Kenton County Public Library

You know what’s great about this library? They have a drive up window, and they have our books ready within 3 days when we reserve them online. I’d have to agree with other reviewers, the inside environment is a little tainted because of public clientele, those who camp out on computers, and don’t really use the depth of what the library is present in our city for — true, true — but there are some quality librarians present here, and they do good work of keeping things fresh in each department. I’m proud of our city library — and again, we use the online reserve, drive thru and drop off weekly.
Also, there are great programs for kids offered regularly. Check them out too! Great resources available for homeschool families living the city-​life. ;-)

Great place to study and do group work. This library received a much needed remodel and it still has that new car smell. There are a few group study areas for collaborative work but I don’t understand why there are gaps between the glass walls. Weird. Their material selection pales in comparison to the Cincinnati downtown library, but they do have a lot of great items for checkout, from actual books to DVDs, and everything in between. And who doesn’t love free WiFi? ha ha
One unique item I had never seen before at other libraries were book club discussion packets… Cool concept for those wanting to lead a book club. Oh, there are of course tons of computers and some couches for those with the time to sit.
I have no real complaints except for the groups of smokers that hang out near the door forcing you to walk the «gauntlet of smoke». :) They do have a parking lot so you do not have to search for street parking. Oh, and I almost forgot to mention, they have great free programs all through the week. From movie screenings to music performances. I even saw a knitting group that meets there. It’s nice to have a great library in this area.

The new building is nice. They built separate rooms for young adult, children, computer resources, and meeting rooms. Not many places to sit and read though and it is louder than a typical library so concentration is difficult. If you are just picking something up It is worth the convenience as it has a good selection. But if you feel adventurous the Cincinnati public library is only 2 miles away.

Only been here once, but it was a good experience. The check out staff was really friendly and I found interesting books. It will be good to see what it looks like once the renovations are completely done!

I used to enjoy this library system, but it seems like it has gone downhill over the past few years. DVDs are frequently unplayable and no one seems to notice. I took out a DVD recently that had blue cake icing all over the back side. This was the worst but so many of them are so damaged or dirty, it’s almost pointless. Staff attitude varies a lot. Some of the check-​out employees at the Covington and Erlanger act bored and unhappy to be there. This attitude seems to go unnoticed by whoever is in charge. Reference desk staff are usually very helpful, however. Maybe the difference in pay makes the difference. On the upside, they have good book sales. I’m hoping that they do more with ebooks.

Ebooks, ebooks, I vote for ebooks. Ok, so it doesn’t get me in the building, and I suppose libraries need to seriously consider how that shapes their futures. As I write this review, this branch in Covington is still undergoing renovations. It has been for a LONG time. I will be so happy to see all the fencing and dirt go away.
The staff here seems overworked. There always seems to be a long line at the checkout. I noticed a job posting for a book-​shelver paying $ 7.50/hr. It made me sad that there is not enough funding to pay a bit more for this type of work. Oh well.
Right now, the interior of the library is grim. I am just hoping the renovation will breathe new light and air into this depressing building.

Pros:
They have a pretty good selection of current ‘Express Checkout’ books — recent popular releases like the latest Jennifer Weiner book or the Sookie Stackhouse novels that you can pick up off the shelf without reserving. The catch is you have to return it in 7 days.
Parking in the structure is free (make sure to bring in your ticket to validate at the machine inside).
Friendly staff both on the phone and in-​person.
They have a paper list of soon-​to-​be-​released DVD’s where you can check mark the ones you want to get on the wait list for. I just tried this for the first time last week so we’ll see how long it actually takes.
Cons:
For now, it’s dimly lit and feels old and dated… BUT they are working on renovations both inside and out, so hopefully those areas see improvements very soon!

This is a difficult review to write. On one hand, I love this library. I’m one of those people who comes in with specific books in mind as opposed to being a browser, and I find what I’m looking for fairly often (relatively obscure titles, too, not just Stephen King or Tom Clancy). The layout is convenient, the books are in good condition, the people at the desk are polite and even, on occasion, friendly.
But there is one vital hangup I’d be remiss not to mention. It isn’t necessarily the library’s fault, but it’s there regardless. Essentially, this branch is a hobo nest. Now, I can’t prove they’re hobos, of course, but they’re always there, they’re never reading anything, and they smell quite bad. I was just there today and the entire open central area smelled of body odor. It was terrible.
There are other other minor gripes. You’ll have quite a wait for the computers, for instance, because there are already dozens of people using them for Facebook and online dating sites. And as of summer ’11 there’s construction around the place, so the parking lot is off limits. But the hobos are the main drawback. They make it so that you can’t stay there and enjoy the place; you can only find your books and leave. If they made it into a comfortable, inviting area, like the branch out on 42, I’d be happy to bring my laptop there. But alas, such a transformation is unlikely. I’m starting to think I’d rather just head up to UC.

The Mary Ann Mongan Library branch in Covington is a spacious, complete library; it can’t help that it’s not very attractive. The library contains plenty of computers for public use. When I first moved to the area and was waiting for Internet service to be connected at home, I used the library’s computers for a few days and was surprised at the demand. Between the regular library patrons and the school kids, the computer area stays hopping. If you don’t reserve a time when you first arrive, you probably will be lucky to ever find a computer available.
Otherwise, the periodical section is large, the reference desk employees are helpful, and the front desk employees were efficient and friendly when I signed up for my library card. The library also has a large parking lot.