Kirkland Library

I like this library. It feels much cozier than the Redmond library. It is actually warm inside the library. I hate when I feel cold with my jacket off and studying. Also there is ample free parking.

It’s my ‘home’ library and I’m here to pick up or drop off a couple of times a week. I haven’t fully switched over to digital books, so I still run down here to get a few of the printed variety to keep me occupied until the next batch of holds comes in.
There is a very nice and large children’s area for the young ones, and several meeting rooms if you want to get together with a group. They have 15 or so computers, which always seem to be busy, so you have to compete a little bit for those.
The sitting areas are comfortable, and overlook part of downtown Kirkland and the adjacent baseball field. It’s a nice spot to browse a few titles or magazines on a rainy winter day while making your reading choices. There is a terrific selection of magazines, a solid fiction area, and stacks of non-​fiction, plus you have at your disposal the entire King county library system which some say is the best in the country. You can also tap into inter-​library loans for obscure titles from college libraries or other systems if KCLS doesn’t have what you need.
The staff here is friendly and helpful. I’ve been able to get inter-​library loan titles from other library systems easily, and they will help you with tips on research if you ask. I have observed the staff being very kind and patient with the neighbors from an assisted living center down the street and taking as much time as needed to listen and help.
The library ladies are always happy to take my money for library fines, with maybe just a slight bit of judgement. Local young people spend a few hours here and I usually see a couple of tutors helping them out. It’s in a great location right in downtown Kirkland and the transit center. If you need a study break, you can walk a few hundred feet for some coffee or a snack. Great place for us book nerds.

I love this library. It’s kind of small, but very quiet, nice and easy to spend time at. I spend a lot of time in Downtown Kirkland, so I’m highly appreciative of how easy it is to take a backpack and head to the library. On super nice days I like to check out a book and go lay in the park under a tree and read all afternoon. Free WiFi is awesome, and they let you print up to 75 pages per week for free. That’s pretty legit!

Decent library. Not as nice as many I’ve been to and their selection may be a bit on the light side (comparatively). But I was coming from Danville, which has a relatively new, very nice community library.
They seem to have plenty of areas to sit and study. The children’s section could have been a bit more inviting. I would have liked more definition in their sections. I am a huge fantasy buff and everything is lumped together in the fiction section. I like it when libraries sort their books by type. To be fair, looks like they have plenty of fantasy selection.
It’s great that they have 4 hour parking so close to downtown. That made going to the library then park easier on me (although in Danville parking time is unlimited but that is not as vibrant a downtown as Kirkland lol). The librarians were super helpful too and this is definitely a big step up from what I’m used to, which is being glared at because my kids are usually too rowdy (yes they can be I admit it).
I was worried they wouldn’t have self checkout scanners but they have plenty!

The Kirkland Library is small relative to some of the others in the area (Bellevue in particular), but it isn’t really intended as a specialized research facility. It’s a community library, and a really nice one at that.
The building was recently remodeled and is light, open, and modern. There are plenty of spaces to sit and check out books, get study help, or use the library computers — or your own, since there’s free WiFi. The children’s area is nicely contained and kid-​friendly.
The staff here are super helpful and always have been, and I appreciate the five-​minute book drop parking, and the four-​hour parking for longer visits. There are conference rooms for meetings but you have to book them well in advance.

Fun place to take the kids but I also did see a homeless man sleeping out front.

I camp out here a lot for marathon typing sessions, and I find the staff to be helpful. While I consider the Redmond and Bellevue branches to be my home bases in the local public library system, this location is a wonderful back-​up in a convenient location.

This is my local library, and it’s a nice place to hang out on a rainy day with a pile of books. I’ve not had a problem with noise levels here, but that might also be because I’m usually tucked away in the back corners of the nonfiction section.
There are plenty of spots for setting up a laptop or just some books for doing work, and there’s free wifi. The spaces are reasonably clean and it’s not crowded, so it’s an ideal place to get some work or studying done. Plus if you wanted, you can also book a study room for some extra quiet if necessary. That said, those rooms seem to book out quickly, but you can get one a few days ahead of time if you know you’ll need it.
The staff are friendly and helpful, especially if you’re new to the area. They’ve always been able to answer my questions! Also, if there’s something you’re after that is not in their collection, they can order it in for you from one of the other King County libraries.
Even if you can’t find a park in the upstairs «library» section there is plenty under cover in the public area.

Kids screaming for long periods of time. People using cell phones. You can’t concentrate.
Homeless people sleeping in chairs for the day. I am afraid to sit on those armchairs. Do not want to bring bedbugs home. The Library has become a second home for the homeless. There must be a better way.
Sorry, i just can’t relax their anymore.

This library is nice. It had a lot of tables and computers to use. In addition, they have plenty of parking. Furthermore, their staff are friendly and helpful. The place isn’t noisy which is nice since some libraries are still pretty loud. The reason why I give this place a three is their hours. They close super early during the weekend and open late during the weekends.

Such a great library. It’s clean, staff are friendly and efficient, kids area is bright and has lots of books/​activities, parking is great and it’s so central to the rest of Kirkland. I think the KCLS website and online booking system is just amazing.

Right next to the Kirkland Transit Center, so getting there should be easy. Also, they have plenty of parking, so you shouldn’t have to worry about that (like you might with the Bellevue library). It’s in a great location, especially during the summer. You can grab a book, sit outside, and enjoy the beautiful weather. Or you can huddle up inside when it’s cold during the winter. It’s a fairly large library with a decent amount of computers. Lots of sitting space and plenty of room to walk around. It’s really well-​lit and great for kids (or to just sit and enjoy your coffee, whatever you’d like).

