Pasadena Public Library

Must be one of the best libraries in the country. Excellent programs and selection of books. Generally helpful staff. The interior is absolutely beautiful. One of the only programs the City of Pasadena actually get right. This is an amazing resource for our community.

This is the most dirtiest, grossest, dustiest, library, ever! It is safe to say soap or any cleaning product has ever touched this place since the Carter administration! The homeless that congregate in the main hall or in any of the other rooms have access to everything and anything except the shower they desperately need! They touch all the books with their filthy hands, They eat at the main hall and leave greasy fingerprints all over the tables! They smell outrageously! They play electronic games or watch shows all day long, talk to themselves and leer at female patrons and workers who are around!
Avoid the computer room at all cost, that is located in the bottom floor. The place has no windows and it reeks of disgusting body odors. Do not take your children down there as it is, the filthy, watch porn and apparently it is not against the law to watch it in public where other patrons or children can see it.
The elevator smells unbelievably atrocious, and if you look carefully you will see yellow spots everywhere. Same with isolated corners of the library. Do not lean on the walls or touch anything at this disgusting place!
Shame on the city of Pasadena and on all those who are placed in charge of this historical gem, for allowing this kind of neglect on this beautiful building. Political correctness has gone to their heads and allowed this place to become home to disgusting, and gross behavior.
If you suffer from allergies stay clear of this place. The books are covered with dirt! The place smells of mold not to mention other disgusting things.
One last thing, If you check out any book from here, make certain to use Clorox wipes or some kind of antibacterial solution on it. And never ever take the book to your bed to read!
Don’t say you were not warned!!!

Wonderful architecture and passionate, friendly staff. Free parking in the back, coffee bar on the side.
I need to spend more time here, but a wonderful place to try and get lost. Plenty of seats throughout and you can easily just get some quiet time to yourself.
Plus sign up for a library card and access free ebooks and audiobooks online!

I love the beauty of this library, and have gotten many a wonderful book from this location… but it us truly a homeless haven! Such a shame, that no one seems to care that this library is basically catering to the homeless rather than people who want to use the library in a legit way. The police station is right across the street, but either everyone’s hands are tied or no one cares. I wish this historic library would get the respect and love it so deserves.

looks like I’m going to return here. I like the arrangement. Classic décor and free wifi. Choice!

This library is beautiful, although it could use a good thorough cleaning. They have a very good book selection and their hours are quite convenient.
Their biggest problem is the influx of homeless people who are always there. I’m not judging them and I even sympathize with their plight, however, it’s very difficult to concentrate when several of these homeless people use the establishment as their daytime sleeping quarters. The sound of their snoring will resonate throughout an entire study room! I wish the staff would do something about it like wake them up and let them know it’s disturbing other patrons. I understand that they’re homeless and tired, but some of us are there to STUDY and READ, which is what a library is for. Libraries aren’t hostels! Some of the homeless people go to this library everyday, all day and they can be scary. I’m not joking. They talk to themselves and yell out vulgarities or try to start fights with people who are paying them no mind.
I had a woman who reeked of marijuana literally try to fight me over a table while her children were present. It’s crazy! Get some class, lady!

I love this library. So many places to sit, study, and get your read on. The architeture of the place makes me feel like I am in Law School. And there are TONS! of books. Most of the desk have outlets underneath or nearby so finding a place to charge your phone/​laptop is never an issue. The place is usually dead silent minus the occasional ring of someones cell phone. My favorite place to sit is outside in the café area. There are several tables for sipping coffee, reading, and doing work on your computer. Did I mention FREE parking! Thats 1 start right there.

I think this place has high ratings because of the décor. This place looks like something from a harry potter’s book. It is so beautiful with antique details. Basing just on the way it looks, it deserves some stars.
Now for the other reasons why I DON’T give it any stars, it’s because this place is musky and filthy. It has got to be the dirtiest library I have ever been to, and that sucks to say because the place has potential to be so beautiful. A library is suppose to be quiet, but a lot of the people that go here do not follow that rule. I’ve heard people arguing for hours when I was trying to study. It was so bad, and the librarians would shush them and do nothing further. It was horrible, it’s not a place to go to if you need some peace and quiet. I get it, it’s a library a public place for anyone to go to. I just wish some people had a little more respect for others.

