Burbank Public Library – Northwest Branch

This library is next to the Ralph Foy Park. There’s plenty of inside parking shared with park. Street parking along Victory is also allowed although limited to 2 hours on weekdays.
I love that this library is walking distance from my place. It’s the smallest branch among the three public libraries in Burbank so reading materials, videos, computers are very limited. It’s like a bachelor pad where you can see all areas from every corner. A restroom is also provided but since area is so small, you can hear the flushing/​dripping of water and whatever activities that should be kept private. Air conditioning is awesome especially during summer. You will actually need a sweater or blanket to keep you warm. The hours are very limited, too. They are open only weekdays from ¹²⁄₆ pm.
In spite of all things mentioned above, I still prefer coming here. The librarians are all friendly and very accommodating with any of your inquiries. If a certain material is not available in this branch, you can request for a transfer and the friendly staff gives you a courtesy call that the item is ready for pick up. I find it also convenient to drop off any borrowed materials from any branch at this location even on non-​business days or hours.

This is a small but mighty branch of the Burbank library system. The location is clean and bright.
Like there other branches, they have a neat self checkout kiosk. Just scan your card using the red scanner beam, entre your pin, and place the materials on top of the grey square area. All materials are tagged. The kiosk understands right away what you are checking out. Great system!
But the only drawback is that it is not open on the weekends.

Cute, small library. Plenty of parking. I actually parked next to a guy who seemed to be on his lunch break, napping in his car (i get it, i’ve done it too); I note this because the area was serene and nap-​worthy, with sounds of gleeful kids playing at the playground in the same lot.
I went here to do some work on my laptop, so wifi was necessary. There were about seven (dining room size) tables for working. I wasnt bothered by the close proximity, and was actually comfortable. Because the venue is small, you hear everything going on for the most part, but it wasnt too distracting. There were several librarians and they all seemed very helpful to the people who came in for assistance. It was freezing inside, but not atypical for a library (always bring a sweater!).
I feel like this library is known for the art piece out front — the two colorful heads. They were cool.
Worth a visit.

How does one really review a library?? First bonus of the day. it’s about 67 degrees inside and 105 outside. Nothing like AC on a hot summer day.
There is a large section for kids. Summer reading program. Hundreds if not thousands of DVD rentals. There’s a young adult section. Adult section is on the other side of the library. They have computers and free WiFi. It’s clean and quiet.
They don’t have a lot of books here but they are linked up with the other two libraries in Burbank. They offer a hold program for popular requests whether books, cds our dvds. They can also hold a book from another library or have it transferred over (by request).
The staff is friendly and helpful. No matter how many times I go I still fumble through the computerized «card catalog». I’ve found it’s just easier to have them help me rather than figure out the computer although i am getting better at it.
Even though I live right across the street c in general I’ll go to the Buena Vista branch before here just because more likely than not what I want is there and not here. Again it’s not too say this isn’t a good library. It just depends on your needs. Still glad they are here and tax dollars are working.
My biggest tip.. come in and rent dvds and cds. There’s a huge selection. Your dollars go back to our kids rather than some corporate greed. You’d be surprised how many great choices there are here.

I am very happy to live so close to two libraries. This one is the closer of the two. But equally convenient is the great service from the library staff.
So far, everyone is super helpful. Yes, it’s a small library and yes, the selection of books is a bit dated and limited. But they have a little of everything, and in the end if you are looking for a special book or DVD, you can locate it online. They also provide special events for families and computers.
I have always supported my neighborhood library, every community needs one.

This library was just remodeled with new carpet and looks pretty clean. It has a small kids area and all in all is a pretty small but nice library. If you don’t see what you want there you can have them call the other branches and if they have it they can transfer it for you. There is a small park outside of this library and it has a nice big grassy area for the kids to run around on.

I use to work around the corner on North Hollywood Way. Not exactly on the corner like a common prostitute (as all prostitutes are common) but at the ol’ 4MC post digital building. So this was my go-​to library to read on the hard benches before I went into work.
My sked was usually:
I’d go to Hometown Buffet and stuff my stupid face with crap and read a book in the park that lies behind this building until I fell asleep before work. The late afternoon shift lent itself to this behavior. And thus, I became an inexplicable statue to the park as abstract as the one that graces their lawn now. One disadvantage if you look like me (a dirty filthy sherpa scruff’d khan), you may come off as a pedophile sleeping so close to the playground. So, I implore your honest assessment of your appearance before posting up in the park (since the benches closest the playground are the most comfortable). For me, and my wild fascination with serial killer tomes, this was an added watch-​list scenario.
I like this library because their wi-​fi is fast. That’s all I can comment on. The wi-​fi in the other L.A. branches are really slow. I’m wondering how many people are streaming illegal sports streams, as I intended to do.
Anyway, I’m using their wi-​fi now as I type this, so I’d be a total cock-​knocker if I didn’t give them props.
Come for the wi-​fi, stick around for the naps.

