E. P. Foster Library

This library has a vast selection of books and media (CDs and movies) available and the staff is normally approachable and helpful. Sometimes the new publications can be very difficult to find and are not catalogued correctly. The wifi is very hard to connect to and there are few places to plug in a laptop. There are no computers for public use but some for library catalog searching. The location is frequented by transients being in the downtown area so be aware of that and there is no air conditioning so it can get very hot. In fact they closed early a couple of weeks ago due to the heat. The library in Oxnard is much better but this one is good to pick up or buy books and scram.

I arrived too late, it’s closing time… I need to find another place to study… I use to study at barnes and noble!!! They use to have tables you could sit at and study, I guess I can go to starbucks, maybe I can study there?

My go to spot for travel books, music, and arcane books. I love books so I wander the shelves and try out a new author, all for free. Their online services are amazing. If I am looking for a specific book like a Ngaio Marsh’s book which seems to be out of print, I go online, place a hold, and after they email me, it is waiting for me at the holds section.
There is even a little bookstore inside where you can buy paperbacks cheap for that long plane ride when you don’t want to use up your tablet batteries.
Some of the non-​fiction books on the shelf I recognize from high school (and no, I won’t tell you how long ago that was), but sometimes a book is just better and more in depth than any Google search when I just want to know about something. This library does have a large new book section, so they do try and keep up to date.

Located downtown. Great selection of kids books! A lot of early readers we didn’t have at our old library in OC. There was no fee to get a library card, but they do require an ID with current address. Parked in front at the metered parking, but I’m going to check out other parking next time.

Spoiler Alert: this place is like Netflix but for books. They even have literary versions of movies that have not even come out yet like Hunger Games: Mocking Jay, Gone Girl and The Hobbit. I could see these becoming real popular, even though you must know how to read to enjoy it. Minus one star for not streaming instantly.

I sadly admit — I haven’t utilized a library since my long-​gone college days (when living in a loud sorority house in Isla Vista rendered it completely necessary). But I am stoked to be taking advantage of my tax dollars — here, I can access computer usage FREE and printer print-​outs at only .10/​page — my grand total for 1 hr on their computer and 2 prints: $ 0.20 — YEEEHAWWW! (Just last week, I paid $ 4.84 at Kinko’s for 8 measly miniscule mins of computer usage and 2 printer pages!) BUT WAIT: There’s more!!!
I checked-​out the DVD selection at EP Foster Library and found 5 wonderful movies to rent — for 3 weeks! Grand total for 5 DVD’s rental for 21 days: $ 0.00 (can I get a «YEEEHAWWW»!!!)
I used to think the $ 1/​day for 1 DVD rental was cheap. I — realistically speaking — never get around to watching the movie until the next day; THEN i usually miss the [very impractical] 6pm return-​time deadline. So I realistically end up paying at least $ 2.15 or $ 3.21 (dont forget these rentals are taxed) for 1 single DVD for 2 or 3 days’ rental. Those days are OVER — from now on, its 5 DVD’s for 21 days for FREE — THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO OUR OWN TAX DOLLARS WE PAY, TO FACILITATE FINE ESTABLISHMENTS LIKE EP FOSTER LIBRARY!

Brought my kids here to find books to take home. There Is such a wide selection for youngsters. it’s great. My daughter got her 1^st library card and it was so easy to get too. The checkout system is so easy. We are excited to go home and read our books and go back! We love the library!

I’m not impressed with the book selection of this library. For the tax base Ventura presumably has, the library system could be waaaaayyyyy better.
I also am not a fan of their renewal system. They cap how many weeks you can have a book out and you are unable to renew even if no hold has been placed on the book. It has to go back on the shelf for 24 hours before you can check it out again.
On the plus side, interlibrary loan is available and unlike the Santa Barbara library system, they don’t charge you for that service or for branch to branch transfers.
It would be great to see Ventura pour more money into their library system so that we could all benefit from better books and a more spacious study space. Compared to the Camarillo library space and others I have seen around the country, Ventura’s system is nothing to write home about…

Being one of only two libraries in Ventura, E.P. Foster is really stepping up their game. Their selection has grown so much in the past few years and the kids section upstairs is amazing. Keep up the good work!

