Mt. Pleasant Neighborhood Library

Librarians not allowing strollers in children's sections. It is hard to manouver through the library with a little baby while watching older kids at the library. We will be happy to wipe the salt off the wheels of the strollers. We tried the other two levels below, but they did not have any problem. Not sure why this is a problem in kids section.

Pros: - Beautiful architecture - Comfy chairs to sit in - Lots of natural light Cons: - This location fails at being a library. There are no quiet spaces to read. Every spot in the library is too loud to enjoy a book, which is what a library is for.

Able to get a library card, but had to do the process on my own virtually instead of with staff. They also seemed unhappy to be there. Generally just had unpleasant interactions with them and they were belittling when rejecting me from getting a meeting room same day. These were my first interactions at this library so pretty poor first impression.

A while ago I wrote an unfavorable review. Since then I've been to the library many times and its necessary to provide a more accurate update. I've been going to the library on a weekly basis to borrow books and to reserve a room for a private language class that my son takes. The private study and conference rooms are clean spacious and usually available for reservation. Books that are not available in the library can be easily requested and placed on hold when they arrive. I receive timely emails regarding the reserved rooms and when the books arrived. The library is spacious and welcoming. The staff is always helpful and available.

Good neighbourhood library, with plenty of reading spaces. Has a pretty decent fiction collection and the building has high-ceilings and is well-lit. Wheelchair-accessible entrance. Drawbacks: The bathrooms are always a little dirty. Can get crowded and noisy in the afternoon.

I’m giving the library a 1 star because the staff here have bad customer service skills. I’ve had great interactions at the Georgetown location (the librarian at Gtown saw me checking out films and gave me a recommendation that became one of my favorites as an alternative example). That’s the difference between librarians loving their job and seeing it as a service to the community and those just ended up there. I have only had weird or negative interactions at Mt P. They don’t look at you as a human being and bark at you when they don’t want you to do something. The staff is on a major power trip. Just go to pick up and drop off.

This is a beautiful building with large windows, solid wood chairs and tables and high ceilings. It is quiet and I've spent weeks writing here very happily. The staff are mostly friendly and the users are a mixed bunch but I've met some wonderful people. All in all, a very special place. Would certainly recommend!

Seems every patron here that melanated is viewed as homeless. Not that it should matter, but this staff is definitely split. From the really friendly, helpful, and kind staffers to the cort, unhelpful, and negative staffers who seem to have an attitude before " What do you want?, You're bothering me from doing something else I should be doing dismissive." Itz a vintage place, attractive building, but the aura in the air is a bit choppy. Kinda hit or miss here..Depends on the day..the weather... something?...

Open every sing day, Mount Pleasant Library is a true neighborhood library. Housed in a historic building with a new renovation and extension, its rooms are filled with books, magazines and art. The first floor has plenty of room to spread out and read in quiet. The kids section is on the second floor and comes with two reading nooks decorated with vintage murals.

A fantastic library, especially with recent renovations and the full re-opening after the early pandemic days. I deeply appreciate that I could check out books even during the worst of the pandemic and these books even arrived in a timely manner. The library has a good book selection, especially for a branch library, and the staff are helpful. The library website for ILL is extremely user-friendly and easy to place holds.

I haven't been to the library in a hot minute but my Internet went out yesterday and I was looking for a good place to work since I work from home. I remembered that my library card needed to be renewed so I figured I would kill two birds with one stone. I went onto the website and reserved a study room (one with a window to let in some natural light) and the website is shockingly easy to use and I love that they have pictures of the different rooms so you get a preview of what to expect. I made my reservation and then came and checked into the circulation desk and got my library card renewed and picked up some Covid tests (which they have available for free on Wednesdays and Thursdays). I went downstairs and checked in to my meeting room where I posted up for a few hours. The meeting room that I was in was completely silent and spacious and I was able to get a lot done despite not having my second monitor the way I do at home. I love books and I forgot how comforting it is to be surrounded by them. I didn't check anything out because I mostly read through my Libby app now, but I did wander the stacks enjoying the feel of being surrounded by so many books. Every staff member that I interacted with was really friendly and helpful and I noticed they had a lot of literature on upcoming events and activities as well as other outreach opportunities in the community (especially for those who speak languages other than English). I definitely see myself spending a lot more time here in the future

