed by the selection of books. The "Friends of the Library" program is particularly noteworthy; if you're unfamiliar with it, it's essentially a fantastic used bookstore where you can find incredible deals on gently used books! Overall, this library is a true gem in the community, and I highly recommend stopping by if you haven't had the chance yet. You might just find your next favorite read! read more

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FIRST visit: Clean, user-friendly and quaint neighborhood library with adorable kid's section and plenty of reading areas * FINDINGS here:   === Friendly help desk with enthusiastic volunteers   === One-story library located right next to city hall   === Easy to use computers throughout   === Lots of reading tables and even individual study rooms throughout * FRIENDLY service: Yes * FRESH air seating outside: N/A * FAIR pricing: Libraries are free * FEE processing: N/A * FREE parking: Few spots right in front or more around the corner * FYI: The library, city hall, police station and postal office are all located right next to each other with the Shoppes just a skip away further down on Boys Republic FIVE stars ***** read more

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Came here today to do story and craft and it does not seem like they were prepared for the crowd that was there. There was hardly enough tables and people were crowding. The air was probably on, but it was so stuffy in there. Wont come for crafts will do at home. They do have a cool space shuttle simulator with a projector inside but it wasn't on. read more

James S. Thalman Library - Drive thru book return - Libraries Near Me - Chino Hills, California

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The staff is friendly & helpful, the library neat, clean, cozy, comfortable with plenty of great places to read both inside and out. The preschool program is great! 11:30 am weekdays 6weeks on 2 weeks off so check the schedule. There are a ton of computers (we only use those in the children's section ) and plenty of study rooms. Self checkout is easy and quick 4 computers for that! In addition I request most of my materials online at home and get text notifications when they are in. I avoid 2pm (that's when the local high school takes over) and Sunday afternoons the church across the street uses the parking lot so it makes me grumpy Out of all of the branches in the county that I've been to, this is by far my favorite! read more

Brought my son in, 2, and he loved the space theme. Always love a good library book. The staff was friendly and helpful.

Our local library got an upgrade and it did not disappoint! A ROCKET SHIP! Good job! Love this spot to hang out with my kids read more

James S. Thalman Library - Rocket ship play area - Libraries Near Me - Chino Hills, California

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As a parent I adore this library, many activities for kids. Library events are a blast! You can download the library app and join in on reading programs like 1000 books before kindergarten which gives cute incentives for reading milestones. If you're an adult looking for a place to study I would get as far away from the front of the library and kids section as possible and avoid coming after school hours since it becomes a hot spot for the near by high school students. Overall this is a clean, cool, well organized and friendly community environment and a great place for kids. Also shout out to the staff for always being kind and helpful. Also also, you'll need to stop in to grab an event calendar as they are not posted online. read more

James S. Thalman Library - Chino Hills Library - Libraries Near Me - Chino Hills, California

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Has a huge selection The spaces are clean. There are a lot of computers. There is enough seating for children and parents. read more

James S. Thalman Library - Chimp - Libraries Near Me - Chino Hills, California

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Good place to read books and have fun with kids good place to study and pretty clean place read more

I previously attended a California Driver's Handbook class at this facility and found the staff there to be very pleasant. The library is very relaxing. Our class was held in the computer lab room which can be utilized if you don't have a computer at home available to you. I highly recommend the driving class to anyone who is planning to take the written test as the instructor was very knowledgeable and thorough. It was extremely informative and definitely helped me not only with the written exam but also with laws regarding driving that I wasn't aware of. I believe this class should be mandatory considering the way people drive nowadays. I plan on returning to this library to retake the class again. This is the place to go to for all your library needs. read more

I like coming to this location! My dad works close by so I like to come and drop by when I visit him. I LOVE LIBRARIES! I LOVE TO READ! It is relatively easy to locate, Google Map takes you right to the location and there is ample amount of parking spaces available in the private parking lot. I can easily spend hours here! I like the way it's organized - very easy to find things! My favorite section is the "NEW BOOKS" section - the very first thing when you enter. I usually try to find a book from there every time I go there and obviously the other books I went to go look for! Service is amazing, entire staff are quite friendly and always willing to help! Library is kept neat and organized. One more thing I like about this is that if they don't have a book I am looking for the will put me in the waiting list and get it from different locations! I haven't had to wait more than 5 days for the book to arrive! I didn't need to go to other location or find the book elsewhere - very convenient! read more

James S. Thalman Library - BOOKS ON BOOKS. - Libraries Near Me - Chino Hills, California

My granddaughters had a great time. Their ages are 4 yrs old and 7 yrs old. They really enjoyed the space station. read more

My kids and I have enjoyed this library for years. This library is large with many conference and study rooms, but be prepared to wait for those. I suggest putting your name down on the waitlist as soon as you get there. There is also a small area which holds books available to purchase and I have found some great deals here, as well. The only downside to this library is that it holds events frequently, which serves to draw crowds to the library and boy, it does! Expect loud music and higher than expected noise levels found at libraries, during these events. It is during these times, I miss the librarians from my childhood who'd shush a fly and the original small, yet cozy, library that used to sit on Founders, which served all our needs and wants. read more

