Walnut Creek Library

What’s not to like, I love this Library. It’s an excellent library for its Location, Selection, Size, Parking and Amenities. It is in one of the best possible locations close to downtown (just far enough to avoid heavy traffic), right next to a wonderful Park which has kids play area and it has decent sized parking facility on main floor and some more in the basement. There’s a deli place (Café Pica Deli) and a coffee shop as well.
The library it self is a 2 floored facility with lots of books selection, multiple rooms for you to use (private conf or media room). This place has a medium sized room full of computers for you to browse (their Wi-​Fi stinks though), Clean bathrooms.
WC lib has several events for you to attend or become a volunteer to help others. I sometimes go there to get some work done or study and I also take my kid there to read up and play all she wants…
Of course! like any public library you get to check out a ton of books and very friendly staff as well, their website is pretty dated and I wish I could help them improve it.

The beautiful Walnut Creek library is located downtown, and only a few blocks from where I work — I am going to start coming by more often for delicious breakfast! There are rooms that can be reserved for meetings and study groups of different sizes at no cost. The café on the first floor is awesome and two lovely girls cooked me a wonderful breakfast burrito this morning: «The Library», with pesto, egg, cream cheese, and tomato — for just under $ 5. With the addition of a large Peet’s coffee and a bottle of water ($ 1), my day was off to the right start!
Street level of the library has metered parking and the below-​ground garage has pay-​for-​parking stalls. However, after remembering my spot number I had to wait in a line of people for the slow machine that doesn’t take Discover cards.
Noteworthy: there’s a great, free mobile app called overdrive where you can link your library card and hold books at your library, or download e-​books and audio books. Check it out!

Came here to study with the hubby and was impressed. Really nice library with plenty of room to study in a group or even in private. When we finally got situated, the internet connection was so SLOW. There was no way we could have gotten anything done if we stayed, so we ended up leaving.

This is quite a huge and very well maintained public library. There is a main help desk here to help you get a new library card or renew your card or for any other library related questions. The kids and teens section is on the first floor. There are 1 hour computers for reference. You can also talk to the main desk and extend the reservation if the computer is available. There’s a Peet’s coffee on this floor. The second floor has the technology center with computers. The fiction and non-​fiction sections are also here. The reference books section and magazines area are here too. There are comfortable sofas to relax and read. There are workstations with plug points for those who want to bring their own computers. It is absolutely free to borrow books here as far you return them on time. Audio books and DVDs are also available for borrowing. There is free wifi here too. I was never the person that spent a lot of time in libraries but I simply love this one!

We took our grandson to the Walnut Creek Library Storybook Room. This toddler room is a gift from the Lesher family who would be humiliated to see its condition. Every piece of furniture is black with dirt and stained with a variety of substances. The carpet is disgustingly dirty. The so-​called Children’s Garden with its animal themed fence is overgrown and you can barely see the animals.

Very spacious, 2 stories, lots of desks and space to study. The staff was polite and so were the other ppl around me studying. Love the atmosphere here.
The only downfall is parking. The parking garage seems like it’s always full, however, I got lucky and caught someone leaving as I was pulling in. It’s about $ 1/​hour with a max. 4 hours before you have to repay. Way too much for my tastes and unfortunately I wasn’t observant enough to check for street parking around the area.

What a wonderful place to get some work done! No blaring music, no delicious distractions… and best of all, the employees here are not afraid to tell the loud mouths to shut the f**k up (professionally and politely of course)! So peaceful!
I love how airy and bright the inside is and how there are many comfortable chairs, tables, outlets and even computers readily available for whatever suits your needs. Downstairs tends to be a bit more noisy with all the children racing back and forth, but there’s always the quieter second floor to hide at for those without headphones or tolerance. There’s even free WiFi for the computer-​users, but it’s REALLY slow, which can be a good thing if you’re studying…
If you do get hungry, there’s always the café. It may burn a hole in your wallet but the food is pretty good. Otherwise, you can always take a walk around downtown for something tastier and more reasonable, which is the beauty of this location. Best part, there’s free parking (for about 3 hours until 5pm)!!!

This library is fantastic!!! It’s incredibly spacious, clean, and has lots of comfortable desks and chairs for you to choose from. You can study hardcore here or just lounge around… plenty of people doing both.
It’s well decorated and doesn’t have that stuffy old library feel. Instead, it’s more reminiscent of a Borders (rest in peace). Minimal chatter can be heard throughout, but it’s not bothersome (I actually prefer that to libraries that are dead silent and eerie).
Free wi-​fi!

