The Seattle Public Library – Fremont Branch

This may be the cutest library ever! I look forward to revisiting on a future visit to Fremont.

Who doesn’t love going to a place with free books, movies, magazines, and internet? I mean, when your tax dollars already pay for it, right? :)
I went to the Fremont Branch today for a meeting (did I mention anyone can sign up to use their meeting rooms for free!!!), and I was pleasantly surprised by what I saw.
When you walk in, there are all of these older looking armchairs, each with own reading lamp. Books and other materials line the walls, and because this is an older building, the high ceilings create a fun effect/​ambiance. Although I didn’t specifically use any of the library services (other than the bathroom, which was super clean, and the meeting room, which had comfy chairs and lots of space), I did see very helpful reference staff talking to library patrons. They seemed happy and attentive to people with questions.
One thing’s for sure; I’ll probably have to come back here one rainy afternoon because it would be the perfect place to read an awesome book!!!

Two words: NO PARKING! I tried to visit the Fremont Branch when sewer repair work caused closure of the Greenlake Branch (which like most branches does provide ample parking btw). I can only assume that the Fremont Branch provides the most amazing experience one could ever imagine at a library, because I gave up without ever seeing the inside of the place after endlessly driving around in search of the nonexistent street parking (causing my car to nearly overheat in the process) and refusing to pay $ 7 at the little pay lot across the street. Nearby street parking, were it available, would be 2 hour limit, and I saw 2 parking patrol vehicles on the same street within one block of the library. DON’T GO unless you can walk, bike or bus to this branch!

I like the architecture, dark wooden frames and tall shelves here. I would visit here on purpose to enjoy the calm atmosphere.
They host some different events throughout the year, so make sure to utilize the place in its entirety.
The librarians are helpful and it has the quietest studying area aside from Suzzalo Library and Odegaard’s third floor at UW.

As far as I’m concerned this lil’ branch is magic. I regularly go to
, type in the name of a book I want to read, click «Place a Hold», and *poof!* the book arrives at the Fremont Branch within 48 hours of being available. Sure, I’m # 1,291 in line for the Les Misérables DVD, but that’s neither here nor there. I just love that I can get in line to check out movies I want to see, and books I want to read, FOR FREE. The entire SPL collection is at our fingertips, people!
Parking can be dicey, but that’s the beauty of neighborhood branches, right? Since I live nearby, I walk more often than not. The building itself is small, quaint, a throwback. The interior boasts beautiful wood shelving, furniture, and beams across the ceiling; it’s quite cozy. The Fremont Branch is a great spot to drop in to browse magazines, use the free wi-​fi (I brought my laptop in a few months ago to pay my bills when we lost Internet service at home), or stay abreast of community events and happenings.
p. s. If you don’t already have a library card, it’s an easy process: sign up online, appear at your local branch with valid ID and proof of address, and you’ll have your card within minutes!

Ok so it may not really have parking. And it may be sort of small. And it may not have that many books. And it’s hours may even be fairly limited.
But JUST THINK ABOUT IT: You can get all the books you want. For free! And they will deliver them to any library branch you want! And they have free wifi! And newspapers and magazines! And tables for sitting and studying! And cozy chairs for reading! And the nicest librarians ever!
All in all, that’s not a bad deal. All hail the SPL.

The Fremont branch of the Seattle Public Library has that old library smell and feel to it. It is located in an older building on N 35^th, just off Fremont Ave. This library is in a two story building, but it looks like the library is on the top floor only.
The selection here is sparse compared to the massive Central Library. It is smaller than the one in Ballard as well. Though the selection is small, you can request library items be sent to this library for pickup. There are a handful of computers to use if you need to look up something. There are a few tables on the right hand side as well as a row of chairs in the center of library for perusing books or using the free wi-​fi.
The hours at this library are limited. It doesn’t open earlier than 11 am on any day and can open as late as 1 pm. As for the vibe, it is incredibly quiet. So much so that I feel like I have to keep quiet at all times. This has more to do with the smallness of the library since noises are more heightened.
I like this library because it is in a great location in the center of the universe. Though if you are trying to find reading material, the Central Library downtown is a much better option. However, this would seem to be a good study space if you are looking for a place that is very quiet.