No double sided printing (and they don't let you put your paper back in the printer in reverse so it can print on the other side) and they don't give you more than one sheet of lined paper read more

A beautiful library centrally located in Chino Hills next to City Hall and walking distance from The Shoppes at Chino Hills. My favorite part of this library is the architecture. It's a beautiful building with an aesthetically pleasing fountain wall on the outside. The second favorite part of this library and it's probably any library in San Bernardino County, is that if the library you frequent does not have your book, you can request it online and they will send it over from another library in San Bernardino County who has it! And if you do not finish reading in 3 weeks then you can renew online! And they give you ample renewals. Super easy and simple. I also love that if I ever needed an urgent print job, I could go to the library and print. It costs money but very minimal. As long as you have a library card, you can use their computers. The library is closed at the moment (Jan/Feb 2021) due to the global pandemic, but they are still allowing you to check out books - just pick up only. Thanks Chino Hills library for doing a great job at allowing us to still borrow during these crazy times. read more

The library is awesome，but we reached the program on Hamburger but when we went there，It was told sold out.Kids were so sad and lay down in the rocket center. Hope they can fix it this read more

This is nice little library right outside of the Shoppes at Chino Hills. I love the self serve check out and automated return at the front of the library. It makes book rental so easy. I do wish they had a pickup self serve for the reserved books (Chino did this) and it just makes the visit easier. The library is often very busy, so it would help patrons. Overall, a pretty good selection of fiction and non fiction, along with many study rooms you can reserve. This would be super helpful for someone looking to study or just have some time to themselves to read. And if they don't have the book you want, you can get it sent to you from another library. The staff are very kind and attentive and the library is very clean and organized. Pro tip: there's a small parking lot almost diagonal from the main entrance. That small lot makes it breeze to get in and out of the library, especially for returns. read more

This library gets 20 out of 5. Every librarian warm, professional, know their environment of books and media. My wife and kids come all the time San Bern County libraries are awesome!!. read more

This library is very friendly to students and people from the community. There are many options for books, audio book, or just a place to relax. They hold classes for adults and kids throughout the year. Due to coronavirus, they are closed but they have an audio book option online. My parents use it to listen to books while in the car. They have very nice computers and nice comfy chairs to relax and read books at, as well as, tables for studying. read more

This has got to be my favorite library in town. I live in LA now and whenever I am in the area and need to get work done, I come here. It's quiet, homey, and have all the resources needed! I've spent countless hours here studying for classes back in college and let me tell you, I find so much comfort here! That's why I go back here often when I can. read more

This is our favorite library in the area. It was recently renovated and has an awesome outer space theme!

I love this library and I'm glad I live so close to here because it's a nice place to study. I've been to many libraries and no other library comes close to the number of brand new books they have here. They have PLENTY of new books circulating in all the time and really cool events and programs for children. If you have kids, come here because it makes me wish I had kids to do these fun activities with. They often have incentives and reading programs, robotics classes, tutoring, ESL classes and the list goes on. They really motivate and encourage kids to check out a ton of books and read (which also helps increase funding I would think) but that works out for everyone. The only thing I wished was that they did a better job doing noise control. I know that its hard to control a bunch of high school students from next door after school since they hangout here waiting for rides, but I don't even see the librarians try. Also, they charge a lot for the books donated here and when they receive new books they tend to sell it online for higher profits as said by the librarian. I know diamond bar does the same but at least charge less for ten year old textbooks. They also stopped free printing for the first ten pages and charge for movie rentals. For this reason I go to diamond bar library for free printing and free movie rentals especially on new releases. read more

I have been to this library several times back in the days when i lived in Pomona. They have a nice set of books and magazines. They are a big library in the Chino Hills area. Great staff here and lots of computers for visitors and students. Its a great library. read more

I am a senior, so I come in while students are all in school .I have found the library very well stocked, the staff here is very courteous and professional, and there are ample spaces to study or read quietly, and it has plenty of computers for the public. This is a stellar example of what a public library should look like. read more

After 3 pm, too much noise high school kids here. This is a taxpayer funded care. Where is their parents. Library is supposed to be a library. read more

