Milwood Branch – Austin Public Library

This is my favorite library in Austin! It’s also the busiest. The friendly and helpful staff do a wonderful job of dealing with all the traffic. Currently this branch is under construction so it will be bigger and renovated soon!

Not terribly impressed. A few of the librarians seem to take themselves very, very seriously. Which unfortunately does not translate into taking their jobs, or you as a patron, seriously. Or really even just being friendly. (There are one or two exceptions of course)
Somewhat snooty, serious (but not when it comes to kids running wild and screaming at the top of their lungs) older librarians, but hey… we all have bad years I guess. Not *horrible* but I’ll stick with shady, yet comfortable Little Walnut Creek Branch.
But, if you feel like being condescended to and having your book choices, looked over and sniffed at… come here.

I’m totally surprised there are actually some negative reviews of this place! I’ve had 95% good experiences here, and one experience that was meh. I didn’t see any hipsters working behind the counter, just some nice guys, a nice lady, and a couple old ladies. There was only one lady who is kind of aloof and distant, she accounts for the 5% meh. Not rude though! Just not necessarily nice. It’s probably been the easiest library I’ve ever used.

This is a nice library. A whole lot nicer than the one on Rundberg, which I am closest to.
Now, this library gets three stars because I feel that the attitude I was given by a library employee was unacceptable. I worked for the library system for five years. I know the ins and outs of the system. A particular book I was looking for on was not on the shelf, and it said it was. Common problem. Maybe it was JUST checked in, or lying around somewhere, on the repair table?
None of those could possibly be the option for her. Her only explanation was that, «You must’ve read something wrong.» «You probably just made a mistake.» No. I CHECKED FOUR TIMES. It just had to be my fault. It really rubbed me the wrong way… As a patron and former library employee, I shouldn’t be treated that way. Period.
In the end… It is just a library and I will be coming back for future study sessions. It’s a nice change of pace from Rundberg…

I had not been to a library in years. I needed to sign into my Gmail to print an insurance card and was not close to my office. I would have been in and out in less than 2 minutes. I had to take a moment to laugh because there was a sign as you walked in the door for you not to wear hats or sunglasses. That kinda bothered me because you had to wonder if they were doing some sort of face recognition security and just who are they looking for. I was asked by a male librarian to «take my hat off». I asked him why. He explained it was because of the sign but could give me no detailed explanation. He told me I could turn my hat backwards. Well gee, that is still WEARING my hat right? Defeats the purpose of having a sign.
I noticed I needed access to the internet. I handed the guy my license which was my user id. He proceeds to tell me if I needed to print anything it was going to cost me .20 a page. I explained I just need to print one page and i was out. I did not think I needed to jump through hoops just to print one page. I took my ID and explained that I could easily just go back to my office and print the one sheet and be done.
I left this place shaking my head mumbling that this was my tax dollars at work. Another patron turned around and smiled and told me she thought that it was a little silly as well. What happened to the public library system? You want me to turn my hat around and wear it backwards, and you want me to pay to print one page? Then you want to glare at me when I ask why and can not give me a straight answer? Thanks but no thanks. If I need the library, I will stick to the one closer to my house. I have used their internet when it was down at home and I needed a quiet place to work.

Here is a my neighborhood Austin Public Library (APL) branch, nearby to Summit Elementary, Balcones District Park, and Cool River (alright, one of those things is not like the others). It’s much like the rest of the great sites in the APL system: friendly staff and volunteers; tons of books, periodicals, audiobooks, and movies; computers with internet access; wifi; weekly community events (like Storytimes for several age groups and Movie Nights); interesting community bulletin board; and fewer hours open than I’d like (currently closed Fridays and Sundays) due to the municipal budget crunch.
As a parent and a lifelong bookworm, I adore the library and spend time here on a regular basis with my kindergartner. He always finds some interesting books to borrow (from traditional storybooks to graphic novels and nonfiction educational tomes) and he loves the donated kids’ computer station with elementary school age-​appropriate learning games just like at school. It’s great for me that he gets his own library account, so his book limit doesn’t count against mine. There’s even a self-​checkout kiosk right there in the kids’ section, so no need to stand in line at the front when you need to hurry home for dinner.
With the internet age, libraries have evolved and APL is no different. Once you have your library card, you can not only check out books and access services at any of the APL system libraries, but you have access to thousands of online volumes that you can read on the computer or on your e-​reader or smartphone. Case in point: I recently read World War Z on my iPad and iPhone, using the Amazon Kindle app, totally free of charge by «checking out» the Kindle version of the book from APL’s Overdrive e-​book service.
My favorite feature of all is that I can look for something anywhere in the APL system or sister libraries, reserve it online, and get an email when it has been delivered to the Milwood Branch for my quick pickup and checkout. Later, when I realize that perhaps my 8 checkouts were a bit optimistic for a 2 week reading period, it’s simple to go online and extend my checkout for another couple of weeks to avoid late fees. Word to the wise: do not abuse the online reservation system to order books that you never pickup; the fees for non-​pickups are even higher than regular late return fees.
Other possibly useful facts:
–Electric vehicles can be recharged at the two pumps in the parking lot facing Adelphi.
–The drive-​thru book drop is only available when the library is closed. Otherwise, you must park and walk in to drop off your returns.

Your typical neighborhood library! I stopped into this branch to pick up a book I had on hold. This isn’t my home branch, but it’s close enough (branches not being insanely far from one another is just one of many features I love about APL). This branch has your usual books, movies, etc. Employees are nice and can provide fun banter while you check out. They also have an outdoor book drop so you don’t have to park and come in to return your checked-​out items.
The only thing I don’t like about this branch is the parking lot. I guess in an effort to protect the trees, the parking lot meanders around and it’s narrow.

Convenient for people who live nearby. Easy access for cars. Sometime the parking lot gets close to full, but I have always been able to find a space.
I rarely browse here, but i take advantage of the city library’s transfer program whereby they deliver most anything in the catalogue to your local branch. The Milwood branch also has regular video screenings of movies in the conference room.