It’s been a long while since I’ve stepped foot in one of these places, not since racking up exorbitant fees at the Culver City, Westwood and Santa Monica public libraries (can’t seem to remember to bring those darn books back). :(
Even though I’ll likely never check out books here, the PPL seems like a great place for those that need a quiet place to sit, study, ponder the universe, etc. Sort of reminded me of a smaller version of the Powell Library at UCLA where I spent countless nights writing last-​minute papers back in the day (go Bruins!). There’s a outdoor café on the first floor as well and a small section you can buy used books for a $ 1.
If you want to work and are easily distracted, I’d avoid the first floor as it’s obviously the busiest with all the books being checked out and people milling about. However, the rest of the floors offer a variety of inviting little nooks to study/​work with minimal disruption and tons of available outlets to power up.
On a side note, this location (haven’t yet been to the other neighborhood branches) attracts a considerable amount of homeless people without regular access to showers. Just FYI.
Lots of parking options: the lot behind the library, meters, or the nearby parking structure.
If you need some peace and quiet, can’t go wrong with this place. :)

What an enormous library! You could easily get lost in here. The main hall reminds me of the Monsters University library and there are many corridors specialization in different categories. One thing that is different at this library is that all their dvd’s are separated by age. Most Disney cartoons are in the children’s section, old school black and white movies and documentaries are in the adults, and the remaining in the young adults. Enjoy!

Pro: Free WiFi, no library card needed.
Con: The odor of unwashed bodies all over the first floor…

OK this is a spot I literally grew up in. But I only give it a 3 because of the pungent odor you smell when you walk in, and throughout most of the library. I’m like wait a minute… are u serious?!? You can’t put some type of air freshening devices throughout this extremely popular library? It’s completely gross when you walk in from the back parking lot.
Other than that, it’s a great library. It’s old as heck though. They haven’t upgraded. So each long table has only 1 electrical receptacle. And that one has the lamp plugged into it! I’m like, OK it’s 2015. Get some electricians in there and put new outlets all over this library! It has WiFi at least! Ok… that’s an honest quick review of the library. I’m here now. My nose has adjusted to the smell, so let me get to some work.
Wait…I’m back. I gave this 3 stars but sadly I have to take an entire star away and NOW GIVE IT A 2 STAR, due to the horrendous men’s restoom! This restroom may as well be a public park restroom in the ghetto it smells so bad! You know how I complained about the general atmosphere having a bad odor? Well that odor smells like roses and Jo Malone perfume, compared to what it smells like once you open the door of the Men’s bathroom! This may be the only indoor public restroom that smells worst than a Porto potty!!! THE OWNERS SHOULD BE FINED for keeping such a horrible smelling dirty bathroom!
Grant it, the library also has a huge homeless population. The mentally ill, and homeless alike find this library to be a safe haven. They spend lots of time in the bathroom… maybe taking baths in the sink and taking dumps on the toilet seats… I don’t know… but when I walk in… mind you its very small… there were 3 homeless men in there shuffling around… and another coming in. This is not a dig at them whatsoever. If I had a choice of being outside in 100 degree weather, or in air conditioned area sleep on the library soft chairs, I would choose the library too.
But then it gives the library that ambience. But hey, it is what it is.

I’d like to start off by saying that I go to libraries to study. With that said, this library was not designed for students like me who likes studying in complete silence. The first floor was the loudest with people checking out books, and librarians giving out information. The second floor was where the restrooms were located.
Restrooms stalls were small with swinging doors. Décor of the library had a very old venetian feel to it. Everything looked like it was made out of oak. The library has this weird smell to it. Some parts if the library smelled of books (which I enjoyed) but some parts of the library like the first floor smelled like smelly old people. A hint of sweat, dash of BO, and pinch of uncirculated air.
I stayed on the third floor for the most part and I had this one guy playing on his phone the whole time, sit across from me (oh and he definitely smelled like armpits.) This place although great to sit in on a Sunday with a book, cup of coffee, and no deadlines, it’s not so great for students.
Population mostly consisted of persons 30 – 50 y/​o.

This spot is easily one of the fanciest libraries I’ve visited. It’s very hogwartzy and certainly impresses — the collection of books is ginormous and the number of desks is ample. This is very ideal for a study location! Outlets are plentiful and wifi is strong as well. I can practically sit here all day and cram cram crammm.
A lot of other public libraries would tend to have individuals getting tutored, kids chattering, or generally have background noise going on. This library however is dead silent and to me, silence is golden :-).
Well maintained, beautiful atmosphere, and free parking. I like it here!

