Inwood Library

Recent renovations place Inwood Library among the most stunning in the entire NYPL system. The branch is spacious, with plenty of room for quiet reading, study and computer use. There are private study rooms available for reservation, and large dedicated areas for children and teens. There are bathrooms and water fountains on both floors. Upstairs you’ll find more workspace, an Adult Learning Center and a community/meeting space. This library is for everyone.

It's a really nice library with two floors and plenty of seating. It can get pretty busy on the weekends. In terms of book selection, there is much to be desired. There are really not a lot of books in this library. Overall a great place to study.

Probably the worst Library in New York . No idea how you forget the basics of a Library . Which means quiet while others read. This can’t be real and I’m not referring to patrons . Most of the loud talking and book slamming comes from the people who actually work here. I only use the computer when I go . But I feel sorry for those others who actually need quiet for studying. Don’t do it here

I don't understand. The librarians are extremely loud. I've never seen something like this. They come to the areas where people are studying and speak loud as though there's construction going on. They also slam the books while organizing them. I don't know if they do this on purpose or....

Wonderful library/ resource for our neighborhood. I come often with my infant grandson to the lovely baby/toddler picture book room… The library staff is always welcoming, professional and helpful. My only complaint is that some of the water fountains are not available due to inadequate water pressure (?)… it seems that the contractor needs to resolve this issue but being New York, who knows how long that will take.

Beautiful new space and the warmest, most helpful team of librarians you will find anywhere. There's an extensive selection of brand new books, and anything you're looking for can be delivered here for pick-up. So proud of our neighborhood branch – thank you, NYPL!

I previously gave this library 5 stars but I wanted to change it to 4 stars because it has become quite noisy and even with headphones on, its so loud. There's a guy who works upfront, like i understand he's doing his job and helping people but he's so unnecessarily LOUD. I don't need to hear your booming voice across the room. Whatever happened to inside voices? Positives: The security are friendly and the library itself is really neat and clean.

Not enough bathrooms. Too long a wait to relieve oneself. No paper towels, no toilet seat liners, the bathroom smells, no exhaust system or window, The library itself is bright and inviting. Should have a cafe or a snack bar. Should have a garden outdoor reading area. Should open at 3:00 pm and close at 10:00 pm. Thank you for answering me You haven't dealt with the issue of not enough toilets, no paper towels, no toilet seat liners. Also the library hours serve the staff well but not the community. Children are in school until 3pm. Fathers and mothers work and are home evenings. There has to be a schedule of library hours that serve these major neighborhood populations. It's not only about a nice new building, it's about serving the community well. Please respond to these real important issues

I hope this place never leaves. What I love about Libraries is that they are for everyone. They provide free resources, knowledge, and opportunity for all. I always Show my support for libraries in any way I can. They also have the kids section upstairs with computers for them to learn and play. I always read to them when I can. It's a place where they can do their homework's and not get distracted at home with iPads & the tv. The library gives me as well an excuse to be away from my phone and have some tranquility with peace & quietness. Click here to support your local library http://notes.investinlibraries.org/?utm_source=eNewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_content=Advocacy2018_20180423_StickyNotes&utm_campaign=2018BudgetAdvocacy

I called to inquire on an event for my child and so I wanted to confirm the time and I spoke with a RUDE man named Timothy who was becoming upset cause I had asked him to please check for me. He then had the audacity to ask me for my name when I asked him for his due to his rude attitude towards me. It's so sad to see this library has ignorant people working there.

This library and the amazingly awesome staff (especially Eric) exceeded my expectations! I'm currently visiting New York on vacation but had a phone interview scheduled as well (crazy I know). I was freaking out not knowing where was I going to be able to conduct a phone interview in a quiet space in NYC (the land of noise 24/7). Long story short, the team provided me a private study room at the library even tho I wasn't a New York resident and allowed me to reserve the space for a couple of hours while I conduct my phone interview! Thanks again Inwood Library!!!

Staff was super friendly and I was able to fill out a form and get my library card in under 10 minutes. (You need to have a photo ID and a piece of mail with your name on it.) Used the card catalog search to find the section featuring books on The Cloisters books were exactly where the catalog claimed and was able to use self checkout. Thanks New York Public Library!

