A quaint lovely library in downtown Martinez! Love going there with my son! They are open late, til 8 on Tuesdays. Great walk around downtown! read more

Nice and cozy little library with friendly staff. Gives the "old library" feel reminiscent of the libraries of my youth. Lacks the bells and whistles of the Pleasant Hill Library and the Walnut Creek Library but honestly, if you want to spend some time with your littles to really focus on studying, reading and sit down activities - - this branch is more conducive that as there are no outdoor spaces and lots of fancy toys to lure them away from "study" time. LOL. Love public libraries and general and I'm glad to find a hidden gem where we can have our child experience the classic "let's stay quiet and read" library feel. It's good to have a variety for our littles. And yes, the Stuffie Summer Camp is 100% - - Whoever thought of that is *chef's kiss* read more

Love bringing my toddler here! There are plenty of books placed at her height level. There's a nook with puzzles, games, and a toddler friendly computer. read more

One of the first places I came when I moved to Martinez last August/Sept. It only took five minutes to get a card and they let you choose the one you want (mine was sea otters) and a ton of community pamphlets w/lots of info re classes, events, etc. It's a very small library but it's very clean, quiet, organized, with a water fountain, and clean restrooms downstairs by the little bookstore, my favorite part. Full of lots of great donated books/hidden treasures. I met some really cool and nice people there from volunteering there a couple of times..Nancy, the other Nancy, Helen, Irene, etc. I found that most people in Martinez are really warm & friendly in general. There is also a nice gated garden patio w/tables in the back if you want to read outside, as well as a bench in the front of the building + a ramp. read more

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I want to congratulate the staff of our local cozy library on all the updates they provided during the pandemic and for the services they gradually managed to resume. I also gather many of the staff volunteered in the city whilst on "furlough" so they should be credited for their dedication. I have always found the library sufficient for my needs and speedily ordered books for members when not on the shelves. The order ahead/ curbside pickup was amazing during such difficult times. THANK YOU Whilst all services cannot be resumed yet, I know they will as soon as feasible. This is a "Can Do" library I'm excited to go pick out some books today. I love that I can walk there ( I live downtown and the location makes sense as it is walkable, easy access by car and the buses stop right outside. THANK YOU LIBRARY EMPLOYEES. For keeping our library alive and well. A grateful library member read more

We are still loving the library. My son is a book-a-holic. I don't know what we would do without the library. The self check in and out is so awesome. Unless you get stuck behind some with a stack of books. My son loves helping scan the books under the laser. We haven't been to any events for kids yet. I'm not all that sure what the library was like before the remodel. I've also never been in any other part of the library other than the kids section. I really don't know what we would do without our local libraries. If you don't utilize them for your kids your are missing out. read more

A great library downtown! This was always my go-to spot as a kid for homework projects, and now it's a great place to visit for the occasional bag o' books sales, which they usually have in conjunction with other Downtown Martinez events like the Peddler's Faire. BF and I scored 2 paper grocery bags full of books, both hardcover and paperback, for $16, and the count at home showed 33 books. I don't even know if garage sales offer deals that good! This library is very clean and professionally run, and they also have a pretty decent DVD rental section - certainly more unique and classic offerings than you'll ever find in a Redbox kiosk. Expand your mind! read more

Disappointed with this library. The Main county courts can be located here but apparently a nice comfortable library is out of reach for this city. The type of library I would expect, however, from a city that becomes a ghost town in the evening. I mean can you imagine what the city would look like if the county offices and courts had not been placed there. Maybe no ones cares about the quality level of this library because most of the people walking around the downtown area are either obnoxious county workers and attorneys or trashy, overweight old people shopping at the antique stores. This library only has 2 self checkout machines and when i was there one of them become unresponsive. The Librarian I notified didn't seem to care that much and he made it sound like that particular checkout station had been unresponsive before. Not a comfortable library to sit around in or study in. Not many computers and most if not all are taken. You know a library is too small and cramped when you can accidently set off the sensors just by standing in front of the dvd shelf and taking a dvd off the shelf to look at it. The entrance sensors are way too close to the the dvd/audio cd shelves and bookshelves on the wall. I guess it would seem like a ok library for people that live near the downtown and just walk to it. If you are driving and coming from outside the city the parking situation is really annoying. Library parking can be hard to find and there may not be any opens spaces because the county offices and courts are right next to it. I had to park two blocks away one time. There is no designated library parking lot or designated spaces for library users. Additionally almost all the parking around there is parking is metered parking. You should not have to pay for parking in order to visit a public library. Again the location is responsible for this configurement, the city wants the people using the county offices and court systems to pay for parking so library users can get screwed over. It's way too much of a hassle for any library but especially a little dinky library like this one.The city should provide free designated spots and not make library users have to jostle for spots with attorneys and people using the court systems and offices. The city and county should have used more money on either remodeling the existing library or building a new one, preferably in a newer location. If the city actually cared about making the library more accessible they would relocate somewhere farther from the downtown and closer to highway 4 and the larger neighborhoods in the city (neighborhoods closer to the the walmart and the hidden lakes park for example). Even relocating it a few street over in or near the shoreline park would make a positive difference. I mean seriously how many people actually use this library and how many of them live farther away from the downtown. I have a suspicion that most of the richer people/families in martinez that live closer to pleasant hill( the virginia hills, hidden lakes area on the other side of the freeway) end up traveling to the pleasant hill library instead. read more

