New York Public Library – Hudson Park Library

It’s simple and small but they have everything a public library should have — a working wifi, public computers, working space.

I work from this library a lot, and I love the staff and the fact that I can order the books online and pick them up at the library. I come in with my laptop, use the internet and get a lot of stuff done. Unlike the Jefferson library, there is a public restroom downstairs.
The two cons of this library are:
1.There are tons of little kids with nannies and strollers everywhere, sometimes taking over reading/​working space which is not bad but it can be distracting if you need the quiet space.
2. The other issue is that there are a lot of homeless and/​or mentally ill people who come to this library so you have to get used to sitting next to people who talk to themselves or make strange noises and don’t wear clean clothes. It’s the reality of New York. It is what it is.
I am very very thankful for this library overall.

Great neighborhood library.
I’ve been taking my now 13 month old here since she was about 3 months old.
The children area upstairs is a great size with a play area for the little ones to run/​walk/​crawl around. We always enjoy the weekly story time & music programs led by Chris and Christie.
The only con are the stairs, both going into the entrance of the library as well as going up to the 2^nd floor kids area. It’s definitely a little hard to maneuver around and an elevator would be nice, but it hasn’t detracted us from visiting on a weekly basis.

This is a great branch — not as architecturally striking as Jefferson market (the other west village nypl branch) but quieter and a better place to sit down with a laptop and get some work done without having to buy another coffee every 45 minutes. There are sometimes a lot of nannies w/​rich bratty kids but they stay on the second floor where I guess they have kids programs.

Library is now open October 2014. This is a lovely, cosy library. As we travel around the country we stop at many small town libraries. This branch is a match with the best of them.

I visited this Library today because I really needed to make a copy of a document and is only two blocks from my job which is very convenient. The process of making a simple copy was very long and painful. A. you must buy a print card and the machine only take quarters. B the printer is hook to the computer where you sign in, which is located across the floor so you must print real fast otherwise a line will form behind you. It took me a while to print my document. However, the young lady that was on duty was very very helpful she apologized for the inconvenience and let me use her computer so I could print with no problems. Therefore, I give it a 4 stars.
In my borough printing is free and easy no running back and forth. I know better next time.
Will I visited again? Yes, but not to print anything.

Yes, this is the intensely charming Greenwich Village library where a Pulitzer Prize winner once worked. From 1919, poet Marianne Moore [1887 — 1972] devoted herself to writing, working initially as a secretary, private tutor, and library assistant at the Hudson Park branch of the New York Public Library.
Current Library Manager Miranda Murray has a wood-​paneled office on the first floor, facing sunny Leroy Street — – and works hard to keep things running smoothly.
In the basement’s spacious air-​conditioned auditorium, you will find a stage and ample seating (for more than 100 people). Equipment includes a projector, a P.A. system, and a podium (but no microphone). Author appearances, literary afternoons, readings, story time for children, book club discussions, and cultural events are held here. Considering the cramped quarters in other neighborhood branch libraries, this generously apportioned auditorium is a welcome surprise where quietude reigns — interrupted only by the audience’s applause. (The car alarm racket can’t penetrate. Ah! Bliss.)
On 4:00pm Monday afternoon, August 12, 2013, a fascinating event will be held here. To commemorate the 120^th birthday of Mae West (born in Brooklyn on August 17, 1893), there will be a FREE Reader’s Theatre Experience.
Costumed in 1890s corsets, derbies, and gaudy splendor, a professional theatre company will bring Mae West’s novel «DIAMOND LIL» to life — – by using Mae West’s words, performing 1890s Bowery songs, and showing rare images of the old locations on the Bowery and in Chinatown that inspired Mae West.
Mae toured with her «melodrama of the 1890s underworld» from 1928 — 1951, so you probably have not seen «Diamond Lil» performed in your lifetime. Come see it at Hudson Park’s library for free. You might win a Mae West raffle prize, too.
Note: not wheelchair accessible and there are steep staircases between the floors.

I love libraries. This is one of the smaller branches of the NYPL system, with limited selection of books. BUT — it’s spacious and cozy with couches and a separate reading room if you so wish to read in private. They also have laptop charging tables. Huge windows allow natural sunlight in, which means only one thing: naptime. I only walked in here to kill some time before dinner but ended up checking out a book and lounging around like time wasn’t a thing.

Very loud. The librarians need to learn to use their inside library voices! Homeless people tend to come and hang out. The separate area for children and adults helps a little with the noise. Everything here looks like it is a hand-​me-​down. The librarians are very nice which is why I could give it the three stars.

My DSL modem gave out, NO internet! Ergo, it forced me to attain the quickest and cheapest internet usage– at NYPL. At 4pm on a Saturday late afternoon I only had a solid 45 minute session to take care of business which suffice my needs. There were no pesky annoyances to disturb my rightful time aside from the very annoying flashing warning alerts of time remaining. Hudson Park Branch library is peaceful when accomplishing your work. Small in size but gets the job done. They carry all the basic IRS income tax forms free for patrons.
This library contains a poetry and literature department!

I went into this branch today because I was in the neighborhood and decided to get a library card, since I haven’t had one in over ten years – even though I donate regularly to the library.
Because it’s a lesser-​used branch, the process was very quick; it probably took ten minutes or less. I think I’ll come here in the future when I’m in the neighborhood and have a break.
I especially look forward to getting more involved with the Library and checking out their e-​book program, if they have one in place. Hey, I support the library and you should too!
(Oh, and my favorite library quote comes from Frank Zappa: «If you want to get laid, go to college; if you want an education, go to the library.»)

