Los Angeles Public Library – Fairfax Branch

I love the fairfax library
«Father God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, thank you for Nana and Grandpapa. And friends. And family. And Russ and Judy. And Danny. And Ciaran Lucy. And mama and papa and Callum. I did it!»

I was visiting from out of town and needed somewhere to print out some tickets from my email. The computers here weren’t the fastest, but they did get the job done!

Weekly book sales, great selection of books and always a fast experience checking out my books

If you are looking for a quit place to study DO NOT GO HERE. I like studying at coffee shops as well; but this location is louder than starbucks! It’s not only other patrons but mainly the staff.

Aw. memories of childhood. :) Flashbacks to my excitement to pick my selection of books for the week — with my Mom in tow, reminding me to be quiet because a library is a quiet place. Whatever happened to that?
Returned to the local library after many years to check it out. This library is clean, selection is nice for is size, patrons are considerate. The only downside? Well. The loud talking. Now, if it’s coming from young kids who are under two — no big deal since they don’t know better. But the adult librarians working there? They are the ones that need to be quieted… what kind of example are they setting? Not all of course of them, but some have no understanding that they can whisper and get their message across. Moments of quietude, interrupted by talkative librarians.
Tip: bring your headphones and zone out with Pandora.

I love libraries so when I saw the library sign on my way to LACMA, I decided to stop and check it out. It has a good selection of New Books but you’d have to return it to that library only. The other thing I like is that there is a box of free magazines and CD’s you can take (and contribute).

Don’t go here to study, the librarians won’t shut up. This is supposed to be a quiet place.

A warning: This isn’t the best choice if you’re looking for a quiet place to work — especially during the summer when they run kids camps.
That said, I heart this branch. It’s local, normally clean and they have a great selection. I especially love the «I Meant to Read That!» section located near the checkout counter. I always find something that I missed. :)
They have a great selection of: Audiobooks, DVD’s, children’s books, young adult lit, and lots of bestsellers.
There’s plenty of shared table seating along with a few smaller round tables and a more intimate space in the back near the newspapers. Outlets are located in the floor near all tables.
The WiFi is free (The last I checked the name was LAPL — Public), but you must agree to the terms to access the internet.
The staff has always been helpful. There’s an African-​American woman who works at the counter who always has the biggest, most welcoming smile. She’s kind of short and has braids — I really should know her name by now! :) There’s also a woman with a red pixie cut who is literally the fastest at checking people out. I’ve seen her clear lines of 13 people in mere seconds*!
If you’re bringing children with you, I wouldn’t recommend letting them go into the bathroom alone. Yes they’ll only be gone for a few minutes, but who knows what could happen (or who could walk in) in those few short minutes. Especially in places like the library when bathrooms are free. Be aware that there might be more going on that you’d think. Ladies, don’t be shy about bringing your son, little brother, nephew, etc. into the ladies restroom with you.
One thing that I love about the LAPL in general is it’s attention to community demographics. The Fairfax branch is in the heart of a Jewish community and they offer a selection of Jewish children’s books. The Memorial branch has many books in Spanish and Korean, as the surrounding community has a high population of Latinos and Koreans speaking people. Likewise, the Jefferson branch (which is AWESOME despite the fact that it looks rundown from the outside), has the largest collection of books about African-​Americans I’ve ever seen (outside of the Central Branch)! I’m talking kids books, cookbooks by black author, etc. Love it!
*at least it seemed like seconds!

After reading the reviews of Roy the head librarian there I am sad to see him being so poorly rated. In my dealings with the man he has shown qualities that are indeed extraordinary.
Roy counted to infinity… twice in answering my child’s homework assignment
His tears can cure several terminal diseases… just one drop
He is so efficient he can watch an episode of 60 minutes in half an hour
He was once declared a Los Angeles city monument but could not accept the trophy because he was on the phone on Union business
He once taught a German shepherd to bark in Spanish.
When it is raining, it is because he is thinking of something sad.
His shirts never wrinkle. Only the back of his neck
You can see his charisma from space.
if there were a monument built in his honor in the Fairfax district, Farmers Market would close… due to poor attendance.
His hands feel like rich brown suede.
He once made an obnoxious Mime say shut up at the Grove
He does not snore, not even a little
On every continent he has visited, there is a sandwich named after him.
Sharks have a week dedicated to him.
Google uses him for reference
When he throws out the branches trash it is already recycled
Babies ask to have him kiss them.
He once cured a leper with library paste and some lox
…it could go on but…

Roy the manager seems it best to either ignore my phone calls or give my phone number straight to collections instead of fixing their mistake as he told me he would look into. I find it dishonest and in bad service to hide from something that was not my fault as he and i discussed. I will never step foot into this library again and have no respect for Roy. Its a shame as grew up reading and spending my time as a child in the best place in the world, the library.

This is a small library and honestly I have only gone here to do things with Miss Mila. It is very rare I need to check books out for myself and I would never have time to go hang out there. They have a great little children area and we can always find plenty of good choices for books. The staff is amazing. Super friendly and helpful.
The story time here is every Wednesday at 10:30am for the infants and toddlers. They have another story time at 11:30am for the older children. This is one of the best story times I have been to. It is a very popular one so their are always a lot of kids, but the lady who runs the story time does great. She is very animated and keeps the kids entertained the whole time. Miss Mila and I go almost every week. Before and after the story time they bring out toys to play with. This library also was able to win some legos which are always fun when they bring them out.
After/​Before story time a lot of the nannies and Moms take the kids to the park which is right across the way. It is a fairly new playground and has sand, so be ready to get a little dirty.
One tip is they have the board books in the back room by the stuffed animals and bean bags.
Another plus is their is plenty of parking. They have free parking and if that fills up there is free street parking.

