I'm jealous of everyone who gets to grow up in the Rochester area with this library in their town! Don't get me wrong, I love love LOVE my local library that I grew up with, and I've definitely visited a ton of libraries throughout my lifetime, but Rochester puts most of those to shame (excluding those truly massive, major city libraries) with the sheer size, volume, organization, technology-forwardness that is contained within these walls, and I love it so much! As an adult living in Rochester, my experience with the library is probably a bit different than it would be as a kid, but I've been working hard to take advantage of all the Rochester has to offer me as much as I can! Naturally, I have a library card and check out books regularly from here. They have a great system of organization of their books in the building, so it's easy to browse my areas of interest (fiction, young adult, romance, etc. - all on the second floor) and their online system for you to check your account and peruse the entire catalog/place holds is also great! It could be a bit more user friendly, but it's overall really intuitive to navigate! I have yet to visit the Bookmobile, which a lot of books I typically want are located in, but placing a hold on books and getting texted when your holds are available for pickup has been so easy. You get to designate where you want to pick up your books and I have mine set to the library's drive thru and it might be my favorite thing that the library has to offer! The drive thru is set up SO nicely. I've come here with random people in my car as well and they always remark on this too as a unique feature that not many libraries have to offer. To pick up books, I'll buzz in to the circulation desk and someone will come to the window to help me, but just to return books, there's an automated slot that opens when you hover a book near it, exposing a conveyor belt for you to place books on to return. The returns are processed basically immediately, so it's truly all so efficient, which I'm absolutely obsessed with! Not to mention, the library is located in such a beautiful area of downtown Rochester. There is a whole pathway that wraps around the back of the library and follows Paint Creek, which you can take into the heart of downtown or all the way to the municipal park. I've walked this path many times, and I always love the portion that passes by the library because the library has put all these informative / interactive signs up and has some seriously beautiful landscaping all around it for people to enjoy. The beautiful surroundings also make the library such an ideal place to STUDY because they have literal floor to ceiling glass windows that you can park yourself at a table in front of that look out into the trees. As an adult, I do try to find as many opportunities to come here to study or work as I can because I just want to utilize every excuse to come here. I love this library so much! read more

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This is a very nice and lovely library! It was clean, the staff was very helpful, and has just about everything you need education wise. Only thing I did not like, was the fact that you need a library card to do anything in there. To get a library card, you must be a resident of Rochester Hills. You can't even access the computers without a library card read more

Well organized and huge library ! Clean and well maintained interior and exterior Vast collection of kids books ! read more

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I have come here for over 15 years and I don't know who is in charge but the library has gone downhill. The study rooms are noisy and if you want quiet you have to leave not the ones making noise The librarians are rude The bathrooms are filthy Unbelievable.... read more

I love the library and come here as often as I can. Over the years I've grown fond of this place, even though it's not without it's flaws, which are few. For starters, its easy to get to with plenty of parking, and has a newly revamped book drive through! (no, you can't get fries with your books. I asked already. LOL) Anyways, I've never had a problem here, and usually find what I want. Staff is friendly, hours are decent, except for the fact that their closed on Sundays during the summer hours. Also, I've done several larger book donations here over the years, and their really good about it. Very helpful, and always give you a receipt. The wifi here is amazing! I like to bring my computer here for a change, and always am able to get on. Plenty of seating both large and small, so you can literally find a spot anywhere. All the seatings upstairs, which is nice as well. They even have a coffee vending machine when you walk in for quite cheap, which I do use from time to time when I need a little bit of a boost. My only complaint is that I can't say I have the easiest time finding books here. It's hard to explain, but I tend to not always find what I need where I need it, and often have to ask for assistance. I've never really had this problem before, but the set up is kind of confusing and maybe not totally in the right order. Also, sometimes they don't have what I want on the shelf, maybe because either there isn't a need for it, or they don't have enough copies. Overall I like it here, and will continue to return in the future. read more

Rochester Hills Public Library - Upstairs - Libraries Near Me - Rochester, Michigan

This library is my favorite! I've only come here to study and do homework, but I've never had a bad experience here. Pretty clean, has privacy cubbies (as an introvert it's a good way to body double without actually sitting next to anyone, although this applies to most places in public), and the atmosphere is nice. I've gotten so much work done, all you need is some headphones as it can get noisy at times. read more