Back when I was living in the dorms of Seattle Pacific University, I would just walk over to this branch of the Seattle Public Library for all my book needs.
It’s a friendly neighborhood library combined with the selection of books and media from the Seattle Public Library system — the perfect duo.

This is a smaller library branch than the other Seattle library locations, but I’m just so happy to have a Seattle Public Library in Fremont. Library hours are similar to other neighborhood libraries given the recent budget cuts. It’s just as easy to request items online and pick them up here. Staff are friendly, but the library is not one for studying or staying longer given the smaller space and limited seating. The library also has that old library feel, but if you’re using the library for picking up items, it’s great. They also have a few rows of older DVD hits and international DVDs that are worth checking out from time to time.

What can I say, this place is amazing. All of the DVD’s and books I watch/​read I get here. It has saved me quite a bit in rental fees over the years. Also the staff there are really friendly and helpful. Cute old building too.

This library has a more limited selection than the ballard/​greenwood branch, but it makes up for it in it’s cozy atmosphere. A great place during summer days, this library has an outdoor sitting area and the interior of the building has such a warm glow.
Love it!

I didn’t watch Mr. Rogers much as a child so I’m not sure if he ever did anything else besides wear quaint cardigans and tie his shoes in his house and then go talk to his puppet-​friends. But if Mr. Rogers ever went to the library, I imagine it would be a lot like this one. In contrast to the vaulting ceilings and glass-​and-​steel architecture paying homage to the vast stores of human knowledge at the Central Library, the Fremont Branch is located in an small, stuccoed building on the edge of Fremont. This library doesn’t have the glitz and glam and it probably won’t be featured in an architecture magazine any time soon but it just *feels* right.
It seems like the same staff work there day in and day out and they’re always friendly and ready to help. You won’t find plastic and metal chairs here: rather, there’s a row of large, cushioned, adirondack-​style chairs where you could easily spend a day reading books. On my last visit, I even saw a guy chilling out with a huge stack of DVD’s and his portable player; he took a break, left all of his stuff there out in the open, walked out to the grocery store, came back with lunch, and sat right back down to watch his videos! Because this library is small, it doesn’t have all the books I want but when that happens, I just «order» them from the Central Library and they get here within a couple of days; in any case, the librarians here do a great job of picking out interesting new books to put on display so there’s never a shortage of bookish delights to be found here.
(Only reason it didn’t get 5 stars: the people can sometimes smell – and this isn’t a big enough library that you can easily relocate to find a spot that is both comfortable and not within the vicinity of smelly people.)

I love the library system and the design of cute neighborhood libraries (like this one).
This particular branch is super tiny, however, so there are very few computers to use (about three 90-​minute and two 15-​minute) and the in-​house collection is quite small. The one good thing is that it’s in a rather central location (when it comes to Fremont), so it’s convenient as a place to pick up holds and drop off returns.
I would pick up materials there if this was my closest-​to-​home (or work) branch, but I would not hang out or wait for a computer unless I absolutely had to.

Just went in again today! Who is working there — likely a manager one of the nicest librarians ever! (I must have recently been in on an off day.) John is beyond words. He knows library business and he treats people so nicely and kindly. He regularly thinks from the other person’s point of view and understands how people have different needs and can flex to meet these needs.

I was pleasantly surprised by the Fremont library! Now I’m a big fan of libraries in general and while I found my previous local library (the Wallingford branch) to be quite usable, it was too small to do much of anything besides grab the books waiting for me on hold. I occasionally would browse but the selection was just so limited that I rarely found anything to piqué my interest.
I was expecting much the same from the Fremont branch. A couple of days ago I requested a couple of cookbooks from the library web-​page and entered in my pickup location and then got my handy email notice last night. So this morning I walked over there and strolled in to… a real library! There’s a children’s section that is handily cordoned off by shelving — I could hear story time happening but I didn’t have to trip over any toddlers making a run for the door. There’s also a reading area in the middle of the room with 6 or 8 comfortable chairs, tables in the back for working, several computers with internet and catalogue access and a completely acceptable fiction section. I didn’t have a lot of time so I didn’t get into the nonfiction too deeply but I did a walk-​by of the section and it seems to be varied and easily negotiable.
I didn’t have my library card on me when I went to check out (shh…don’t tell anyone but I’m pretty sure I’ve actually lost it) but the librarian at the desk was super friendly and looked up my information for me.