I have a some what comical story to tell about this library. This morning, I was in urgent need of printing out one shipping label, and my printer is out of ink. So, I put the shipping label file onto an empty fresh drive, and heading out in searching for a place to print my shipping label, and drop off the package at post office. Chino Hills Library happens to be located next door to the post office. So, I went in to ask them if they are willing to print out for me. At the front desk, I stated my intention, the person said yes, and started asking for my library card, photo ID and my library password. I said that I do not remember my library password. She said not to worry, she will reset a new password for me, and gave me a new one. Afterwards, she said I can use any computer to print, and cost is 10 cents. I, then, ask her, why not just print one page out using my fresh drive, (yes, I only need one page...), and I will pay that 10 cents. She started telling me how important it is to protect my information and privacy, and she cannot see my private information, thus, cannot help me...after she checked all my information? Next, I ask which computer is connected to a printer? She asked another person (second person now) just coming out of their book sorting room to help me finding that computer. That person told me that he doesn't know. Together, we asked the person that was sitting behind the reference desk for direction ( third person now). She pointed to a copier standing against a wall. I and the guy used the nearby computer to open shipping label file (PDF file only), and it would not print......, after scratching his head, he said I need to feed the token box next to the copier machine 10 cents, and it will print. I feed the token box a dollar bill, and the machine still would not grant my wish. The guy (second person) ran back to the the book sorting room, asking another person to help out. This is the forth person involved in my quest of printing one page already. She took a quick look, and informed the guy, that we are dealing with a fancy business copier ( the kind of multi-function business machine) that was paired down to just one function---copier. So, we turn back to the person sitting behind the reference desk. She mumbled about, and said, she misunderstood what we wanted to do. Then, points out a printer that sits directly behind the reference desk. So, I finally got my one shipping label printed out, but, not before I pay her 10 cents...... I went back to the front desk to ask for my one dollar back (which I fed into the token box). The forth person then, bring out a fifth person from that same book sorting room. One of them was holding a key for that token box. After a few minutes, both of them told me they need to call the token box company for directions as how to do a refund......huh? Ten more minutes plus several trips between the token box and book sorting room, they finally gave me my dollar back. This morning, I was in need of printing one shipping label (postoffice is NOT the place to ask for a print out of their shipping label). I stopped by next door, the library, asking for one page print out. In the end, I dealt with 5 different staffs from the library, and total time spent there is about 45 minutes......oh, and 10 cents ( I got my one dollar back). Folks, your local tax dollar is working hard here! read more

Place can get packed with students after school gets out since it's pretty close to Ayala High School and Litel Elementary School. But it's clean and plenty of space to read/study in inside. Free wi-fi is damn slow though. read more

It looks nice on the outside. Looks really nice with the water fountain wall and all the clean glass walls and the marble looking Palm Springs tiles. And that lovely NO FOOD except for bottled water sign blocking the middle entrance. No. This is the loudest library I have ever been to. While I understand libraries are for kids and crying babies too, I despise the extremely loud patrons in the study rooms who seem to think that the walls are soundproof. Either they think that or just don't care that they're yelling at their small children in the study room and talking on the phone loudly. I swear, if I didn't have my earplugs and noise canceling headphones I would have yelled at a mother and her 2 small children and the person they were all talking to on the phone. The librarians or staff should monitor the noise level of the study rooms. Also, I wasn't too fond of the fact that the library decided to turn off the lights 15 minutes before closing. Well, I can hear and I know the library is closing in 15 minutes, but at least turn on the lights so I can pack up my stuff. And lastly, get some toilet paper in the stalls. Maybe I should've just peed in the water fountain wall outside. The only good thing about this library is that it has free wifi without requiring a library card/password. The wifi isn't the fastest, but it's good enough. If you want to stream movies, get on one of the computer terminals. read more

Nice little library. Very spacious with a small amount of study rooms. BF and I went here for the study rooms as they were private, noise reducing and ranges in size. We used the study room for an interview he had. The rooms are first come first serve with a library card. If you're out of town, you can sign up for one via the laptop to the left of the counter. The people are really nice. read more

After eight years, we finally have moved back in Chino Hills. Glad to see the lovely city became more pretty and more fashionable. One of our favorites about the city is this library. My three boys and I always go to library after school, they love to finish their homework there and grab one book or more home. The library is spacious, clean, bright and very neat. The staff is friendly. The return system is awesome. There's lot of seats for reading. If they could solve the problem of the noise from the children selection, it will be perfect. They have great online system, too. read more

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Not very happy with this library. They denied my 4 year old daughter a library card because my address on my ID did not match the address I was living at. They were very unhelpful and unwilling to help me even after explaining I had recently got married and moved in with my husband and hadn't updated my ID yet. I left and went to the chino library and they helped accommodate me and gave my daughter a library card. For being a library that leans more towards kids and educational base they sure make things difficult. Very disappointing. All my daughter wanted was to take home some books and she was denied that over a address on a ID. read more

I don't think I've stepped a foot into a library since graduating from college. But since having kids, I've found that the local public libraries are such a good resource! I had no idea they had so many programs for kids. This one in particular always has such friendly staff, the building is immaculate and they have so many programs and events for kids...for free! We love how you can reserve books online and then just go pick them up when they're ready. It's so much easier than looking for books at the library. We love their summer reading programs for the kids. The kids love reading and getting prizes at the same time. This is by far our most favorite library. read more