What an absolutely beautiful library! This is by far the nicest library I've seen in San Diego or SD county. A real stunner. Highly recommended! read more

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The make it and take it for the kids today. They made slime....lots of kids participated......they were well organized and all the kids seemed to be having a good time....including my grandchildren. read more

This is such a clean and spacious library branch. The librarians are super helpful and kind, as are the library bookstore employees. It looks like they have a lot of great events as well. It does seem to be very popular, so the kids' section was pretty picked over in the summer, but I still found lots of great titles for my kids. read more

We were looking for a library open on Sunday. We thought this one worked with our card. Which is did not, but we just applied for a new one took only a few minutes. Was impressed immediately walking in as they had a great open courtyard with a cool grid that reflected on the ground. This would be a great event space. The library had high ceilings like skylights making it light and bright. Within 10 minutes my husband ( the avid book reader and curiosity seeker) found 3 books of interest. I was interested in the esthetics look of the place, the nice geometric carpeting. Lots of quiet work spaces and a very open design. The staff was very helpful, plus they had a seperate "friends of the library bookstore" with its own entrance outside the main library. Oh and a ton of DVD 's to check out. More then I've ever seen at a library. Wish some of that space went to CD's ( we are old achool). Now we have library to add to our location. read more

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Tell me you're not welcome at this location without actually saying it. I sat at a booth today to start working for maybe an hour oh but you can't do that at Poway lady comes up puts a sign saying this is reserved at 3pm. And all the tables were taken. Won't ever come back horrible parking by the way ugly library!! Rude people. read more

I love our library dearly. Everyone and I mean everyone there has been so helpful. Both men and women, sorry I don't know names. Even when my dog literally ate my book! No judgement/just them understanding, and the fee was appropriate. The services provided are so vast I could not believe. Thank you all so much for what you do for our community read more

I have been going to this library for years, stopped when living in the Bay Area and back again. It is a great library, gets pretty busy with small children. This is one of the libraries where I see more kids than adults, which is great, that means they do a lot of activities for them. I like their patio where they sometimes do performances of various types and during the summer was the epicenter of fresh fruits and vegetables distribution for all. That shaded area is a plus. Parking can be tough as it is very popular frequented library. read more

This library is not the closest one to my place. However. It really worth the drive ! It is perfect for little kids. They have activities on weekends and all staffs are super friendly. The library is big and bright. read more

Lots of comfortable seating options, clean, and spacious feeling especially in the morning. If you want to study or do work on a computer, it's also convenient for that. read more

This is another great branch of the County of San Diego Library. Situated in the heart of Poway in the Civic Center, the library is bright, airy and very nice to visit. Library staff are knowledgeable, friendly and helpful. We often stop here on shopping in Poway to picnic lunch on the grounds, which are well maintained. read more

COVID19 update: Some San Diego County Library (SDCL) branches, including this one in Poway, are now open for scheduled pickup only. All SDCL branches are NOT accepting item returns at this time. Earlier this week, staff at the Poway branch called me and left a message telling me they were open and I could schedule a pick up day/time for books that have been waiting for me since just before the library closed due to the pandemic. I called back and set a day/time to pick up my items. I parked in the nearly empty library parking lot and walked towards the main entrance. All of the book drops are covered since they cannot accept returns at this time. I assume this practice is intended to help ensure safety of staff and to prevent contamination at each library location. As you approach the entrance the ground is taped with several "X"marks spaced 6 feet apart so people in line can properly distance themselves. There is also signage outlining the "door-side service" process. The doors were closed when I arrived and It took me about a minute to get the attention of staff inside. The doors were opened to reveal a pair of 6 foot tables blocking the entryway. I confirmed I had an appointment and provided my last name. The items waiting for me were checked out to my account and all outstanding items were automatically renewed at this time. The librarian had my books already bagged in a plastic shopping bag and passed them across the table to me using a trash picker/grabber tool. I should note that There were a few people in the courtyard using the free library WiFi just outside the building and a security guard posted about 10 feet away from the entrance. Overall, it felt like a safe library pick up experience. Since I cannot check out anything new for now, I'll have my kids use "Overdrive," the library's free eBook and audiobook service this summer. read more

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Great library family friendly. Great variety of books and anything on your mind. Excellent staff.