An airy, well-​lit location with soaring windows, comfy chairs, great selection, and fast WiFI. Very nice quirt room, though the regular library is super quiet.
BUT — the tables do not have AC outlets. If you need a fast charge, or your laptop battery is running down, look elsewhere. This is the sole reason they don;t get 5 stars from me.

Grumble, I don’t like giving low ratings to libraries, grumble.
As a recent transplant in the area I was stoked to have a library within walking distance. * Cue Amelie style music of happy ppl walking in and out of a well lit library*. The library is large and well lit. Unfortunately, I think I hit a snag pretty soon as I entered. And yes, I am holding it against them.
I was happily perusing books with a friend when we decided to inquire about membership. The lady gave us some information in somewhat of a brisk manner but hey I figured it’s a library so less talking more reading applies. Now both me and my friend have slight accents. Most people are curious about that which is cool by me. The library lady though went beyond curious and as I was inquiring of what kind of residency proof I need she proceeded to staple to my application a form about English for Adults in the workplace. I believe it was supposed to be something along the lines of «let us help you find a job by teaching you proper English». Maybe I look jobless and foreigner, maybe my accent sounds very strange, maybe she was being a tiny bit judgmental. I don’t mind conversations about where my accent is from and what I am doing but I didn’t expect to get forms about improving my English and getting jobs in a public library.
I was left with this notion that they don’t really have a community feeling to the place and that they have poor customer service. Oh well, I am changing libraries soon anyway.

So… libraries. Why do I usually visit libraries?
I’d love to say that I visit because I love checking out books*, but… these days the answer is, «I need a quiet place that has wifi and a place to plug in my laptop/​phone.» I love coffee shops and all, but… sometimes I just want to work somewhere quiet and I don’t want to have to purchase anything to be there.
This library happens to be quite large and has plenty of places to sit and work. The back area is very open and has huge windows, which is nice. I like the natural light. They appear to have a pretty good selection of materials available for check-​out, but… I haven’t actually spent much time looking at anything except their featured new paperback section. Their parking lot is also pretty big, and I’m pretty sure we’ve always been able to find a spot in the library lot. Their restroom occasionally has a smell issue, but… I guess that happens sometimes with public restrooms. The wifi… usually works. I’ve only had trouble with it a couple of times.
*The last couple books I’ve checked out have actually been from the digital collection. I like physical books, but… I also like being able to just download a book to my iPad/​iPhone. (I use the free OverDrive app.)

I love the King County Library system and the Kirkland Public Library is great! Since you can scan your own books in and out I never have any need to inquire of the staff. The parking can be hard to find and there have been a few times I’ve seen hoards of people parking in the library-​only spots just to go off to the performing arts center up the street. Are there cameras for such a thing?
I’ve had considerable issues with the outside scanners not taking CD’s and DVD’s. However, the one scanner inside the main doors and to the right is a little better. No matter what I do I cannot get the outside scanners to take any of the CD’s *and* I follow the directions. What’s up with them???
I don’t use the Kirkland Public Library to study, hang out, or use the computers.
My favorite features of the library are that I can find almost anything online, reserve them to pick up at the Kirkland Public Library, and if the parking is light, stop in to pick my items up, check them out, and leave. I can usually do this within 5 minutes depending on how many people are there. It can get backed up with all the people and only three scanners, two of which don’t work well. I just skip the two outside scanners and wait for the one inside.
If the library doesn’t have an item you may also fill out an online form to request the item for you. It would be nice if they had more items relevant to people who identify as LGBTQQI.

If you can score a comfy chair and get a view of the park, your stay should be fairly pleasant with the library’s free wifi. It can get pretty packed on the weekends so if you get there at the wrong time, you’ll be finding another place to get your work done. Parking can be a bit of a chore to find at times thanks to non-​library users, but that’s life.

The people at this library are really great. They’re nice and thoughtful. The library, unfortunately, is small and there’s a serious lack of places to do homework with a laptop. Starbucks makes a far more convenient homework spot (minus the lack of books) than Kirkland Library.
The library has been remodeled recently and it looks beautiful! I love that it’s a part of the King County Library System because it makes getting books from other libraries easy and because KCLS uses self check-​out, e-​books, and self check-​in. Having gone from Bellingham Public Library to Kirkland, I was impressed and amazed. I know that might sound silly but Bellingham still does things old school.
I like that there’s a parking garage even though the elevator up to the library smells like pee. Parking is always available.

Since I am not in school anymore, I don’t really come here, but the other day I thought I would burn some time and stop in and look for a book. I remember the set up of the old library before the remodel and am not familiar with the new lay out. I do remember coming to study here ONE time and the screaming kids and people talking made it impossible to study.
Well it doesn’t seem that much has changed. This library is so small that it really makes sound travel in there. I decided to forget about checking out a book and just left.

I can’t really go less than 4 stars on a library. We tend to to go the Bothell location on a weekly basis, even though this one is Kirkland.
Habit, conveienence and size is what keeps us going back to Bothell over Kirkland. When we first moved here, this location was closed for remodeling for some time and our habits of traveling to downtown didn’t quite take hold.
Though, it’s location is a huge plus for my daughter. On her bus ride home from school (Metro), she can easily hop off the route she takes at the Transit center and spend time doing her homework, using computers, picking up a hold and the like. She usually does this on days she also has a class or activity to go to at the teen center (KTUB) pretty much next door.
Do be aware, though, there have been a recent rash of purse snatchings and the such here at this location. :(