To me, authors are artists and books are pieces of art. Ergo, libraries are museums! Similar to museums, some are just better than others. I prefer the Burbank system to the LA system (although LA has more books, overall). How does the Northwest Branch fair to the Buena Vista and Central Libraries? Read on… (see what I did there?).
The Northwest Branch of the Burbank system is located next to a park (in fact, they share a parking lot), giving the library a sort of school-​like atmosphere with a playground nearby. This feeling bleeds through to the actual structure of the building which resembles a one-​room school house. It isn’t that the Northwest Branch is ’”tiny” per se, but it is one large room without nooks, crannies, or various aisle ways so it feels a bit odd and claustrophobic. At the same time, I suppose this allows parents to keep an eye on their children across the room. The one-​room blueprint is so awkward that restrooms are near enough that one can hear what is going on inside while browsing books. Not particularly what I want to hear while in a library!
So, what about the books? That is the main concern of a library, right? The Northwest Branch has a very limited selection in terms of books. The nonfiction and fiction is in the same area and if you browse the online card catalog, barely any of the Burbank books are at the Northwest Branch. On the other hand, the new book selection is large here, as are the DVDs (although the DVD shelves are low and make you bend your neck in a painful way. It is ideal if you are 5 years old).
The Northwest Branch doesn’t accommodate to those who work jobs during the week. They are open only 6 hours a day (12 – 6) and are closed on weekends. Therefore, if you live in the neighborhood but have a 9 – 5, you will more than likely have to go to the other Burbank libraries (which are open generally until 9pm!). Not sure if this has to do with some sort of budget reasoning, but either way: it isn’t welcoming.
Are you seeking a nice, comfy chair to browse a few pages of the book you plan to get? You won’t find that at the Northwest Branch. How about group meeting/​study rooms? Nope, not here. You’ll have to go to the Buena Vista Branch for all of that.
All complaints aside, the Northwest Branch is very bright — and safe, as it was recently restructured to enhance its seismic integrity. Plus, this branch is by far the quietest. I am not a fan of children screaming in libraries or the constant clack of computer keyboards. This is a library in which people seem to uphold the low voice/​whispering rules. Also a positive? The books here are in decent shape without stains, tattered jackets, etc.
Overall, the Northwest Branch looks great but it is sort of «blah». Or perhaps this is because its big brother the Buena Vista Branch is AMAZING. The Northwest Branch isn’t bad if you want to try to make it during is sparse hours to grab a book but otherwise, check out the other branches.

Ribbon Cutting Today.
Openning Monday with new everything. Come by and check a book out, or movie, or CD.

It’s nice. Not as good as Buena Vista Branch, but let’s be real, it’s a library. Go inside, get your book on!
Probably the quietest of the 3 Burbank libraries, but Buena Vista is my home base. Librarians are professional and helpful, and the internet connnection is faster than the majority of L.A. libraries. Not as crowded as the downtown location, but it isn’t as big either.

Throwing in a vote for my favorite childhood library because I’ve borrowed almost everything here. All at the price of free dollars and free cents.
I spent my elementary school summers at their reading programs, writing bland book reports on wide-​ruled copy paper for 99cent face paint kits. There is only so much plot analysis you can fudge on a children’s book before it turns into an extended-​length synopsis. Adults don’t get it.
I read all of Beverly Cleary’s Ramona series here; left greasy fingerprints in Shel Silverstein’s work; scared myself at night with Alvin Schwartz’s «Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark» set; discovered an author with the same first name as me (Jean Auel); started buying my books thanks to Brian Jacques; read the pre-​Harry Potters (Diana Wynne Jones’ «The Chronicles of Chrestomanci»); snooped for the book that made my 3^rd grade teacher cry («Where the Red Fern Grows»); and found «Watership Down» before I realized, years later, that it was more than a book about rabbits.
My favorite section was/​is to the direct left of the check-​out counter, in the corner. Away from the kids playing on the other side, away from the smutty romance drivel, away from the people browsing music and NYT bestsellers and yadda yadda; right in the middle of the non-​fiction and biographical and the unpopular fiction was a gateway to a newer, better world. I’d gather all my books and spend the next hour turning crinkly dust jackets in satisfied silence.
Now, as a 22-​year old, sometimes I come back just to sit in that spot and forget all the real-​life arch nemeses.

Compared to the other two Burbank libraries this one is sub par. Their selection and hours are limited and there always seems to be very loud and bratty kids there with inattentive nannies. It always seems messy to me. The woman at the circulation desk isn’t the friendliest. I give it 3 stars because it is close to my house and easy to get in and out of if I have a hold. It’s also nice because you can drop off books from any of the libraries there so you don’t have to drive across town to the Central or Buena Vista branch.

Nice architecture. Parking lot to left side of bldg. One counterwoman was just unwelcoming, to the point of being bitchy. Show proof of residence, sign the form and you’re golden.
Hours are limited– M-​F 12 – 6, so go to Buena Vista if you want better access. This happens to be near my house.
I did get help from one librarian who was super helpful and showed me the new books on parenting in the kids’ section, as well as their usual place in the kids’ section.