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 Scotia Library is easy to spot as you pass by Collins Park on Mohawk Avenue. (Especially in the…read morespring and summer when the flower garden is a popping!) Housed in the Abraham Glen House, which was built in the 1730s and a part of the National Register of Historic Places, this local gem went through a restoration in recent years. Schenectady County made sure historic renovation standards were met during design and execution of the renovation, which included a new addition providing space for community programs and events, as well as restroom, sidewalk and curb updates improving accessibility for visitors. The staff of the Scotia branch of the SCPL system is wonderful! The librarians are always incredibly kind - a truly warm and welcoming bunch. In my visits over the years, I have witness dozens of exchanges with patrons and community members and have been impressed with the interactions I've seen - full of knowledge sharing, question answering, resource finding, and all with a heavy dose of genuine human connection. I often find something new to appreciate during my visits to the Scotia library. Most recently, I enjoyed walking through local students' art that was on display and taking a stop at the jigsaw puzzle table, fit with a sign explaining the benefits of puzzling and encouraging patrons to take a break to put some pieces together during their visit. Though this is a smaller branch, it has a decent collection of reading materials to choose from the shelves. (If you ask me, though, the magic of any county library system is the ability to request from other branches and have them delivered to your local library for future pick-up.) The bulletin boards and announcement flyers are always displaying upcoming events in the library system and the community as a whole.

This review for the Scotia branch. This very tiny and cute branch library sits in an historic…read morebuilding, which was a private home from the early 18th century until the early 20th. It may be, as far as we can tell, the oldest library building in the state (dating to 1707 - the sign in front saying 1730 is inaccurate) - possibly the whole country. When it was converted into the Scotia Library in the 1920s, the librarian's family lived upstairs for decades, until it was converted into a small community/reading room after being absorbed into the Schenectady County system; it is now inaccessible because of safety and capacity concerns. Unfortunately the medieval basement, with its many odd additions and nooks and crannies, is also not open to the public, but if you ever get a chance for a tour, seize it. Because it's an old house dating back practically to the Dutch period that has had numerous alterations and renovations (there was once an attached small dairy barn), the layout is idiosyncratic. There's a reading nook opposite the circulation desk, and to get to the children's room in the back you have to meander through four different rooms. It lacks a bit of lounge space, and has only two computers for public access to both the catalog and internet resources. That said, there's a comfy and cozy vibe to the place the library patron may well find pleasing on uncrowded days, and the tiny collection does try to address general readership. The branch has suffered from funding issues, although it's still open five days a week (closed Wednesdays and Sundays), most days are only part-time. Check out the Schenectady County Public Library website (scpl.org) for current hours. You can still get interlibrary loan from any branch and return items from other branches here. I will add there's a huge advantage to patronizing this library for families: it's adjacent to Collins Park, with its large fields, lake (although the swim beach seems to be permanently closed for undisclosed reasons), and playground equipment and sports courts, and across the street from that is Jumpin' Jacks Drivein, for your summer gross fast food eating pleasure. Right now they're tearing up the roadbed on one of the Freeman's Road bridge spans across the Mohawk for replacement, so there's a whole string of cheap entertainment for the younger set right now. There's also a Dunkin Donuts right across the road from the library, although it requires navigating a somewhat weird crosswalk setup to get there, it can be done without reparking the car.

A fantastic public library. Spacious, with a huge selection of books for adults, children and young…read moreadults as well as dvds, magazines and plenty more. The library is clean and welcoming with lots of tables and seating for reading. The staff is friendly and efficient. So grateful to have such an amazing public space in the area!

This is definitely the best library branch in Albany. The staff is nice and helpful and it's bright…read moreand clean here all the time. I feel safe at this library. I book the study rooms all the time.

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.