It’s quite easy to fall in love with this place. My apartment is jealous of this place because I spend more time here.
It’s a charming place that can really harness your productivity to its maximum level. Though it’s a quaint place, the book selection is great! Some people tend to be quite noisy and make a scene though, but at least that doesn’t happen on a day to day basis (I think).

It’s nice and quiet in here, but I like study that way. Friendly staff, clean place, and plenty of room to study.

NIce, clean library, with a SUPER helpful and friendly staff.
What’s not to love about this place!
Seriously,…the staff there really cares about what they do and bend over backwards to help people.
I live closer to the Memorial branch, but this library is much nicer and MUCH quieter!
These are the best City of Los Angeles employees you’ll ever encounter! (;

This is where I come almost 4 times a week to pick up the books I have on hold. I like it when those pick-​ups coincide with the book sale in the entry. That’s deadly: you can always find a good deal and a good book or seven if you browse those shelves on your way out. Not that I need any more books…

The local Library has much going for it, and not just Location, Location, Location.
The staff here is helpful (with varying degrees of cheerfulness). But they’ve been there to assist in getting books to me, for me, for others all without much trouble.
The facility is clean, if a little worn, like a comfy old book. Great video selection, very nice CD rack, and the kids’ books offer much to explore. They do storytime there periodically (so to speak). I’ve never partaken in that, but I’m glad to know that it’s even an option. I finally brought a kid into the kids’ section who looked around and then picked up some books. And then proceeded to read them on one of the cute little tables. (That’s the sound of my heart melting, FYI.)
I appreciate the website for
where you find stuff, renew stuff, order stuff and then pick it up at the Branch of your choice: in my case Fairfax.
So get in there, and if you have kids, help them get their very own Library card.

Friendly staff and a used book section by the entrance. The place has a lot of events for kids. I especially like their used book area. Of course they always paintings done by local artists on their side of the wall. This truly is a gem for the city.

What a pleasant surprise to learn that libraries are for free in the United States. Where I come from we have to pay to become a member and although it’s not too much, we still have to pay.
Fantastic that this means that everybody can just become a member of a library and read as much as they want to. Wonderful !!!
This library on Gardner is a small one, they may not have too much but the librarian will always be able to find that specific book and get it from another branche.
Also, some Saturdays they have booksales for next to nothing.
I buy many books at the Goodwill (some of those books are still brandnew and I pay 50 cents for them) and after reading I donate them to the Library.
Like this one, but am totally in love with the one in downtown LA.

C. and I swung by last Thursday to get our new library cards. The staff was friendly and helpful, and once we were set up – and C. headed home; she had other stuff to do – I poked around a little. There’s a small science fiction section separated from the rest of fiction. There’s a decent collection of manga located near the young adult books. And there’s a good amount of DVDs and CDs for you to choose from, as well.
Most important for newcomers, however, is the section of books on Los Angeles itself! I checked out two: one a history of Angels Flight downtown, and one a look at Wilshire Boulevard circa 1940… Will dip into other area histories instead of buying them (which has been my tendency in the past).
While they have all the normal newspapers you’d expect and need from this location, they don’t have many magazine subscriptions at all, so it’s not great for periodicals. And otherwise, you can get pretty much anything you need via interlibrary loan.
It’s awesome that this is so close to our house, and that it’s on the edge of the park. You can cut through the park to get to it instead of walking down the street. I’m sure this’ll become part of our weekend ritual. Can’t wait to bring my son here to check out the children’s section!
Books check out for three weeks.

I too love LAPL. In fact I volunteer to read to the children there and it really does one’s heart good to see their little faces beam, their eyes light up when they see me and hear me. Even their mums come and listen, loving my british accent!
The staff working at the Fairfax Library are not only experts in their field but some of the most caring people I have come across in a long time. It is a shame that visitors come into the library and give these people such a hard time! I have never experienced rudeness in any library around the world but here is los angeles. Our fair city of angels that maybe are sleeping!
I was fortunate last year to have two very special kiddies from Korea come to me every Tuesday — they listened attentively and then started reading with me. I showed them how use their voices, how speaking quietly gets more attention than the usual loud way they are taught at school and from watching stupid TV programmes. They also learned how to speak proper English, pronouncing words like going to instead of gonna and such like. By the end of the year, they were reading so well, and it kind of broke my heart to see them go — they had to return to Korea. For many a long time after they left, I would sit at story time in the library and look up and imagine I could see them come running towards me, big smiles on their faces and so much loving in their hearts. I still miss them.
Hannah and Abigail, their Mum and I appeared on a Los Angeles City Library DVD which was used to get funding for the libraries across the city. We ended up in a 3 minute segment but it was fun to watch.
Sometimes I get rude little children and that is such a shame as they have learned it from their parents, or TV shows. I get up from the table and refuse to read to them.
Now I am reading to very young ones and once again the joy of reading is back as I share my loving with them through the spoken word.