I love this library! There are so many big, comfy, cozy chairs to collapse into and bright, quiet corners to escape in with a great book. Unlike many of the other libraries that I am known to haunt, I never have to search long for a seat or a space of solace. I often visit on my lunch break for a nice little slice of calm in the middle of a hectic workday and am always glad that I made the decision.
Aside from the decent book selection (I’m not going to exaggerate here, it’s just decent, nothing amazing), relative cleanliness slash organization and lovely aesthetic, I am always delighted at another pleasant offering here: quiet! For the most part, library patrons seem to observe the quiet rule quite well and for this, I am grateful and willing to drive on down to the Walnut Creek Public Library – even though a midday trip may cost me some precious patience due to a sometimes frustrating parking situation.

I like this library. It’s clean and there are plenty of tables. I’m not someone who goes to library to read books (I read mostly on my Kindle) so I can’t say anything about the collection. It’s nice that it’s located near Downtown Walnut Creek so you can get food/​drinks whenever you want.
1 star off though for limited library times, especially considering it’s not open on Sundays.
Overall, I’m happy with it though.

No public library is 100% perfect, but this one is pretty close. Has a great architecture that helps create an environment for study. Like most public libraries there is a kids corner… so just stay away from that corner on weekends and you’ll study up a storm
PROs:
You are allowed to drink coffee anywhere at the library. Not only the part that has an attached café
They have great rooms for study groups to which you can hook up a laptop to a big TV screen.
Nice business corner with WSJ IBD and access to value lines
Comfortable chairs
Nice little park outside
Good temperature control
CONs:
The worst wifi ever! (But they do have Ethernet ports so bring your own cable if that makes a difference or tether)
You have to pay for parking; the city of Walnut Creek will give you a $ 45 ticket if you don’t pay (I thought I could get away with not paying for parking since I never see them give tickets; you can’t, the Walnut Creek meter maids are like ninjas!)
The library’s café isn’t that good; their coffee is ok, but if you are going to drop $ 5 on a latte walk to Starbucks or peet’s

A library with a Peet’s inside? YES YES YES!
We are very lucky to have such great libraries in our area– all the way from Orinda to Lafayette, this WC branch to Danville and San Ramon. What this one has that I love is the ability to get a decent cup of coffee whilst browsing or killing time what I don’t like is that you have to pay to park in the lot (unless you are able to snag and commit to one of the few 30 minute spots).
I have found myself becoming like my Dad and utilizing the library more and more for audiobooks and other options to help me satisfy an online book group I am a part of and love that I can borrow a book from SR, return it to WC and more in CCC.
Love that I am reading more (although I still have a Netflix problem).

Beautiful library, the café makes it kind of loud on one side while the children’s side is weirdly quiet with all of these signs about no crying or loud children allowed. Kind of sad that the adults can be as loud in the café that they want but children can’t be them selves in there own area.

The Walnut Creek Library is probably one of my favorite Contra Costa County libraries now that I’ve give it a visit. With the Civic park just outside, you are able to submerge yourself in a nice book with the pretty view of a well-​maintained landscape. There are two floors with plenty of work space, tables, and chairs. There is also awesome bottle art, skateboard art, and other means of art work throughout the library.
The only downside to this library is that parking is not free. Walnut Creek parking in general can become a hassle, so it is understandable. (Just note that the underground parking lot attached is $ 1 per hour with a maximum of 4 hours.)
If I was still in school, I would love to come here on a daily basis!

Great library and good place to grab a table and read. I love the café, the relative quietness of this place and have found the staff to be very kind and helpful. There’s a cool fireplace too, but it’s often got old men sitting around it snoring.
What I don’t love:
They’re closed on Sundays — how a library is closed on one of the weekend days is beyond me. This is the time when people would come here!
The wifi is sh*t — I occasionally like to work from the library to get out of my home office, but I have to be very deliberate about what I choose to work on, because connecting to the internet is extremely slow.

When I lived in San Francisco, I thought the new main SF library was the bee’s knees when it first opened. If I remember correctly so did someone else since it was featured in «The City of Angels,» a 90’s Meg Ryan/​Nicholas Cage movie remake. Sadly, the library has deteriorated and maintenance of the building hasn’t been maintained. I also think the modern design is a little cold.
Fast forward to the Walnut Creek main library. What a difference another city and a few years make. This new library also has a modern design but the atmosphere is warm and welcoming. The stark lines of concrete and metal are alleviated by the generous use of the organic and fluid lines of the wood. The tall floor to ceiling windows contribute to an interior that is bright and airy and yet somehow maintains a cozy feeling. There’s even a café. It doesn’t look like a library at all.
However, the best part of the library is the after-​hours book drop. I wish they installed one in the San Ramon branch. It is very high tech. You place your book on a conveyor belt that scans the bar code before whisking it out of site into the bowels of the building. I’ve certainly cut down on my late fees.
My only criticism is really not an issue. I didn’t care for the underground parking. It was claustrophobic and the ramp is too steep. Even at a slow speed, I keep tapping my bumper. Lots of alternatives so I haven’t used it since.