This is just as it seems, a library. Pretty standard. Its a good sized library with tons of films on their shelves in their own area away from the books. The place has tall ceilings and feels like a grand place. The staff are courteous but checking out is a breeze with the automated kiosks. I love this library and use it anytime I need to get to a county branch. read more

Fun fact: there's a difference between the county library and public Iibrary. This library is the closest county one to central San Diego. The reason why the county libraries are so awesome is because with a county card, you can use the Libby app. The Libby app has a ton of audiobooks and digital downloads for borrow! Libby is compatible with Kindle. The public libraries online system is not compatible with kindle and doesn't have nearly the same selection. It's super easy to get a card here and very quick! read more

An excellent library that offer tons of space to study or relax. It does get quite busy and noisy with the majority of the children that visit. Be sure to bring ear plugs if you plan to get some work done. They now offer laptops to use. A use agreement is required with a valid ID. Tons of parking and the place is very clean/organized. I spent most of my college life here as they were open late. Thanks to the staff and taxpayers for providing this library and its resorces. read more

Since the only reason I subtracted a star originally was because this library was so dated, I'm upgrading to 5 stars. It has been recently remodeled and is very nice now: http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2015/dec/31/poway-library-remodel-makeover/ I see some people complain about noise - but I think the mission of a library has changed over the years. We can check out books online for reading on iPads and Kindles -- and a community library's true worth (in my ever-so-not-humble opinion) is to draw together the *community* ... which means there will be kids (and noise). I've also taken a yoga class in the community room - very pleasant environment with nice new carpet & a lot of windows. Good experience all the way around. read more

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Nice library, lots of reading material, the book I was looking for wasn't available, you can request the book from other libraries and get an email notice when the book is available. Computers to use and wi-fi, movies to rent, lots of seating areas , kids area, clean bathrooms and helpful staff. Nice courtyard outside with seating area. Convenient drive in book drop off Plenty of parking spaces. In case needed the police station is right in front and the skate park across the street. read more

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A very modern library with a great selection of movies! I know, I know, shame on me. I enjoy watching a movie here and there, instead of reading a book. Guilty. I have yet to check out a book here, but the interactions with the staff have been good, and I look forward to using more of the library's services this summer! Tip: If you're looking for a foreign film, they are categorized alphabetically by LANGUAGE first, and then alphabetically within each language. Super weird system, but just an fyi! read more

Poway Branch Library - Libraries Near Me - Poway, California

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Our favorite county library branch. We love all of the helpful librarians but Miss Loretta is the kid's' favorite. There are a lot of free resources for residents as well as fun family activities. There's always a fun take home for the crafts and they love playing on the computers or reading on the rug. read more

I gone back to going to libraries as ever since I moved...as it does kind of make me a bit sad that all I do is go straight onto the laptop as there is nothing else besides playing with the dog around the house. Long and behold though...there was the Poway Branch Library, less than 5 minutes away from me. Parking is no problem whenever I dropped by recently however I do quite dislike the long bumps there but I know they are there for good reason. The library has it's comfortable, quiet, alluring feeling when walking in. People all around, hidden behind the bookshelves, working on their own things type away or read away in their comfortable havens. Some visible, others only visible when you walk closer. There was a cutely decorated area for kids to play, while it eventually spans out to teenagers, then the more mixed genres - nonfiction, history, languages, fiction, etc. Logging online the library site was not quite so bad when looking for other books to order them to be delivered to your branch so you could check them out to read. You could do this on your computer/laptop on home too. Sadly though, there are still many books missing, but a library is a library! Checking out is also the simplest process ever. I liked it way more than the librarian checking it out. But to each their own. It is just really fast when you put the book on top of the desk and the screen detects it. And whoosh! You just have to click done and you get your receipt. Returning books besides dropping it outside in the return books, they also have one inside the library where you check the book(s) back in and you can get a receipt for it. Getting your own library card is quite simple too. Make sure to have your identification - driver's license/ID and also something addressed to you to prove your address if it has changed. Librarians were very helpful to provide information regarding fees, and other branch locations by providing me with a brochure. read more