I like old libraries like this. Their book selection isn’t great here, but it’s a good a place as any to pickup books that you’ve ordered, and there’s usually something of interest if you’re just browsing as opposed to hoping to find a certain book. It’s a nice place to read, too. I was disappointed at the quality of their printing. If you have to pay for it, it’d be nice if the sheets of paper were a decent thickness, and that you could print two-​sided. Those are small gripes though.

Libraries have always been my love and this little branch is no exception. I grew up in them, got so much of my education from them, and have always had my curiosity engaged and satisfied and tickled by them. Free knowledge for the asking, looking and borrrowing should never be taken for granted. The Leroy Branch is not fancy and filled with overflowing collections. It’s also in an old building that is somewhat inconvenient to use for some library goers who have to climb a few stairs. But what they do with the funds they have is marvelous. And the librarians here are kind and helpful. Plus they know their stuff, they really do. If you think this tiny library is shabby or worn, give some $$ and make it less so. If you believe in promoting thinking and free thought, support your local library, with $$ or letters to your congressperson whenever they want to cut library funding.

Pros:
VERRRRY helpful librarians on both main and children’s floor!
huge play section w massive amounts of toys plus many kids for unplanned playdates. so much room for them to explore!
*have wipes handy to constantly clean germs off baby’s hands and toys.
Cons:
no ramps or elevators. how is a caregiver supposed to haul a stroller upon those steps? u have to pray no one steals ur stroller while ur upstairs with ur kid. much needed for the handicapped as well…

Such a cute, tiny library in the west vill. I always hit up libraries for their free wifi, air conditioned seating areas and wide variety of reading material (travel books are my fave to browse). Bookstores are cool to, but there is such a «buy or get out vibe,» that I much rather prefer the good ‘ol library.
Tip: The bathroom is locked, but if you give them an id or your library card, they’ll let you use it. I noticed that this bathroom is way cleaner than other libraries, so kudos to them for keeping it locked =0)!

Yes, on the shabby side, but serves its functions decently. What I liked about this branch is that there is a separate reading room on the adult floor (2^nd floor is for kids), that has tables for four, and aren’t too far from outlets (although mind that I originally sat a table where the outlet wasn’t working). So this made working on the laptop with the NYPL WIFI pleasant.
What’s not so pleasant is that on this ground level you can hear a lot of street noise — and it can be distracting/​annoying, especially as cars tended to play some uninspiring music off and on.
The people around me were pretty quiet/​polite about sharing space. In the little room I hid out in — just a lone newspaper reader looking for a nap and a pair studying together.
This branch is open 6 days a week, and is not a bad workspot.

To each his own, but I would not call the Hudson Park Branch ‘shabby’ by any means. It’s a much smaller branch, tucked away on a seldom-​used street lined with a canopy of trees off of 7^th Ave. I’d call it quaint, quiet, very cozy, feel-​good place for rainy days, never crowded like the main branches, with a friendly bunch of folk.
I love this branch 1. because it’s so close to my office, but really 2. because you can actually READ without the chatter of other people bothering you. It actually really reminds me of the library I went to when I was a kid, minus the kids. Just very homey…
Their selection may be a bit smaller, but you can order any book from any of the other branches to be delivered to this branch. They’ll even send you an email when it’s ready to be picked up.

By itself this is a pretty shabby library. Its small and so is the collection. But since New York has a system where you can reserve a book from any of their libraries and have it delivered to a specific branch, this branch is an easy location for me to use as a pickup.
Two main complaints. 1) The people here are not at all friendly. Usually librarians are very happy to be off assistance, here they are not. 2) Why do I have to stand in line if I want to return a book? Most places simply have a drop-​box… not this place.

A cozy little branch library where, for the most part, the staff is quite helpful. They’ve offered to order a book from another branch if it wasn’t on their shelves and patiently helped me with their computers (only 3) when mine was down.
Just inside the door are a few milk cartons beneath a sign offering «free books.» I think it started when the small library needed to make room for new titles and had to dispose of some of its books. Now, it’s kind of a community exchange. People drop off (their own) books, magazines, CD’s they’re finished with, pick up something else that might look interesting, then return again, if they want.
It’s a cool, practical recycling system, perfect for dealing with New Yorkers’ own lack of space, and beats putting all those books out on the street.

I LOVE Libraries.
Yes — I’m a bookworm and like most «real» bookworms i don’t really «read» the books. I do enjoy browsing, though. The Leroy Branch does the trick. Thank you NYPL!!!
As this is part of the New York Public Library System (see:
), one of the GREATEST library systems in the world — it gets 3 STARS. +1 STAR for being a short walk and 3 blocks away from my office in the West Village.
This is branch primarily caters to the needs of young children — birth to 6 years of age — as it’s called the ECRIC: Early Childhood Resource and Information Center (see:
). However, for adults it has a decent selection of current non-​fiction, novels, magazines, and my favorite: media (DVD’s/CD’s)!!!
This City resource is underfunded, underutilized, and in desperate need of some modernization, yet its charm lies in the lack of crowds, lack of New York pretense, and old school feel.
It was a great day on 12/​12/​2007 to finally get my NYPL library card! (see:
) Rejoice in life’s simple pleasures…