Worcester Public Library

The library itself is great, but they lose 3 stars because of the staff. They have acted snobby (or just generally unpleasant) many times. Mostly the staff who are downstairs all the time. My mom and I brought a ton of books to be donated but they only take a certain amount of donations. which is understandable… but they gave dirty looks to all the books we chose to leave with them and acted as if we were a huge inconvenience to them. Came off as very rude and ungrateful. Fuck you Worcester Public Library, there are people who love to read and will absolutely enjoy the donation. Sucks they have to deal with the horrible staff.

Coming from a larger metropolitan city/​state in Calif, I find this library more to what I’m used to. We currently live in a small neighboring town in which I found their library not worth going to. Worcester public library continues to offer what my family needs. (Children’s section, teen section, good selection of books, helpful librarians, easy to park) we will continue to support this library.

What a gem. For such a (supposedly) rundown city, this library is top notch. There is a great section of books and media available and the inter-​library system is great for accessing items not currently at the library. I’m impressed with their digital book library and you can even check out an e-​reader at the front desk. There is a café inside for snacks and coffee, though my favorite aspect of the library is its used book store. There are lots of good reads that you can add to your own library for mere dollars and cents.
The noise level here, however, is quite high. There appears to be no regard for the sanctity of silence here, which is exacerbated with everyone owning cell phones and mobile devices these days. I once had a guy ordering pizza on his cell phone while pacing around the second floor for almost 10 minutes. Fortunately, there is a small corner on the top floor of the library nominally designated as a «quiet zone» where there seems to be an effort to keep the peace, but noise is not easily foiled by man-​made signs. You’ll often find me here with my headphones on.
Hopefully, this place will come around. Apparently, it was a zoo only a few years ago and you could never leave anything unattended without it getting swiped. I still get warnings from librarians and patrons to keep an eye on my things and I saw a guy ODed on pain meds wandering the floor on my first day here, but they say it’s gotten better. Oh, Worcester…

This is the biggest library in the area. They have plenty of spaces where you can sit and read and they have a very nice children’s area. I have always had nice experiences with the staff when I need to talk to someone, but because it can be very busy there sometimes there is usually a wait. It is in Worcester, so there was one time I went and the police had to come and investigate a reported assault in front of the building.
The parking lot is large and I’ve never been unable to park, but bring some change for the meters. If you live in Worcester, nearby, or are just in the area it is a great place to stop and read a book. They also have a nice café inside with a book store and some food. The Wifi is free, so you can easily use your mobile device there.

I’ve been coming to this library ever since I was little and am still in love with it. The librarians are super helpful and sweet. A lot of them know me by name since I go there so often and they never hesitate to ask about how my studies are going and what book I’m reading at the moment. Also, it’s just a really nice atmosphere in there to study, especially if you go up to the upper floors, always plenty of space to spread out and very peaceful. Over the years, it has attracted some shady people and parents bring kids into the library that aren’t always the most well-​behaved, but still, that’s to be expected with such a large library in the midst of downtown Worcester. I go to school in Boston now so don’t really come here as often, but I still go when I get the chance.

I’ve come here several times, and noticed that the staff is only helpful in a begrudging way. None of them seem to smile at all. And, during this most recent visit, there were several weird people loitering inside and outside. Also, the place seemed a bit more grungy, with the stained carpets. The one thing positive I can say about this library is that they do have a good sized book collection. In the end, I was able to get what I needed.

I went here to get a book for class I was taking and I went to the information desk to get help finding a book. I placed the book I had on the counter, smiled and asked the librarian if she could help me finding any books by the same author. She tersely replied that she couldn’t read upside down, implying that I was to turn the book so that it was facing her. Yikes. Then when we were looking for the book I saw another book on the shelf that the library had previously told me they didn’t carry. When I mentioned this to her, thinking she would want to make sure it was digitally or physically cataloged correctly, she just walked away without a word. Yikes. There are also many loitering people inside. I have had good experiences with the help there before, but I’d rather go somewhere else.

This library is awesome, with something for everyone. It is in a downtown area, so you have to pay to park :-(
They pretty well have every book you’re looking for, and what they don’t have they can get.
Staff there is very professional.