This is quite literally as good as it gets, especially for a library in Contra Costa County. This two-​story library is wide, spacious, airy, and boasts tons of natural light. There’s a fireplace upstairs and plenty of areas for teens, adults, and kids to chill out with a good read, or free wi-​fi if you’re looking for a place to get work done.
Plenty of computers, meeting space, and resources for job hunters also means you no longer have to grab an appointment and rot to get on the internet.
There’s a large periodicals section, as well as a Peet’s downstairs so that you never have to leave. So happy to be a member of this library — they have a lot of newer books and the quality of selection is fantastic. They also loan out DVD’s and audiobooks.
High-​tech checkout and returns (or online renewal) means you never have to bother the librarians, who still occasionally haunt my dreams after bad run-​ins during childhood. I promise I’ll never lose my library card again! ‚-(
If you’re new to the area, do yourself a favor and check this place out!

I remember, a few years back, the excitement and anticipation while the Walnut Creek Library was being built. I walked in to town on their opening day celebration and I made it a destination to show visiting family from out of town. The architecture, layout and sheer selection in this library held me in awe… And then life got busy and I forgot all about it.
Much to my dismay, I don’t go here as often as I should but hope to remedy that. Other than the gorgeous space and plethora of books and DVD’s to check out, this location is also a gem of a community resource. There are special events held here on a regular basis, visiting authors and community rooms you can rent for your own groups. There are quiet corners for studying, unique sitting areas, plenty of community computer terminals and a friendly staff waiting to assist you.
The cleanliness and newness of this location obviously trumps all other libraries I’ve visited in Contra Costa County, but I feel the WC branch will continue to shine in years to come.
Although there is limited free parking (perhaps 10 spots with a 30 minute time limit), Civic Park has a lot you can utilize for up to 3 hours and it’s a hop, skip and a jump away.
They are open until 8 Mon-​Thursday, 6 pm on Friday and then also open Saturdays (although the Saturday hours escape me.) I am going to make it a point to stop here more often and take advantage of my good fortune to have such a beautiful public library at my disposal.

This spacious library is a great place to get your studying, reading, or quiet work done. They offer plenty of tables for people to study either alone or with a group. There are usually outlets located on the sides or on top of the table, so you rarely have to bend down to charge your electronics. If you don’t have work you need to get done, they offer many comfortable chairs along the walls next to their gigantic windows — which is also the great thing about this library. This library does a good job of using sunlight as a source of light, rather than fluorescent lights, so you hardly feel like you are back in a classroom or your workplace.
Additionally, this library doesn’t prohibit drinks (not sure about food). They even have a small café carrying Peet’s Coffee coffee.
The only downside to this library is having to pay for parking in their parking lot, but you could always park at Civic Park.

No argument here, the new Walnut Creek Main Library is gorgeous. Sleek, modern, lots of windows, overlooking Civic Park, free Wi-​Fi, lots of computers, even a café and a bookstore, the new library has it all. Alas, before you can enjoy any of this, there’s a more pedestrian concern: what do you do with your car?
Unless you’re coming to simply return a book, you can forget about the few spaces in the outdoor parking lot. These slots are all 30 minutes only, and I saw a meter maid on the way in and on the way out.
That leaves the library’s underground lot. This is NOT a free lot; the fee is one dollar per hour with a maximum of four hours. Note: if the lot is all full, you can find another public parking lot about a block further south on Broadway.
You pay in a station located near the elevators, after noting the number on your parking spot. This is where disaster nearly struck: the pay station only takes coins or credit cards, no dollar bills, and on a busy Saturday, a polite note on the machine mentioned that, oh by the way, it’s not reading credit cards today! Back to my car, scrounging through the glove compartment seeking a dollar’s worth of coins, I had nothing. Fortunately, my son’s scrounging in his car was more successful and we had enough coins for one hour for each car. I would’ve liked to stay longer, but the three credit cards in my wallet were worth zip to the library parking gods.
Two words of advice if you want to visit the Walnut Creek Main Library: Bring Coins.