In addition to it's usual "library" traits, this place also serves great as a quiet atmosphere for you to get some work done at. Sometimes just to get out of the house, I'll come here to the second story and do my work at one of the tables. They also have meeting rooms where you can work with a small group of people on whatever you need. A nice relaxing and quiet atmosphere is great for me when I just need to get some work done but don't want to stay at home. They do a great job keeping things clean and organized as well. read more

This place is why Blockbuster went out of business. The movie selection is exceptional! The collection of television series such as the Sopranos, Six Feet Under, etc lets me enjoy the entire season in a week of rental. If a movie is currently being rented, the online reservation service allows you to be notified when it is available. You can even pick it up at the drive up window. Quarterly the 'Friends of the Library' has a fabulous sale of used books. You can often find classics and new releases for $1. On the last day of the sale, an entire bag of books is $5! The library's website connects to really good article search engines. If you plan on going to do the library to do research, you can just as easily log in from home. This library also has normal library functions such as book rental, computers with internet access and community activities. What a great asset in my town. read more

I like studying at this library because their WiFi is great, parking is close, and it's clean! It usually becomes busy around noon, so if you prefer to sit alone in a small cubicle, I'd suggest getting there early. The carrels don't have outlets, but there's many on the walls plus the bigger sized tables have them too. If you have to really study, I wouldn't recommend this library because they don't have a quiet zone. People answer their phone calls (without whispering), children run around, and they have tutoring so there's lots of background noise going on. I'd recommend this library if you are just working on homework or a group project, etc., not for hard-core studying or test taking unless you have ear phones to block out the noise! read more

I stopped by for the Friends of the Library Booksale, but was quite impressed with the building. There were lots of families and old folks all around, and no discernible druggies or hobos, unlike certain other libraries. Also, the parking spaces are huge, like I could have almost fit 2 of my car in one space. As for the Friends Booksale, it is a good one, and totally worth a visit. The sale is held in a warehouse like room on the second floor. I was looking for Board books, and there were a bunch of good ones for 50 cents each. They do have a shelf in the front with "higher quality" books for $2-4, but what makes them higher quality, I couldn't tell. Otherwise hardcover books are $1 and paperbacks are 50 cents, and there were some real finds. One out of print book I have never been able to find even at John King's in Detroit. Also you're it's only a short drive down Rochester Road to Nino Salvaggio. Good work, Rochester Hills. read more

The Star of our city. There is not a book you can't find here..and if u need a just released volume or a vintage copy they get it for u. Reserve new DVD'S and they'll call u when it in or avaliable. There are free speakers, musical shows and educational programs The children's areas are unbelievable. Every age level has their own area. The addition construction is nearly complete for our drive up srevices. read more

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An impressive library with great staff. Much more than just a library - but also a community center with great programs for families and kids (Christmas trolley, story time, and other events for kids like the Harry Potter quidditch event) They have a great selection of: - books / magazines - CDs (good variety of music) - DVDs (amazing variety of movies and TV shows) read more

There's a reason this library wins awards. It's giant, with beautiful windows and views, lots of different reading areas, and a huge selection of books. It's usually bustling. I wish they had more study rooms, though they did add more recently, and their policies for signing them out are fairly reasonable. My biggest complaint? The bathrooms often smell kind of funky, especially the one downstairs. It seems like they may not have planned ventilation very well. That's not a problem if you're just popping in to get books, but for those of us there for extended study group sessions, it's unfortunate. read more

This library has so many good resources and programs. I have a young child and have enjoyed the story time and play area in the youth section. The selection of picture books is very good with new additions all the time. There are quarterly used book sales to help fund things at the library. They also offer quite the selection of electronic resources for music, movies and e-books. They have a newsletter that circulates for patrons to know what upcoming programs are on offer. read more

I've been coming to this library for as long as I can remember. It is a great community center for many that live in the Rochester area. I've had lots of fond memories attending their book club events, visiting book and gift shop sales, and gazing at their fish tanks as I pass by. This was a staple study place for me and my friends in high school and whenever I visited during college. There are private rooms on the second floor that can be booked if you need a quiet place to study. They're great for taking practice standardized tests in, although I probably wouldn't recommend it if you're claustrophobic as the space is tight. If you're feeling hungry or tired, there are a couple vending machines on the first floor that dispense snacks and coffee. I love that there are small alcoves on the edges of the bookshelves with tables for studying and natural light coming through the glass windows. You have a gorgeous view of the gardens from there and can see adorable dogs being walked by their owners. The gardens surrounding the library are beautiful and well-maintained. I took my senior photos here and have seen many photographers take graduation and engagement pictures in the area. The sidewalks leading out of the library lend for easy access to the rest of downtown and surrounding nature trails and parks. Easily one of my favorite places in Rochester. read more