First off, GREAT responsive staff at this branch. Helpful, communicative, great help in problem-solving (intricacies of interlibrary loan). As other reviewers have mentioned, it is great that the renovation preserved and incorporated the older existing building. It is true that there is a lot more open space and that sort of tajes the place of book stacks, but in COVID/Flu times I am very happy with the amount of open space, AND it is super easy to put a book on hold on the library web site and pick it up at Mt Pleasant branch when it comes in.

I have a lot of love for my local library branch. It's a beautiful old building, cozy inside, and I go there pretty often. It has everything you expect from a library, though this isn't the biggest branch: two floors of books, computers to use, yoga sessions, movie screenings, bilingual classes, coffee conversation groups, etc. They also have used book sales on the third floor with some frequency. However, I have one gripe with DCPL at large: I have never been able to just go take out the book I want. I always have to be on a wait list, sometimes behind over a hundred people. Even for books that came out years and years ago, I have to wait days or weeks to take it out. This is a common occurrence for everyone I talk to. Clearly the library system in DC needs more funding for inventory!

The basement is the best place to read a book and the librarians are really helpful.

Update: the Story Time for kids is really awesome. And FREE. This is one time when I really feel my DC tax dollars are going to work. If you have a baby in the area, I recommend giving it a try for sure. Our kid goes there frequently now, and comes back much happier. They also have a room for kids to play in after the story time, so it's a chance for babies or toddlers to socialize a bit, play with toys, and get out of the house. The basement area is also a decent alternative to a coffee shop for writing or doing some work, as there's free wifi and tables. Warning, though - there are some people who talk to themselves, or play music not exactly through headphones that can be distracting. Also just a personal note - I really like the architecture of this place that blends the traditional limestone with modern touches like the glass stairs.

I love this library. It is quiet and has a lot of seating. As part of the DC library system, the holds , checkout, and dropoff processes are efficient and easy to use. One thing worth noting is the entrance is off to the side--not at the façade of the building where you would think it'd be.

I love this library but I love most libraries and bookstores. There are so many wonderful community programs offered, I can speak specifically to the children's programming, which I highly recommend. They offer bilingual story time in Spanish, a story time with dogs and play groups throughout the week. Sometimes it gets crowded and you won't be allowed into the "inner circle" of the activity I recommend being a few minutes early.

The Mount Pleasant Library is lovely! My husband has been a big fan the 2.5 years we've lived in Mt. P, and after having a baby, I am recently in love with the place myself. The library was completely redone in 2012 and it is just gorgeous. The building is modern, spacious, clean, and best of all, very functional. I am now most familiar with the children's floor, the 2nd floor, which is so lovely. The staff is so friendly and they just offer so many programs for everyone from babies to older kids. There are two other floors for adults and teens, so basically this library has a place for everyone. It is easily my favorite place to go in Mt. Pleasant. If you haven't been, definitely go!

Grateful for your continued service during these strange times. Today I picked up books I had requested online for hold from around the library system. I entered the foyer and introduced myself to a staff member sitting at a table behind plexiglas. While I waited there she went back into the library to retrieve the items and check them out on my account for me. I had also read on the website about the printer service so had sent an email the night before. The pages were also ready for pickup. She gave me everything I requested in under five minutes in the foyer. Great service online and in-person. Thank You!

A great little library to get some work done. They have a lot of seating, computers, etc. The staff is also very helpful, even patient with those who don't quite understanding how computers "work". If you need a place with Internet to get some work done, just walk in and grab a spot.