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    Schenectady County Public Library

    4.5 (4 reviews)

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    2 years ago

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    13 years ago

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    12 years ago

    I come here a lot to use their computers take out movies its a good place. its great for everyone.

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    Schenectady County Public Library - Large, nice space

    Schenectady County Public Library

    (11 reviews)

    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.

    Clifton Park Halfmoon Public Library - The interior of the library.

    Clifton Park Halfmoon Public Library

    (14 reviews)

    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.

    Schenectady County Public Library - Niskayuna Branch - The children's section.

    Schenectady County Public Library - Niskayuna Branch

    (4 reviews)

    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.

    Schenectady County Public Library - libraries - Updated May 2026

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