Staff was very helpful when I wanted to create a library card. Glad I came to visit when I was in…read moreSaratoga Springs!

I love this library. When we first moved to NYS and started house-hunting, this library and the…read morevibe of downtown drew me to the Saratoga area. I was sad leaving the home, work and friends I had made over the previous 8 years and the library simply felt comfortable and welcoming. One of my initial experiences after our relocation was in their computer classes. Kathy is a wonderful teacher and I looked forward to seeing her smiling face. They offer a wide variety of classes and services for the public. I have taken several computer classes, an introduction to coding class, a cupcake decorating and a dessert class. I have also attended a preschool play group. The main floor features books, cds and dvds for adults. It also has a used book store that I check out regularly for unbelievable bargains. Every Christmas I do an advent tower of books (instead of a calendar) for my friend's little girls. They love unwrapping a book every day until Christmas. Purchasing quite a few of the books there helps keep my costs low for this tradition. There is also a cafe with baked goods, sandwiches, coffee and tea. There are plenty of computers for public use on each floor and help is readily available when needed.The lines are never very long at the numerous check out areas and they have some very practical options for busy patrons. I typically browse the catalog online at home and make my requests via computer allowing me to choose books from libraries all over the Capital region. I check my account regularly and often just run in, return books I have finished and pick up a stack of requested material they have gathered for me. The staff is very friendly and efficient. They make the use of the facilities very convenient. The lower level houses the children's selections, a playroom and story rooms. There are special holiday events , kids classes and so many wonderful activities hosted here. An events calendar is available in print at the facility and online on the website. The upper level has reference materials, plenty of study areas and the computer classroom complete with a 3D printer that can be hired out for projects. Parking can sometimes be difficult, particularly on the weekends or holidays and that keeps them from earning a 5th star. There is truly something for everyone here and I encourage you to visit and/or check out the numerous possibilities thru the website.

This is a beautiful Carnegie library that has been recently restored. The staff is friendly and my…read moredaughter (4) loves it here!

I feel like this library is over policed by the librarians. When I need a library I try to avoid…read morethis one. The newness is nice but the ladies that work here are annoying. I was working on my thesis and a custodian knocked on my table for me to turn my music down. I informed him that they were loud because all of the people there were talking. I kept working but shouldn't he have said something to the people who were distracting me in the first place? Perhaps, he should've stayed in his lane. I swear I hate that I pay taxes in this community. I seriously rather drive an hour to albany for a place to work. Oh and you can't drink coffee here a major blow for me especially during finals.

Great library, the staff is very helpful…read more Ty. Eric. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Awesome large library with tons of programming! Loads available for everyone. Teens have their own…read moreroom. Littles have a whole play area, story time packs, scavenger hunts (an easy and harder level), coloring, puzzle areas (both for adults and younger kids), computers, activity booklets (one on anti-bullying another on Dr.Seuss atm). There is a conference room at the front where they host events, and have art displayed on the walls. There are loads of staff available to help and something for everyone. Truly a gem of a resource for the area and an easy place to spend two hours (or more)!

A fun, exciting, and vibrant library in Colonie, Albany County. Always a great resource to help the…read morecommunity.

I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and any times politicians needed money, they cut funding to libraries…read morebecause who needs to read, right? When I moved up to Clifton Park in 2018, I discovered this beautiful library and fell in love with it. Wonderful people, great events, very community minded. Thid library is, in a long life of reading, my favorite.

