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.

One of the clubs I am in rents this location a couple of times a year for our monthly meetings. It…read moreis a nice location, the rent is reasonable, and they provide plenty of chairs and tables. Sometimes we are here during dance class nights, or movie nights, which creates an odd situation as us grumpy old guys intermingle with high school students learning to foxtrot. A clash of cultures, so to speak. I have a couple of issues with the place, the biggest of which is that when it is dark outside it is hard to find the entrance. The center isn't on Route 9 directly, but off a side road. There is a sign, but it isn't very visible and I have driven past the place many times. Also, they are firm about being out by 9PM.

My child came down with the stomach bug and he was sent home from school on thursday. His drivers…read morecourse was supposed to be Saturday but they need a weeks notice to cancel and refund... well how an I supposed to know ahead of time that he's going to catch a bug that is in the news with how rampant it is in the area? I didn't even want a refund I just would like for him to be able to reschedule!

I drive about 30 minutes every time I visit this wonderful library, even though I pass by at least…read moretwo other libraries on the way. It's absolutely worth the drive! I really appreciate the peaceful and welcoming environment, the excellent management team, and the thoughtful overall layout of the library. It's a great place to study, focus, and get work done.

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.

Nice little library. The librarians are friendly, but holy smokes are they loud! Forget about…read morequietly reading or working here. I was forced to listen to all of the ebbs and flows and controversies of their work day. It is a small place so I expect to overhear conversations of nearby workers, but their voices are extremely loud.

People need to remember that library's are meant to be quiet places. We don't talk in our outside…read morevoice, we don't hang out in the stacks and have a loud conversation about local gossip and we don't talk on our phones. The librarians do nothing about it and are among the worst offenders. It's a small library with very few study tables and even fewer outlets. We can overlook that and the village is looking to remedy that. However, I'm not sure how they will remedy people's lack of consideration.

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.

This one is great for little kids! Story time every Tuesday is our favorite thing. There is a great…read moreplay kitchen and plenty of great books to choose from. The staff is very patient with all the littles that come through. We love our little library.

I have been to many different libraries over my 60+ years and I have to say one of my favorites…read more From the quaint outside to the equal welcoming inside. Sara Kipp and her staff are wonderful. Ask her anything and if she doesn't know (not to often) she will do her best to find out. Offering different programs for all ages or a quiet place to do some work and most of all great conversation. It is a must stop in you are in the area.

From the owner: Provide access to everything and anything…read more Like: books, movies, magazines, resumes, newspapers, information, programming, computers, neighbors, history, tool kits, crafters, friends, volunteers...

Wonderful, friendly, helpful librararians can get you whatever you need. Nice children's library…read more Be sure to check out the Williamstown Historical Museum in the back of the library.

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.

What a lovely library! Not the typical library from when I was a kid in NYC. This one has high…read moreceilings, lots of light and tons of space. Children's area is separate and colorful, the computer lab area seems to be well-kept and there are comfortable chairs here and there. Obviously, plenty of books to keep one occupied. Upon entering, it was comfortably air conditioned on a warm evening. Bathroom was cleaner than expected. Vibe was quiet-ish...but still noisier than libraries of my youth. Nobody was "sushing" anyone.

This review is for the "branch", not the county library system as a whole, and is relative to…read morepublic libraries in general. It's a medium-sized downtown branch and the flagship of the county library system, housed in a somewhat dreary and dated 1970s building that suffers from the nadir of institutional architecture. The new addition is supposed to open later this year and should make for a much nicer children's department and open up more space in front for adult readers. In the meantime the building is a bit depressing to linger in, and does not have a lot of the comforting aspects for the reader. The construction project has no doubt not helped. Free parking just next to the library, and it's in a neat downtown location across from city hall and catty-corner to the Jay walk. The collection is decent for a public library - not "downtown" quality, if you will, but as a very large library for a city this size and for a relatively small county, it's pretty nice. The county library system in general seems to function well (we've come from another part of the county so have some points of reference), and the staff are very nice and helpful. The collection does seem to be in need of sprucing up -- culling a number of older titles and adding new books more quickly. The computer facilities are below average, but they are entering the age of loaning e-books so I suspect this is a function of budget and not managerial foot-dragging. In any event it's a mixed bag with respect to ability to use the library for research as a whole. I'm a little torn as for rating this, since I can't quite give it five stars -- I've seen five-star public libraries and this is not one of them -- but in terms of patron service I think they're doing better than average for the country as a whole. Can you compare them to the brand new libraries in Saratoga County? Or do you compare it to the storefront library branches in the same county? Or to the smaller but swankier libraries in the towns in the same county system? I honestly don't know, but my sense is that the sheer (relative) size of the collection and the vigor with which it survives in a shrunken user base merits the fourth star. They're adding on: they're moving forward - full credit here where credit is due. For public institutions to actually expand in this day and age means there's something worth paying attention to about this place. That said, it is not a "destination" library, like, say, the Carnegie in Pittsburgh PA or the main branch in Berkeley CA, et alia - it's not the kind of library you'd go out of your way to visit if you were coming from out of town. It's an old armchair that's probably far more comfortable for its affable familiarity than it is for its design. Great to have for locals who can appreciate it. The attention of readers everywhere, however, should be drawn to the Whitney Book Corner, just down the street at 600 Union, which is the used bookstore operated by the Friends of the Schenectady County Library, which is really quite something and which we'll review separately now that there's a Yelp entry for it.