Very nice library with polite librarians. They were helpful in getting me set up with a library card. All I needed was ID and a piece of mail with my name and address on it. They also helped me find a specific item I was looking for. The selection of books is great. The manga/anime area is a bit small, and the dvds selection is passable. You can always get online and request an item for pickup so this isn't a major downfall. They have a good amount of computers and plenty of little tables if you bring your own for wifi. Checkout was simple (although I wish the machine beeped or something to let you know it scanned properly) and we were out of there in no time. The parking lot is on the smaller side and it's behind the library. Overall I enjoyed coming here and I will probably be here a lot more in the future! read more

The new preschool playtime on fridays is awesome!!! Hands on open ended social learning!!! It is soooooo perfect for this age group. read more

Poway Branch Library - Libraries Near Me - Poway, California

I was suprised to see how much activity there was at this library on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in San Diego! With all the services and hours being reduced in the City of San Diego, fortunately you can rely on this County library for your public library needs! The library is large, clean, and the staff is friendly and helpful. Awesome!! read more

This is the best public library in the area. Helpful staff, access to wide variety of books through their online request/hold system, decent e-book selection, really nice community activities for kids and adults, large safe parking lot, nice sized study rooms, open long hours and across the courtyard there is a community center. Summer programs are very popular and can fill up that square courtyard. read more

Poway Branch Library - Children's area - Libraries Near Me - Poway, California

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This is really one of the nicest public libraries I've had the pleasure of using (the nicest one I've ever used was the Mountain View Public Library up in the Bay Area). This particular branch is larger than most of the branches in San Diego (county or city) with a nice selection of books and kid DVDs. I love the new fast checkout technology. Very handy. This branch is open for longer hours than many of the other branches and is always hosting fun events during the weekends. To be fair, I can only compare it to the Rancho Bernardo branch, the Carmel Mountain branch and the library in University City. This branch is better than all three of those. I love to see my tax dollars finally put to good use. read more

One of the best public library in San Diego county ....! Every day story time for babies and preschoolers..... read more

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i really like this library. it's clean and it looks like they just renovated the place. i know they've rearranged some tables / desk and the check in / check out station. i enjoy taking my daughter here for their baby / toddler events. They got this fish tank that my daughter loves looking at. There's a big cute colorful rug with fish. In the children section they have toys for kids to play with. This library is clean and spacious. they offer good events for children such as story time and music time! read more

I was originally going to give this library 3 stars, but over time I learned to love this library more and more as time went by. I have used it countless times to do a variety of tasks: print things, study, check out books, reserve study rooms for my tutoring sessions, and more. There's also a used bookstore but I haven't checked that out yet. I come here several times a week, and I swear this place increases my productivity tenfold. It does have its flaws, however. During certain hours of the day it can get really crowded and there are almost no tables left to sit and study, and it is therefore not the quietest library ever. It doesn't have every book that I want (specifically Battle Royale- still on the hunt for that book), it takes a while to arrive when I request a book it does have (even months at a time), and I am not particularly a fan of the Twilight poster that's hung out into the open. I also wish I could play online games here, but alas I can't because of some implemented security. However, as a whole, all of these issues are just me nitpicking and I really do love this library. Did I mention it has the coolest book checkout system ever? You literally just scan your card, place the books on a platform, and press the "done" button. There is never a line and it goes by so much faster than having a human librarian doing all of the work. Bonus points for opening early and closing late on given days. I don't see that much these days. read more