If not the Granddaddy of area libraries, this is at least the All-Star, with capacious reading…read moreareas, triple height ceilings opening up to views of the adjacent woods, and the best children's room in the Tri-State area. The collection actually isn't bigger than Schenectady's main branch, but the modern layout and extra air make it an extremely pleasant alternative. The main "criticism" (please note the quotation marks) is that by choosing a central location -- as in, smack dab in the geographic middle of the county -- it's not quick to get there. It is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, adjacent to a few older houses and not in a civic center. This makes accessing it by foot impossible, and by public transportation a chimerical experience. It's a heavily suburbanized concept, and one done at the expense of having several satellite libraries in many communities. That said, the flipside is that the library is able to keep extremely good hours relative to the financially-strapped libraries in most of the state. 9-9 weekdays, except 9-6 Friday; 9-5 Saturday; noon to 5 Sunday. They have a double-staffed reference desk and as many as four lines open at circulation, although no self-serve checkout as yet. Borrowing privileges are extended to other libraries in SALS, and cards are issued with some restrictions to most residents of the whole regions. They do honor Schenectady County cards as well. Any book borrowed from SALS or the Mohawk Valley Library System can be returned here as well, or books from this library can be returned to another member library. There are some byzantine requirements for some borrowing so it's best to ask a staffer and bring your local library card if you're coming from out of the County. For a few hours', or at least several intense minutes', entertainment, stop and try to find the opening lines of books on the sculpture just outside the entrance, and see if you can conjure up which titles they belong to. Very classy and the library uses it as its logo/icon, deservedly so. Don't neglect looking at the Free Book carousel near the exit, it rotates from books they get as donations that they can't sell, and it often has perfectly decent titles. Free open Wifi, with the usual caveats, but it seems fairly safe. My ideal library is in walking distance and has a lot of other amenities and businesses nearby and more outdoor space and maybe a little café adjacent, and has those spacious ceilings but is an old-school building, but you can't have everything, unless you live in Berkeley. If you take it against suburban libraries, hard to find better. And worth a special trip if you're a library devotee.

The help that works there is extremely nice and they go out of their way to find something for you…read more Another thing they are always having things going on like last night they had a movie they're always thinking of something to keep people busy with and they extremely care about children activities.

Not a good place if you need a quiet environment to study. I have come here daily to study for my…read moreNational Board exams coming up as I was hoping this would be a good place to have peace and quiet to concentrate and get into the testing mindset. That is not at all the case. There are loud conversations by staff and visitors and no one cares to enforce the quiet rules. I even reserved a study room and there were still loud conversations I could hear through my headphones. There are also people that just come in to wait for the bus, loitering, and have this as their meeting place for many things. They sit at the tables and talk with no intention of using the library for its actual use. Even though it is a public place there needs to be better security of noise levels and using the library for its intended use. Maybe enforce group study rooms, silent rooms, private rooms, etc. Staff is very friendly, welcoming, and helpful. I just wish it were a quieter, peaceful environment. Great place to come in, grab a book, and leave.

Hello, former librarian here who loves libraries! I often try to seek out a library to visit when I…read moretravel. I noticed that this branch of the Troy Public Library was near the area I was exploring, so I walked in and was surprised at the historic building - it's very unique, but a bit crowded. I was greeted right away by friendly and smiling librarians - love that. I had fun looking at the new books section, and I did use the restroom (you need a key from the desk to access it). This library doesn't seem like a spot you could really hang out and work or read for hours, but it had a good selection of new books and a small children's area.

This building is beautiful, and there is a great history about it on the library's Wikipedia page…read more Unfortunately, the day I visited, some work has been going on outside, so the exterior isn't quite visible at the moment. But the interior is quite interesting, even better that it's a library! It might take a nice stroll through to get the lay of the land. Rest rooms might be a bottleneck, some of the ones on the upper floor are currently closed, and you need the key from the front desk to use the ones on the ground floor. I'm also very glad that this library is part of my local library system. As much as I enjoy going to the library in my town, I'd certainly make the trip over to Troy to read and do stuff here.

The library is better than my expectations! The interior is very nice and clean, also quiet enough…read morefor me to study here since my house is in construction. Besides the reading area, there are comfy leather couches to relax! You can also view the trees outside through those windows. Moreover, it opens until 8pm in ALL weekdays including Friday, unlike many other libraries, which is super convenient! Generally it's a good place to whether work or study!

I take my kids to a local library at least once a week. We started going to this library a few…read moreweeks ago and it has quickly become our favorite. My kids love the children's section. It is bright yet cozy and the book selection is great. We've discovered many new titles just browsing here. There are numerous comfortable chairs and nooks to read in. One unique offering at this library is that they rent out Nordic cake pans in all different shapes, themes, and sizes. What a neat idea! Who wants to store a cake pan that you only use for one holiday? Now you can rent it. I haven't tried it yet but love the idea. This library also loans out passes to local museums and we recently checked one out to go to CMOST for free. There were passes available for almost all of the local museums. I also appreciate that this library has spacious family restrooms with changing tables.

They recently remodeled this library to reduce noise. Well, ladies, no amount of remodeling will…read morereduce noise if you speak alta voce at the circulation desk and laugh like school girls. Could we return to a time when librarians spoke quietly and shushed loud talkers? I'm not even 50 yet but I remember the good ole days.