Great library! Friendly staff, love the children's area as its secluded and spacious with lots of books and a little play area. Lots of quiet areas to sit and relax and I love the magazine lounge! Easy to navigate and browse to find what I need. There is a large DVD selection to choose from and its recently renovated. Easy parking and inviting lobby. read more

I've been coming to this library for years! I've always loved everything about it but lately it's been more and more evident the reason for my complaint. The night/evening employees have been nothing but rude to me & whoever I come with every single time. You ask them how they're doing to make conversation & they sigh and give you an attitude the whole time. I'm also heavily pregnant and got chastised for not having my mask over my nose for literally less than a minute to the point where my hand was still ON my mask because I just needed to take a deep breath since pregnancy makes you run out of breath easily. What caught me off guard was how rude the lady was in telling me, with such an attitude even though me & my companion were literally the only 2 people on the first floor. I guess pregnancy isn't even an excuse to be able to take a breath in this place. All the night people were extremely rude and I wish I could say I will not being back but I actually like the actual place, hopefully they can get their attitudes checked. read more

Libraries are amazing it encourages children to learn read and the staff is very friendly and willing to help anyone and everyone to succeed in finding what they're looking for read more

Really one of the best libraries in the area. I guess I like how they take care of my children. They have an exccellent children's area, where they will often have a retired teacher from the local school district reading stories to the younger members of the community. It also sits on a gorgeous piece of property! read more

I do not think people appreciate what this place has to offer or how nice it is to spend time here. They have great kids area, great open/public spaces, and all types of offerings. People think of a library as 'books' or a place to study...I go here to have an alternative spot to sitting in my home office, or as a place to read / look for information. They have wifi to keep connected, and electronic access to many free (and good) magazines and music for members. It is bright inside and the people are helpful. Lucky to have this part of our community. read more

Beautiful well equipped library but the staff needs training in dealing with the public. Every time I come here, I get talked down to by the snooty staff. They are not any better than the rest of us. If you don't like your job, please leave. Called again today and got yet another snarky employee. No more millage increase votes for me until they replace or train the staff. I don't need to be talked down to. read more

All around library: beautiful building, amazing content, kind and great staff! It is always a pleasure to visit this library. read more

A fantastic library for a small town Rochester. This library has everything one could want; it has books, magazines, audio/video, computers for Internet access, private rooms for studying, and a fabulous kids area. They also offer great events throughout the year like meeting authors, childrens readings, and my personal favorite Christmas trolley with games and snacks inside. Come visit and leave with a smile! read more

My gf is a book worm. We come here a lot to get her more and more books. We even rent movies sometimes. It's very close to where we live so we sometimes walk or ride our bikes to here. read more

This is a great library overall. Great books, videos, kid area. My biggest complaint, and it's a big one, is that the bathrooms are always disgusting! All of the bathrooms not just the two located in the kid area. I have been a member of this library since March 2013 and every single time we are here they are gross. Poorly stocked, wet, and smelly. Last time we visited I brought it to the librarian's attention, and she said it was probably just a dirty diaper, and went about her day. Gross! Lake Orion library is much cleaner. I hope they can figure out a solution before flu season. Yuck! read more

This is my favorite place in town. The numerous events they put on, the numerous routes to access their inventory, their HUGE stock, i just love it here. It's a cool place to chill, especially outside in their garden on a nice sunny day. Sit here and read a book, walk downtown to Sanders for a shake and then lay down in the library's grass. That's true peace. And i really love how large their international section is, I watch a lot of foreign films and I'm pleasantly surprised every time I go in, with how much I walk out with. I think that's the mark of a good library, one that caters to everyone in the community. Their anime and manga selection is also enormous, I can't be more grateful. I rent movies here so often, it's ridiculous. I almost always have a huge stack on my table. This library is just huge! Every section is huge, which is amazing when I want to check out astronomy books, I have my pick of what topic within that field. It's just so nice to have that opportunity. It makes me want to do whatever I can to keep this place at its current level because right now, it's pretty epic. read more

i agree with the other reviews that this library has a great selection and their kid's room is fabulous. however, a good portion of the staff is rude. flat out snooty and rude. read more

The Rochester Hills Public Library is truly amazing. The children's department is constantly having activities for the kids. There is a relatively large dvd collection, large print collection, cd and audio book collection, and racks of magazines. The library hosts ESL conversational groups and reading groups, and numerous lectures and events. It's a very active, very popular library. read more