I stopped in because I had just finished a book off my summer reading stack and wanted something new. Little did I know what I had hoped would be a quick side trip to my local library would turn into a time consuming, frustrating ordeal. First, a note about the library itself. The selection here is kind all over the place covering an eclectic mix of topics and languages, but that's at largely a reflection of the community it serves. On this fine afternoon I scanned the fiction looking for anything interesting and ended up choosing two books. I took my selections and stood in line. Checking out took forever. I must have waited 25 minutes, and there were only 4 people in front of me. When I finally get to the front the clerk a young man, tells me I have fines on my account. This was news to me because the last time I had taken out a book I have made a point of paying off all my late fees and I knew I didn't have any books out. He said the computer was telling him I had fine, but it wasn't from this library and he didn't know which one. He asked me if I had any idea library it might be. I have patronized several city libraries over the years so I had no to tell. The young clerk directed me to an older woman at the other end of the desk. I walk over and I ask her if she can give me details, what, where, when, etc. Cue the "I don't know anything, I just work here" responses. I am generally very polite to anyone dealing in anyway with customer service, but this woman drove me nuts. Me "Can you tell me what library the fines came from?" Her "I don't know, the system doesn't tell me that." Me "Can you tell me when the fines were incurred? Even just a year or a range of year like before 1990 or something?" Her "I don't know, the system doesn't show me that." Repeat ad naseum. She did mix it up a few times by telling me there the had been changes and a new system, but this new system apparently is designed to not actually tell her anything, except that I have a $20 fine that came from nowhere with no date for nothing. Awesome. The woman types some more stuff into the recalcitrant system, and eventually coaxes the system that doesn't tell her anything to tell her things. She checks a list of codes for the various libraries (There is a list where a librarian can look up what code corresponds to what library! Isn't that handy?) Now I know the where and why. I kicked myself as soon as the question came out of my mouth, but I dared to ask, "what book?". Guess what her answer was. While the librarian wrestled with the NYPL's equivalent of HAL 9000 (I'm sorry, Ms. Librarian, I can't do that) I noticed a sign that said that the NYPL was in the process of combining various sets of records into an uber-system. I realized that what had most likely happened is that the records from various branches, including older records, had been combined into one big database accessible to all the branches. But I'm guessing this integration was imperfect and/or incomplete. If she had said "We have a new system now and older records from other libraries are appearing in it, but the records are incomplete" instead of "I don't know, it doesn't tell me that" we'd have both been a lot happier. What truly frustrated me was that "I don't know" really meant "I could find out at least some of what you are asking, but I don't feel like looking it up, so I'm going to keep saying I don't know until you take the hint and leave." Now, for the upshot. The woman removed my fine, without my asking, I suspect because she wanted me to go away and stop asking her questions. So why am I complaining? It was her attitude. I was clearly inconveniencing her by asking her questions and forcing her to get NYPL 9000 to cough up the info. I'm truly sorry her system was poorly designed. I work in computers and so I sympathize when workers find technology to be a hindrance instead of a help. But good service isn't about the technology, its about the people and how you treat them.

What does one rate when one rates a library? They transfer books, have dvds... what more do you want? The staff is rough around the edges, not rude, just rough around the edges. Go forth and read a book, reviews are not literature.

I love the Inwood Library...great staff of pleasant and helpful folks. The only drawback is that events for kids held on the second floor can fill the entire ground floor with noise. So you can't really plan to read at this library. But they have a good DVD selection, and I get things sent to Inwood from other branches so I don't need to run all over NYC. Again, it's the staff that makes the Inwood branch a great place.

It's the library. Nice staff. The usual, I mainly just go to drop stuff off and to pick up holds that i get sent to this branch.

If and when I make a list of Places in New York That Cause Me To Fundamentally Question the Point of Continued Existence, this branch of NYPL will definitely be on it. The checkout folks/pages are all surly teenagers as taciturn as the boy in Little Miss Sunshine (without the glimmer of ironic humor behind the eyes). For some reason, the whole place is always coated in a thin layer of grime, as if someone's dirty laundry had been rubbed all over every surface. And, as always, fluorescent lighting makes everything worse. They have a couple of neat-sounding events here: live readings of Shakespeare plays on certain Saturdays, storytime for kids. I've never been to these things, so I can't vouch for them. I can only say that the average experience for a library patron is pretty depressing.

It can be noisy with children sometimes. Fortunately, the children's area is upstairs, away from the grown ups. Also, it's clean and well-lit inside.

This is a great library. The selection at this branch is always great. Whenever I stop by I can find a great new book. Their hours are convenient and the staff is very friendly.

I totally go missing the very first time within this Library, i felt like entering a film studio group of America Hustle. Antique wooden shelves, solid rock floor, echoes of individuals voice. I wander around one hour before settle lower a table to review. Free fast wi-fi compatability, and useful staff. It's a lot more focusing for me personally working here than inside my home. The climate of study. If you are tired just escape and check out the roads of individuals.

Great collection of books in various languages which reflects the community. Super awesome helpful staff. Plenty of comfy nooks to curl up and ride a book. Or you can choose a desk where you can work on your paper, resume etc. All in all this a wonderful library and I consider myself lucky to have it in our community.

used to live in the vicinity, & this library's like around 4 blocks away from my apartment then. it took me sometime to visit this one, though i'd always pass by it to and fro my work. also, it didn't look appealing to me. it looks like an extension of the elementary school, or the high school that i know somewhere is located. it looks like there are always schoolchildren spending their time inside this library, including their nannies/mannies. but when my internet connection got bad, i decided i can use their free wifi connection. it was worth it.