Huge spacious library that does not run out of space. Lots of computers and not to mention the super fast wifi they got, its better than my phone’s 4G LTE or my internet at home. Every table has a lamp lighting and plug outlets for your phone and laptop. AC works good to keep you cool in the summer. I also like the theme of this building, kind of like a historical classic type but with high technology accomodation such as a huge computer room, network printing, scanners, copiers and all that good stuff. I was very impressed by this library. Plenty of parking in the back.

My experience with the Pasadena Library has always been a good one. There are always tables available to sit and study, Or plug in your laptop. The front half of the library is definitely from another time with dark wood and wainscoting throughout, I just know there has to be a secret panel to hidden tunnels somewhere. The back half of the library is an odd 1960s addition, Which kind of feels modular and temporary. Like a mobile home. Overall, I love this library and I’m grateful to be able to use its services.

The children’s area is nice and when there are events in the auditorium I have had positive experiences, this will account for the 1 star.
If you need a quiet place to study, this is not the place. This library is a homeless hangout. I don’t have an issue with the homeless but many of them suffer from mental illness, talk loudly and have loud outbursts. This along with the smell of urine does not make this an atmosphere conducive to studying. I have endured this for a months while studying and today was the last straw. I politely asked a «regular» who lives in the library with his girlfriend to please talk quietly and he became extremely belligerent. I told the library staff, security and administrator who said they can’t do anything and suggested I try and find a new study location. This is shameful! The library administrators can take action and get ‘No Trespass Orders” against disruptive patrons but I get the feeling they don’t care. I will NEVER be back

I was never one of those kids who had parents who wanted them to study 7 days a week at the library to get that straight A report card; I always loved spending time in the library. I love how quiet it is there and you can hear the sound of pages being turned. Nowadays everyone has a Kindle or a Nook and the appreciation of a real book is out the door.
One thing I learned is that the Pasadena Library actually lets you take your coffee, tea, whatever beverage while you peruse the titles. That to me is mind blowing since I literally wake up with a latte in hand. To sweeten the deal of being at the Pasadena library, they have a café inside, so for those of you who don’t wake up with drink in hand, you’re in luck! The library is your new one stop shop to that long study session.
FYI, you can also a lot on their website i.e. searching for a book, requesting a book to your nearest library, holding a book, and even requesting an extension on your checkout. :)

This place will always have a special place in my heart because my fiancé proposed to me here. I personally think it’s a very romantic library.
I think it’s awesome that they have so many fun free events at the library, and the once a month sale for friends of the library where all the books are around $ 1 is awesome!

In college, I spent time at the library… once. This was in my third year. And it was to check out a book on dirty limericks. My card was never used, and I couldn’t be found in their system. So I didn’t hold libraries close to my heart due to this embarrassing incident. Fast forward x amount of years…
…Now that I go to a library because I WANT to, the Pasadena location is my favorite. This was also the first library I came to when I moved to Los Angeles. This older building makes me think I’m in a much more prestigious place than where I actually was during those school years.
While I’ve been away from Pasadena for so long, I’ve since joined up with the Burbank location on Buena Vista, the Santa Monica Central Library and the West Hollywood one, library slut I’ve become. True, the West Hollywood location is part of the County of Los Angeles chain, which means there are a ton of locations to pull materials from, but the Pasadena one still seems to satisfy every visit. I feel everything I’ve looked for can actually be found here, and I don’t have to wait for it to come in from a different branch. I even spent a couple hours in the lower level ‘basement’ where there are some slightly outdated periodicals.*
Parking: I used to have the privilege of walking here but now as a commuter, they have a lot off Garfield Ave. where you enter through the back of the library. I had to go around a couple of times on a weekday afternoon looking for a spot but it was nothing compared to most places, even though it’s finals week for the local schools. I think it’s 3 hours free but I’d check just to make sure.
*Bonus: I was also searching for a very specific article, and had to browse through several copies of People. I checked a neighboring magazine bin just to make sure it wasn’t misplaced by accident, and lo and behold… the one issue I needed was in there. Even misplaced, this places has the largest selection I have seen. Score!