Sunnyvale Public Library

Very spacious, good and new books, helpful staff, free wifi, open all 7 days a week, user-​friendly books checkout and return system.

Staff is Helpful. Place is nice and quiet. I enjoy coming here for getting homework done. They’ve got many tables for laptop use.

Good library with free Wi-​Fi. However, the worst thing here is the number of homeless people which is turning the library into a dump and leads to laptops getting stolen. I find signs of «take care of laptops» everywhere. Instead how about not letting homeless people in ?
The homeless people also smell which causes library patrons to complain .
Other than that I really like that people here are friendly and open and also liberal. However, library is not as good as Cupertino library.

They have so many great books and a great children’s section. But very often the system goes down and you can’t check out books or return them. At first I couldn’t get a card because I just moved here and was a non person. After begging for four weeks to get a card, they suggested they mail me a self addressed postcard, and after that I became a real person. So try that first if you move here, ask for a self addressed post card and they mail it to you free of charge.

The Sunnyvale library is large and sunny with plenty of parking. From the outside it does not look very large but once you enter you realize that it is a large modern building. It is full of nooks, crannies, and alcoves which help the sound from carrying from one part of the building to the next.
The children’s area is a nice size and has cute decorations. There is a reference desk that sits between here and the young adult section for quick and easy service. They actually have a real dedicated teen areas, which many libraries do not have. It is small but has a decent looking collection.

The Sunnyvale resident pay the tax to run the library. The staff vs. reader, reader vs. reader. The old man cleaner check out the restroom but watch people pissing. And readers have physical fighting inside the library. Should be no violence administration.

Only one for SV. Kinda old fashion but very informative. Parking is a breeze.

Wonderful staff and great public library environment. Please support the library by attending events, buying the used books and donate. Our community benefits so much from their great free programs and team members.

A lot of books, resources, and educational material but it feels a bit outdated compared to mountain view. Story time is very popular at 11am, and there’s so many mom’s and kids in the rec room that you feel a little bit claustrophobic being there. Kids area is always busy with kids, mom’s, and nannies. Or just people who sit around while the kids play with toys.
I stopped by to do some research on what children enjoy reading from specific ages, when I noticed how many people don’t work in sunnyvale during the day!
Aren’t they lucky ducks?

If you want to enjoy some of the tax money you paid, then Sunnyvale library is one of the places you could enjoy. Books take many different forms. Once you get the library card, you can skip the line and browse the online library. You can find decent number of ebooks and audio books. Check out whatever you like, there’s no lare fees for the online items.

I’ve been going to the Sunnyvale Library since 1979 –the stone age as far as you young Unilocalers are concerned! Lot of changes with the computer age, electronic check-​out, internet searches and holds, and e-​books.
Sunnyvale has grown in size in the last 35 years, but the parking lot has not changed much. The drive through drop off is long gone. The lot is crowded. Pulling out of a spot is always tricky, as many drivers are always in a hurry, and will try to squeeze by you, as you are slowly backing up, hidden behind the innumerable soccer mom minivans and crossovers.
I’m waiting behind two people, each with a child, and each returning 20+ children’s books, one book at a time — it’s as slow as molassis! I return Michael Connelly’s Burning Room, picked out of the 7 day nonrenewable book section, brand new, published just weeks ago.
At the same time, I picked up a book I put on hold, John Sanford’s Deadline, and today picked up Lee Child’s Personal, another brand new novel, that I put on hold.
I have a list of about 20 authors that I follow, and check out their newest release schedule on Amazon, before putting holds on them at

I don’t put holds on the large print volumes, as those fellas with extreme eye sight problems, have no alternative but to read such books, and I don’t want to slow their access.
Right now, I’ve got holds on John Grisham’s Gray Mountain, and Preston & Child’s Blue Labyrinth.
Besides books, they loan out audio books, CDs, DVDs, and electronic books. Got to get them early, as the kids get a hold of all the newest DVD movies right after school.
They have a section of used books for sale: I just picked up a hard cover of Daniel Silva’s ‘The English Girl’, published in February, 2014, for $ 2.
I go to the library like I go shopping, looking only for specific books, often in the hold section. Minimal browsing in the new book section, and the 7 day section. Finishing off Greg Iles 900 page Natchez in 7 days was a real challenge, as I still work 40 hours a week.
I avoid using the bathrooms here, as there is inevitably a puddle in front of all the urinals, probably from the homeless people around here, with bad aim! The women’s bathrooms may be cleaner. My ex-​wife said that the women’s bathroom toilet at the library is cleaner than my toilet at home!
I can dump off books from the Mountain View Library with the accounts people. I used to check out books from affiliated libraries that were not at this library, using the LINK software, until I saw the $ 175 penalty for a lost book!
The library has weekend sales of used books. In the final hours it’s $ 5 a bag, with us opportunistic Chinese folks stacking hard bound books vertically well above the rim of the bag! I stopped doing the $ 5 bag thing, as our house was looking like a book horders, with books floor to ceiling!
The library has lectures and demonstrations. The San Jose Opera puts on 1 hour shows 7 to 8pm maybe twice a year on a weekday, but all the seats are taken by 630pm –doesn’t anybody around here work? We went to a lecture on EV vehicles, with a panel of owners giving their experiences.
Free Wifi here, and they have PCs for internet usage that you can reserve by the hour.
You don’t need to come to the library to check out an electronic book. Electronic books availability depend on the type of reader. Publishers of Amazon books are read off Amazon Fire tablets. Apple publishers books are read off Apple Ipads, etc.
The library shares electronic books with libraries all over Northern California. There are very limited numbers of ebooks, few recent best sellers, and they can only be checked out one at a time. The publishers mandate libraries to renew the ‘license fee’ to loan out that ebook after 26 checkouts or each year in circulation.
There is technologically no reason for such restrictions. The publishers are protecting the billions in investments in the hard copy book selling infrastructure –manufacture, storage, transportation, distribution etc. They are not anxious to have libraries with ebooks bypassing the whole process. The publishers have banded together to enacted rules on the libraries, to keep the number of e-​books low. –it is what it is!
The thief detector electronic exit gate has been around at least 2 decades. Periodically, the alarm rings, and the borrower asked to return. Those who don’t stop are candidates for the local pokey right across the street!