I love this little library; clean bathrooms!!!! The number of books is small, but if you have a title you can always order the book from another library in the system and it comes very quickly. The librarians there are very quick to help with anything you might need. There are lots of computers there too. The library is right across the street from the Courthouse in Martinez. I live in Martinez, but the city itself is quaint and I love it. The building is remodeled inside so everything is uptodate, clean and good chairs for sitting long periods if you desire to read the daily newspaper or a magazine or book. I love this little library, although there are things you need to go to the main library for in Pleasant Hill on Oak Park. read more

Started taking my son to the weekly story time and it has been awesome! He loves going and playing with other children and participating in the activities. The children's area on the main floor has lots of great books and puzzles. Although I haven't been to the outdoor reading area, I'm looking forward to trying it out. Definitely would recommend! read more

I spent a lot of time at this location years ago when I was unemployed and looking for work. I have NEVER been treated as well and with so much care and concern as I have been with the wonderful staff at the Martinez branch. The new library is amazing and from what I can tell from my visits-the high level of personal service still remains. Now if I could just get them to forgive my 1.25 overdue fine my world would be perfect!!!! read more

I went to the Martinez library every day and I would use the computer and the staff would harass a librarian Sandra and a blond heavy set woman who was very rude and Dennis who is very rude and impolite i have made multiple complaints against this place and the staff were not disciplined and they seem to target me and put there hand on me and squeezed my shoulder and have done this multiple times to day on 10/12/15 I was banned from the city library by Gail McPartland and even admit her staff laid hands on me and I would avoid the Martinez library go to the concord library instead and her what Gail said to me Dear Eli, To follow-up on our talk at the Martinez Library this morning, this message is to reconfirm you are suspended from using all Contra Costa County libraries for one (1) month. This suspension is a result of your threat to harm a library employee while at the Martinez Library on October 12, 2015. You may return to the library on November 13, 2015. If you choose to return then you are expected to adhere to all aspects of the Patron Conduct Policy up to and including following direction of library staff. In response to your email and as we discussed this morning, library staff is instructed to treat all interactions professionally and fairly. Library staff is instructed to not touch patrons or their belongings. As I said when you reported this to me, I am sorry you had a negative experience while at the library. In the course of our talk, you mentioned email messages to Library Administration that have not received a response. When we reviewed the email topics you confirmed you have received responses. read more

Beautiful remodel. Too bad the space is small. The people of Martinez deserve a good library. Kudos to the city for the revamp! The staff is very sweet. read more

I have not had many issues with the staff. I'm not fond of the layout. Having 4 kids from age 1-11 years old, it makes it tough to keep an eye on all of them. The play area or event area is downstairs, and the reading area/ homework area is upstairs. the bathroom is in the hall by the elevators. The family events start at 6pm. I told a staff member that it would be better if they started at 6:30pm or 7pm so that I have a chance to pick up my kids and feed then before the events. This library also closes earlier than the Concord Library does on Monday nights. I often feel rushed out after events, or rushed through getting our books. While I love the little reading nooks, and the reading garden, I can't help but feel there is something lacking. I have been hushed or asked to be quieter when I'm reading to my 4 & 1 year old or helping my older boys with their homework. I think that this library would do better by creating a more family friendly area. I will still go here from time to time because I want to support libraries and Martinez is our hometown, but I prefer the Concord Library. read more