Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library

Gargantuan library/​beautiful building. To be honest I’ve never read or checked out a book but I’m pretty sure they’ll have what I’m looking for when I’m ready. I visited to renew my drivers license at the Drivers License Renewal Kiosk in the lobby. Unfortunately, there’s another person in Connecticut with a name similar to mine with a suspended drivers license, so I was prohibited from doing that, but oh well… such is life.

Having fun isn’t hard, when you’ve got a library card!
I love going to the library. And although I’ve only been to this one twice, they were both good experiences. My most recent visit led to my discovery of the used book store at the front of the building with books that are dirt cheap! I picked up three vintage paperbacks for three dollars (plus tax)!
The BLHCL has a huge selection of books and what I consider an impressive selection of graphic novels and comic books. At my previous library in Utah they had slimmer pickings.
Also, libraries are known for being helpful to the community and this one is no different.

Yes, the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library is doing great things in the community and all the little branches in the city. I love hanging out at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library especially watching the 901 Teen Center become a success for the teens.

I’ve never been without a place to sit, the facilities are new and well managed.
As an added bonus, there’s a wonderful bookstore downstairs with excellent bargains on books and some of the most helpful staff I’ve ever encountered.
Some of the seating can be a little uncomfortable and there is a shortage of outlets, but other than that, I have no major complaints.

I can remember when this location was being built, and I was so excited when it opened up. While still a beautiful building, I am less impressed with the rest of it. The computers are ridiculously slow and frequently freeze up. The newspaper selection is a fraction of what used to be available. They recently decided to turn the popular (new) books room into a teen center, and now I can’t find new releases anymore. I also had a negative experience with the woman the information desk. I had just gotten my hand crushed in the elevator door (seriously — what kind of elevator doesn’t have a sensor to avoid that??) and the lady at the desk basically said I was an idiot for not pulling my hand out faster. Really? THAT’S your response? I’m used to the ‘smarter’ elevators on campus, and I found her insensitivity incredibly off-​putting.
I am very pro-​library, but I’ll take the tiny location on White Station over this one anyday.

This library is remarkable. The children’s section is enticingly furnished and decorated so that even the smallest bookworms want to spend time there. The children’s librarians seem to really like children (this is not actually the case of all children’s librarians). There are free weekly storytimes for different ages of children (toddlers @10:15 on Wednesdays, preschoolers @10:15 on Thursdays).
There are computers with internet access available for public use, a used bookstore at the entrance, and the «Popular Library» with a selection of digital resources to check out. You can actually take your books into the Popular Library to check out without having to wait in the longer line at the front of the library.
All told, a great library! Go check it out!

This library is huge. To be honest I haven’t really explored too many of the myriad of programs, resources, and sections they have.
We do, however, frequent the children’s section, and go to many of the story times they offer. It’s always a lot of fun for the kids and sometimes even the the grownups! They also have a lot of computers loaded with games that, I feel, are educational and appropriate for kids to play despite being surrounded by books.
I love the bookstore up front, too. It takes a little digging, but usually I walk out with a couple of good gems for cheap. You can never have too many books!
Love this library!

The Benjamin L. Hooks Library is a beautiful building on Poplar Avenue that houses a huge treasure trove of books, music, film, and information. There are 4 floors of books, several meeting rooms, a children’s section, a historical section, a café, and thousands upon thousands of stories just waiting to be read sitting behind those walls.
The children’s section is particularly awesome– a forest of brightly-​colored trees lines the entrance. The section itself is huge, and offers books, computers, a small stain-​glassed reading area in the back, as well as a huge room for Story Time.
Speaking of Story Time, I think the Central Library offers one of the best in the city– a book reading followed by a craft and song and dance. So much fun for the youngsters.

Memphis is a city with a past — a big, messy, important, fascinating past. We’ve got a surplus of history here in the Bluff City, and for those wanting to know more, it can be a bit intimidating.
That’s why I love the Memphis and Shelby County Room at the Benjamin L. Hooks Central Library. It’s a cozy (if a little chilly), quiet room on the 4^th floor that houses documents, records, photos, recordings, and periodicals from Memphis’ past.
There are card catalogs stuffed with photos of Memphis that remind me of an analog Google Streetview. I tried to find a photo of my house, to no avail. If you find a photo that you like, you can make copies, scan it or take photos of it for publication. If you want to read the Commercial Appeal from the day Elvis died, you can. If you want to know who was born, married, or died in Memphis in 1865, you can find it.
Many of the items in the Memphis and Shelby County Room are part of the closed collection, meaning that you’ll have to ask one of the insanely knowledgeable librarians for assistance.
The Memphis and Shelby County room is open during the main library’s regular hours.