This library has a great selection of books for the topics I’ve been looking at recently and I appreciate that there are many NEW titles being added everyday. Just an example of a few topics I was looking for books in:
1) Leadership in the workplace
2) Urban gardening and backyard homesteading
3) Homemade ice cream (I think there were 15 titles just for this!)
On my visit, we also checked out the children’s section and found several picture books in multiples for kids to check out. I found this very helpful, so that multiple children can have access to the same book. This is especially important in terms of availability and circulation.
I also love the automated RFid checkout system that auto reads all the books you place on the checkout table without having to manually scan them one by one! Super high tech! I also appreciate being able to send an email receipt for the loaned library books. Very convenient to expedite the checkout process.
The summer reading program incentives at every age are nice, with shows for the kids and a free book giveaway as well as a gift card giveaway to downtown businesses for the adults.

Old school college looking library, reminding me of the dungeons of study for me back in the day. I came on a Sunday, and got quite nostalgic for the atmosphere and ambiance, that I might as well get myself a card, and visit every so often.
Impressionable, and relatively quiet, I figured on utilizing the place when I visit friends in the area.

Great library. There’s a certain amount of nostalgia that swells upon seeing the rock CD music collection, as well. Some great spaces with huge windows and nice red brick through-​out.

It’s true, there are many creepers that hang out here which is quite a scare for the younger kids who aren’t always aware of their surroundings. It’s good to know that the Sunnyvale Police station is just right across the street. I have noticed some improvements since the last time I stopped by. They have a few self check-​out stands which are super convenient for those on the go. I also love the fact that I can reserve what I need via online and have it all ready to be picked up (on the shelves-​alphabetically organized by your last name) within 24 hrs. Very convenient and a great time-​saver! They also added a few benches and tables outside the entrance area.

PROS
–Great media selection (CDs, Audiobooks, Movies)
CONS
–Not a quiet place to study and no one seems to want to make that better
–Kids run around like crazy in all sections
–The smells and urine in the bathrooms are ridiculous
–Some staff members seem to have given up on dealing with the public, have witnessed some go off at visitors for asking non-​combative questions… some people should maybe just work in the back, not all are like this, but enough that it is always noticeable
–Creepy people hang out in front of the library

PROS
–Service oriented staff
–Strong Wifi
–Tons of DVDs, CDs, Audio Books
–Excellent patent/​trademark library
CONS
–Homeless Hangout inside and out
–Creepy people sleeping on the comfy lounge chairs
–Dirty bathrooms (always smells like piss — always)
–Not enough men’s restrooms for the capacity size
–Does not allow patrones a closed container drink (coffee, etc). Probably due to homeless sneaking in booze.
HOMELESS MARKED THEIR TERRITORY
The library staff seemed to have lost the battle dealing with homeless people here, and cleaning the bathrooms throughout the day. It’s obvious staff are used to the smell and urine on the floors. So who cares?

I love this library! Wide material selection on many languages for various audiences in different ages. The stuff are really helpful! You can ask them anything and they’ll help you to find what you’re looking for.
Another good thing are their other tools which help you to save time and get a wider coverage. I love the the automated returning and check out system. But mostly, I like the option putting the needed material on hold. Find the needed material online and put it on hold. Then, get an email about arrival and stop by to collect everything! Good reading!

Lovely library. Great place to study.
If you have small kids, they have a pretty good children’s area, and a «hip» teen area too.
It’s a nice place to find a few books, plop down in a chair, and unwind. Believe me, I’ve gone there many times to defrag after a rough week.
I can see this place needing to expand in the near future, as it’s a good size, but still relatively small for this city, that seems to be getting more and more crowded.
It does get crowded with families, but there are lots of little corners and nooks and crannies to bury oneself away in if they need to. Lots of outlets and areas to plug in as well. Free wifi.

A library that’s just okay.
I studied here often during high school for SAT’s, AP tests, and I even had a field trip sometime in grade school.
Pros:
+ The CD selection is wonderful (there’s quite a selection of new albums available).
+ New titles in books (NY Times Bestsellers)
+ Hold system is free and convenient.
+ DVD section has new titles; up to one week borrowing time for recent films.
+Automated borrowing (Can borrow 3 – 4 books at once without individually scanning them!)
+Fast, wi-​fi!
Cons:
–One thing that really bothers me about this library is the smell. There’s this old books/​moldy unpleasant smell. Maybe it’s the brick buildings or the furniture, I don’t know. But a little bit of air flow to neutralize the smell of the library would be lovely.
–Crowded. Recently it’s become competition to get a seat in the library. This wasn’t so much the case a couple of years ago.
–The returning system/​machine (very slow, and can only handle one book/​dvd/​whatever library material at once).