I like it here. I come quite often since I'm going to school online, and peace and quiet isn't available at home. thumbs up -- * longer hours than city libraries * plenty of desks / oversized chairs * free & fast wifi * clean * outlets on nearly every wall in the desk areas * generally quiet (give or take the hours when the local middle school lets out and feral children run rampant through the aisles) * good variety and selection in books * easy ordering system online * great advanced technology on the new check-out system * reasonable late fees * love their hold-system for requested books * great dvd selection * children's area is away from study zones * great Friends of the Library store (you can also request specific authors or books so they can keep an eye out for you) prices range from 50 cents to $4 * phenomenal Friends of the Library book sales every few months thumbs down -- * I hate the screeching sound the automatic doors make * some people can't park properly in the lot * the pre-teens chasing each other through the aisles read more

Nice open courtyard area outside with shaded tables. Hung out here while they were working on my car at Evans Tires next door. Been to the library a few times when I used to live in Poway. It's a nice library and lots of people use it. Open seven days a week. read more

A great place to sit and study, enough computers for use, kids section and pleasant employees. read more

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This library is clean, friendly and updated. They always have clean restrooms(Woman restroom experience only :)). Very friendly and helpful staff/volunteers. The checkin/out system in computerized and simple. The only critique I have is the organization of the early reader(childrens) audio books. They've mixed them with the paperbacks. I would prefer them to be separate. They do have a solid collection of graphic novels, which is just awesome for anyone trying to pull someone from an iPad to a book! Love the graphic novels! read more

Great place to go happy employees they help when needed 1st time going there, plan to take my kids often there the head Librarian must be great with the staff to be so well trained. read more

I always tend to find a good spot to study here on the weekends. My favorite seats are by the windows looking out into the library's amphitheater off of Poway Road. It's a small library but I've never seen it too packed. Rarely do I ever not get to have a seat at my favorite spots. I come here to study for CPA exams and it's pretty quiet, not much crazy people running around. It's a library obviously :) even if I move away from Poway, I would probably come to this library if I needed to study for other exams. It's close to good eateries like sushi, starbucks, jamba juice, yogurtland, five guys, so if you need a study break, they're close by! read more

This library has so much to offer. It's a pretty big library compared to many others in San Diego that I have been to. Some libraries creep me out, but for some reason, this library has a very relaxing and inviting feel to it. read more

Awesome library, good selection for the size and you can always request a book from another branch. Long live libraries!

Nice place, opens earlier than some of the other local libraries. Staff is so-so friendly. Resources seem plentiful. I came here for a quiet place to study, maybe not so quiet in the mornings. It's pretty loud from the preschool activities going on. Very loud. I would recommend reserving a quiet study room if they have one, away from the youth area. read more

Super nice staff. Recently moved to poway and I'm excited to start utilizing the library.

My favorite San Diego County Library. Can be a bit noisy as it's very open, but I like seeing children enjoying books and they have numerous quiet/study rooms available so it doesn't bother me. Staff are extremely friendly and helpful. Book selection is good and in addition, books may be requested from numerous other libraries both in San Diego County and across the state for no charge. Large collection of eBooks available through OverDrive. Bookstore operated by the Friends of the Poway Library is a hidden gem. A large variety of books ranging in price from 25 cents to a few dollars, plus DVD movies from $2 and magazines from 10 cents. They also take requests for books. Love both the Library and the Book Store. read more

It's a library so what do you expect??? But in all my travels around san diego I must say this is one of the best public libraries. It's never over crowded and they have free internet and wi-fi. Perfect place to bring your laptop and text books for a good study session and I love the private study room they have. My favorite part about all the san diego libraries is that you can request whatever you want and select which branch you want it delivered to. If they don't carry it just ask and they'll order it! The staff here is always so sweet and helpful especially the sweet little lady who reminds me of my grandma and always is wearing a long skirt! Feel horrible that I can't remember her name though..... :( read more