Cesar Chavez Branch Library

Must have been an off day, but I could have studied at the state fair… kids running around, babies crying, and two loud mouth women talking loud and eating cheetos! Ridiculous! Then the security waking around all stone faced saying nothing. Smh. Better luck next time I guess.

This is a beautiful library building with a large DVD collection and lots of computers. As others have mentioned, the noise level after the 2 nearby schools let out is pretty high. I always have headphones with me at those times.
I am disappointed that they are not open on Friday!

Okay I’m Biased — but it’s a beautiful building, a wonderful library and full of family oriented events and storytimes. If you haven’t visited enjoy the gorgeous lake in the park and the relaxing views from the lounge or city computers.

Bring headphones. This was by far the loudest library I have ever been to and the only thing said was…“oh yeah it is usually louder the last hour we are open.” The employees didn’t seem to care and at some points were just as loud as the kids running around screaming and their parents.

I LOVE this place. When I want to get out and have a nice quiet place to hangout I go here. However sometimes its not always quiet because of bad ass kids running around, but thats the parents fault not the library. Sometimes people dont control their kids and it can get a little loud and annoying. The lakeviews and furniture are nice and comforting. There are plenty of tables for studying and web surfing on your laptop.

The library building itself is well worth 5-​stars. It is huge and well-​lit with all of its huge windows. I like that it has a ton of large tables and chairs where I can work. For the most part the atmosphere is pretty quiet.
But they have a video came area where kids can sit on a couch and play. The crazy thing is it is right in the back next to most of the studying tables. Um hello?! Worst place to put it ever! While they have a security guard who goes around telling people what to do… they are absent when they are seemingly needed the most. I’ve seen the guard tell someone to stop sleeping at his table, even though he had only laid his head down for a moment after studying for a long time. They even told us not to bring food in… understandable. Yet, when you have the nearby high schoolers using the library as a gossip room where they laugh super loud and cuss up a storm, run in and out of the doors, etc, and no one is around telling them to keep it down or leave… then what is the point?! Ugh.
I wish a library like this was closer to me because the amount of room and tables is perfect. I just wish people talking on their cell phones loudly and teenagers using the library as their after school watering hold would learn to respect the fact that it’s a library not a coffee shop.

I have frequented this library with my children for the past six years. When they were babies, we enjoyed the babytime program. Now that they are preschool age, they are not allowed into the younger programs and their preschool program falls on a day I work, so we do not go as often. Most of the staff has been friendly, but today I had a very unpleasant encounter with a woman in the area where they sell discarded books. I don’t have her name, but she was a much older woman wearing a white shirt. She was quite rude and gave me a lecture because she didn’t think I was going to pay for the books in my arms. On the contrary, we donate and give money to this library on a regular basis. Unfortunately, this one encounter makes me not want to do so anymore.

I really like the feel of this library, it’s very bright and open. It is much smaller then I’m used to since I usually go to Burton Barr but the books they actually carried that I wanted were checked in which is why we stopped in. I’ll stick to the larger location but I’d be happy to pick things up here when I see they’ve got it online.
Lots of tables for laptops, as well as desktop computer stations. Early Saturday morning wasn’t too busy but had a nice buzz about it. Might be a nice place to study or work if you need some quiet and live in the area.

This is a nice library but doesn’t seem to have a ton of materials. The nice thing about the Phoenix Public Library system is that you can request a book that is at another location and they will ship it to your location so that you don’t have to drive all over town. I use this location exclusively as it is close to my home and I can get any book in the system. There are several computers with Internet access though I haven’t used those.

Nice-​looking building from the outside, w/​beautiful views of one of the man-​made lakes nearby. I really enjoyed the walks I took in the park that this branch is located in. Using the library though, is another story. In the times I’ve visited, this location was either closed or full of noisy children and pre-​teens who ran in and out of its doors unattended and people of all ages who talked loudly on their cellphones. The computer section was always crowded, and I could never find a seat to use or an empty table void of backpacks and other items left there by their absentee owners. I’d say that, for the most part, this library looked and sounded more like a coffee shop (there’s a section where you can purchase coffee and some pastries) than a quiet library where one may hope to do some productive work.
There was a good-​sized selection of CDs, DVDs, and books-​on-​DVDs, which I used a couple of times, that allowed you to place holds on-​site and online, and this service was fairly prompt at notifying me of the availability for pick-​up, but I quit using the services when my hands, and anything that the items touched, started to smell of body odor from the previous users that handled them! (I think that many of the handlers carried the items under their armpits as they walked back to the library, which I’m sure we’ve all done before w/​books and other items, but think about it– we do live in the middle of the desert, and bodies do get hot and sweaty…) No matter how many times I wiped the items down w/​sanitizing cloths and washed my hands w/​soap AND sanitized them, the odor wouldn’t disappear! Utterly disgusting, and I’m not exaggerating! Don’t believe me? Pick up a DVD or book on your next visit and take a whiff… Don’t say I didn’t warn you!
Come for the relaxing/​energizing walks and views around the lakes. There’s even a playground or two on the other end of the park for children to play in, and many picnic areas w/​grills and tables to use. You can even go fishing! [Just don’t expect to eat what you catch, though– the lakes are contaminated w/​toxins and algae (there are signs), and I’ve seen more than a few floaters and dead small animals bobbing in the water.] If you plan to walk all of the paths, make sure you have a friend or two accompanying you, esp. around sunset, bec. there’s a specific location that only has one entry and exit, which could become dangerous– if someone’s stalking or following you w/​malicious intent, well, you’re S.O.L.
I hope your experiences at this library turn out better than mine!

This is a wonderful branch library with a large meeting room that works for most meetings and a decent selection of media. In fact, my wife and I recently discovered that the library is a great place to supplement our NetFlix subscription. My only wish is that they had made it bigger.

This library is absolutely amazing! I can only find one actual picture of the place, and it looks like it was taken before the landscaping and construction was complete because it looks so different now.
There was some discussion before they built this library that it would be «the living room» of the community. It’s an interesting concept. I thought of that when I saw their AMAZING amount of DVD’s. It was huge. Right outside of that there were lots of computers for on line searching, and they were really being used. The Fancy Flat screens were great. Next to that they have a big magazine area with chairs for lounging. While we were there we found they also do free computer classes 2 days each week — 1 day in Spanish and 1 in English. We were there are Spanish class night and there was not an empty space in the class. There must be at least 20 seats. Who else gets turn out like that?
Each section is sectioned off with opaque dividers to provide a level of privacy while maintaining a very open feeling. The architecture is really super. Very modern and utilitarian — yet still comfortable. And the way this building is built sunken into the ground and peaking from the other side is almost as amazing as the view from the windows. With Cesar Chavez park and the South Mountains all in view, it is quite inspirational.
Library geeks, modern architecture fans and folks who just want to see a beautiful side of Phoenix should definitely make the drive. Between the Library and the Park nearby it is definitely a destination stop.