Library Free Public

I did a round of library visits today, on the hunt for some dvds. This is the next closest library to the one I visited in Paterson, so I figured I’d stop in. This library seems fairly sprawling, taking up a lot more space than most of the other local branches. You’d think that would indicate a wider selection, and maybe that’s the case in the sections I didn’t see.
My main complaint about this library is that they make it really hard to find what you’re looking for in the strange guise of making it ‘easier’. For instance, They have a section for Fantasy, a section for Mystery, a section for Science Fiction, a section for Fiction, a section for Westerns, and a section for Young Adult Fiction. Which means if you’re looking for a genre-​crossing title, you’ve got a lot of places to look. Also, there is no specific section for romance. As an example, I was looking for a romance by Sandra Hill who likes to write time-​travel fiction about navy seals and vikings (don’t ask). I finally found the title in the Mystery section with a label on the spine indicating that it was Fantasy.
Clifton’s library DOES have a selection of DVDs and quite a few TV series on dvd, but overall, their selection is underwhelming. They also have a ‘new media’ shelf which I was hoping would have some new DVD releases. No such luck. This shelf housed titles like «Van Helsing» and «Rambo». I guess ‘new media’ means new to the library. On the other hand, if you’re looking for VHS tapes, this place has a room packed floor-​to-​ceiling with cassettes. If you’re looking for older titles, you might just have luck here.
The librarians are helpful, but not terribly friendly. At one point a child wandered in to use the bathroom (He indicated that his father was waiting in the car outside). The librarians took great offense at his presence without an adult and told him to use the bathroom and leave immediately. Ultimately, this creates a quiet environment, if not entirely welcoming.