Columbus Metropolitan Library – Parsons Branch

This is a very small branch, but convenient if you’re in the area. I stop by once in awhile to get the papers, and browse a bit. Really not my first choice, but it’s right on Parsons so it’s handy sometimes.
Parking is okay, behind the building. Selection is, frankly, scanty. Service is friendly. If I need more than the papers, I just go to the main branch.

This is a pretty small branch of CML, but you can always request items from other branches, so it doesn’t matter too much. The library did buy a plot of land nearby to build a new Parsons Branch, so be on the lookout for that.
Everyone is very friendly here. The computer area is ALWAYS busy, so if you need to use them, come ahead of time to make sure you can snag a spot!
The children’s area doesn’t have nearly as much to offer as the other branches, but they do what they can with the small space.

I’m staying with some friends over in German Village, so this is the closest branch of CML. I really like being able to walk here from Schiller Park to pick up my holds. The building is pretty compact, and the collection is quite small, due to space constraints and computer stations taking up the front area. There isn’t a whole lot of general seating — a few armchairs and a laptop bar seating area. The YA collection consists of just a few shelves near the front, and the general fiction and non-​fiction collection is pretty small as well. There are shelves around the perimeter dedicated to African-​American literature, romance, large print, and new releases, as well as a few small revolving racks of DVDs and CDs. Fortunately, you can order books from anywhere in the Columbus Metropolitan Library collection to be delivered here at no charge. So even if you don’t find anything through browsing, there’s no excuse for walking out empty-​handed.
Staff can range from apathetic to engaging, though I usually am at least greeted when I walk up to return books.

I like to go here a lot because it is so close to work. They provide such a wonderful service to the community, and take every precaution so you can you feel safe.

Yeah, the part of Parsons that this branch is located in is not the greatest. And yes this branch is mostly dvds, cds, and crappy romance novels. But you can order anything you want from the whole CML system and have it delivered, the librarians are awesome (including the Columbus poet Scott Woods), and you can pick up a copy of the current The Other Paper and the Alive there. There’s a small parking lot (free) and a meeting room if you need it (also free). It doesn’t begin to compare to the downtown branch but if you don’t feel like dealing with paying for parking or going downtown this is a great alternative.

A beacon of hope in an otherwise desolate landscape. Do you remember that Sesame Street song «One of these things is not like the other things, one of these things just doesn’t belong». Perhaps Cookie Monster had taken a visit to this library. The building is beautiful, the people are nice, and the collection is decent, that is until you include the full collection of the Metro library system which brings it up to awe-​inspiring!
This library deserves better. The problem is that most people wouldn’t feel safe walking to it, relaxing inside of it, or, frankly, bringing their wallet with them when they visit.