The Niskayuna Branch of the Schenectady library system is closest to my home. I use it regularly…read moreto pick up books I have "ordered" through the excellent online ordering system. Also, I return books there either inside or in a bin outside if the library is it is not open. The staff are pleasant, efficient, knowledgeable, and pleased to assist. Pluses: There is/are A children's area complete with tables A few computers Chairs scattered around to sit if wanted A copy machine that always works it seems A community room that can be reserved if wanted A bathroom that is always clean Ample parking A ramp near the handicapped parking that leads to the entrance No late fees The grounds of the library are maintained nicely by volunteers who weed and plant seasonal plants. There is a short trail near the edge of the parking lot where you can walk, observe birds, and chill. The branch receives heavy use and is appreciated by residents.

This is the Niskayuna branch library of the Schenectady County Library system, located on Nott…read moreStreet just across from City Hall. Since this is a first review, I'll cover the basics. This branch is on the small side, but is a nice modern building of very recent vintage. They've got better than average hours and very helpful and courteous staff. We've been to the kid storytimes a few times, which I have to report are somewhat below average for the genre. There's a big community room in the back, which is where meetings and story times are held. The children's section is nice and large, and there are toys to play with, a nice seating area, and a separate juvenile reference section. There's no "sound segregation" between the kids' section of the library from the rest of the library, so unfortunately the kids have to be quiet, relatively speaking, even though they're off on one side. The adult collections are what I'd call popular adult-circulating. The collection of books in general is very much on the old side - browsing both non-fiction and fiction sections I have found it a bit stale, although many libraries have had challenging times for new acquisitions of late. But they do try to keep the popular bestseller-type-stuff on the shelves and they have an assortment of DVDs and CDs and so forth. I don't generally use the library for the latter but one appreciates the effort they make in keeping all forms of media fresh. There is public internet access, but a county library card is required, you must reserve a session, they're timed, and there's filtering software. There are a few computers dedicated just for library catalog access, which tend to be the ones we use. It's thin for any kind of research, including somewhat regrettably local history. For that you have to go to the downtown branch in Schenectady across from city hall. One feature to note: outside in the parking lot is the entrance to a short walk through a marshy woods - takes less than five minutes to walk, and it's a nice little tromp. There's no play structure at this library (they don't seem to have discovered this serendipity of architecture in New York, that we can see) but there are some benches in the back the younger set can climb over. All in all, a very homey and welcoming, if small, branch.

This is an amazing library with tons of resources for people of all ages and abilities! It was such…read morea fun welcoming experience! Loads of programming and activities for kids. A quiet playroom for younger ones, computers for older kiddos, a scavenger hunt, large fish tank, coloring pages. I mean there is so much for kids to do here! Easily spent two hours here without any kids (inc a 20 month old) getting bored and without sitting reading together (as crazy as that sounds lol). If my youngest didn't get tuckered out by the fun we easily could have stayed another 45 mins if we did pick books and snuggle up. The adult section had loads of meeting rooms, quiet nooks, large windows to sit by, and tons of variety to choose from. Video games, movies, music, and books of all sorts! Truly a gem to the area. We can't wait to come back.

Love this place & the renovation made it that much better. The kids area is great and they always…read morehave fun activities planned. I love that they have virtual author speakers, too, and have watched several of them.

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.

The annual Festival of Trees is one of the nicest celebrations of the season! During the festival,…read more3,000+ visitors visit the this historic house to enjoy decorated displays of shimmering fir trees. All proceeds of the festival benefit the numerous programs and services provided by the SCHS. We came to see the many beautiful, clever, and thoughtful adorned trees decorated by local agencies, groups, and a few individuals. Each year we --children and adults --are delighted by the decorations. My grandson laughed at the upside down tree. Open through Sat. 12/27 but closed 12/24-26.

We really enjoyed The Festival of Trees here! I still miss the one they used to have at The Albany…read moreInstitute of Art. This was nice! It's the first time I've been here too. Even thought it's a small house they really packed a lot of trees in. A lot of them brought attention to good causes also.