I started coming here to tutor some kids and it’s become a designated study area for me. The second floor is a great area if you have kids and want to motivate them to study. You can talk and pick a book from the shelfs as study aids. The best thing is that the second floor is ONLY for kids and adults with kids. If you’re a person who thinks you can get away with it you’ll be wrong. They strictly monitor the upstairs area to prevent adults with no children from staying upstairs. The first day I came to tutor they asked me if I had any kids with me. They’re serious about their KIDS ONLY rule.
When I’m not tutoring, and only studying, I love coming here because the free parking area is adjacent to the library so you don’t have to worry about parking and paying on the street. They have free wifi that has consistent strong signal. Plus, they have a great stock of comics and graphic novels which I hardly find in other libraries. I have checked out history books along with Batman comics. They also have a wide selection of DVD’s.
I’ve been looking for a place to study in Ventura for a while now and it’s awesome that I found it in Downtown Ventura. There are restaurants close by and on a nice sunny day you can walk down to the beach.
In regards to the library, I love their wide selection of books. Plus, you can place orders from other libraries to get out-​of-​stock books. The staff has been extremely friendly to me. Regardless of some of the «interesting» people that come in that can test a person’s patience, the staff is cordial to everyone.
The cons: 1) they need to monitor their online catalog; 2) improved monitoring of their public computers. 1) The online catalog will say they have a book, but when I go looking for it it is either in another section or actually out of stock. 2) I normally bring my laptop, but when I leave my laptop at home, and decide to use a public computer, they’re normally taken by someone watching YouTube videos for like 40 minutes.
Love this place! Going to continue coming here for tutoring or to study.

I am a mom of 12-​year olds, and they can always find plenty of books at the library. The area for kids (toddler to young adult) is upstairs and completely segregated from the adult area. This has given me peace of mind when I let my kids roam the stacks. Adults are not allowed upstairs unless they are tutoring or with their children. I even have to go downstairs to use the restroom. AND they police it: once when I was reading alone at a table while my kids were searching for books, I was approached to see if I was alone or not. I appreciate this for the safety of our children.
There are also DVDs and videos to check out, which we have used as an alternative to paying at a video store. The upstairs is clean and friendly.
I have not spent as much time in the adult area downstairs. There seem to be a lot of DVDs and nonfiction, but I have found myself frequently confused with the shelving system when looking for a favorite fiction author. That said, the desk staff is always helpful when I need it.

Before I bit the bullet and had internet service at home, I was dragging my happy ass and homework to the Foster E P library on Main Street.
Perks:
+Free wi-​fi. You get the best signal if you sit near the center pillar on the first first floor… We all like a little in-​and-​out, but not when it comes to our internet connection.
+Public computers for your internet surfing needs.
+As Jack said: A shitload of books! Seriously, I got a gift card to Barnes and Noble for Christmas and couldn’t find anything I wanted to buy because my first thought was: I’ll just go to the library – duh!
+public restrooms – but be warned: some people are backin some serious chocolate cadillacs out of the rear garage.
The people who frequent this library are *eclectic*… but it’s Main Street, ya know?

I got my new Ventura County library card!!!
This close-​to-​home branch has a shitload of books, thousands of DVD’s, plus over 20 computer workstations for web surfing, job searching, or even
just because you love it so. [1]
For some of you that haven’t tried reading an actual book for enjoyment purposes, give it a shot. As far as I’m concerned, there’s few activities more relaxing than kicking back and reading a couple of chapters uninterrupted.
Footnote:
[1] A gutless attempt to protect that little red badge of cholesterol courage that I’ve earned at great personal expense.