Dekalb County Public Library

I love libraries. And this DeKalb public library is a good one. Sure, they’ve got tons of books. Sure, it’s a comfortable place to read and do some research. But the thing that really impresses me about this library is the high level of community involvement. There are seminars. All sorts of educational endeavors. And space for events. Plus, they have wifi, and that always makes me happy. Bonus: it’s walking distance from MARTA.

I’ve been coming here since I was a kid and it’s still an awesome place to go. Free computer access (for an hour), printing for a low fee and multiple levels. The mutiple levels and well named sections make it easy to find what you’re looking for and a place for some peace. The downside… if you go later in the evening, from 30 min to close you may as well not expect peace and quiet due to the constant intercom interruptions telling you to GATHER YOURSELF AND GET OUT!

This is one of my favorite library branches in the metro area.
I love that it’s open every day of the week for at least a few hours:
Monday — Wednesday 9am — 9pm
Thursday — Saturday 9am — 6pm
Sunday 1pm — 6pm
I love that it’s located right off Decatur Square within walking distance of MARTA, popular shops and restaurants. (I doubt it’s ok to park in the library lot and walk to another destination but, trust me, the temptation is high.)
I can never leave this place without finding a dozen cookbooks to explore. But I also love that it’s so much more than just a place to get books.
Anyone with a library card can borrow a seven day ParkPass or Historic Site. This ParkPass lets you explore any state park in Georgia without having to pay the $ 5 daily parking fees. The Historic Site pass is good for one free admission into any of the 18 historic sites in Georgia.

The library also offers consumer education sessions where local attorneys provide counsel about debt collection lawsuits. They do screenings of classic films from the golden age of Hollywood (1940s –1960s) too.
They have another resource called Learning Express. It lets you take online practice tests for things like the GED, SAT, GRE, GMAT, and LSAT. They also have practice tests for cosmetology, nursing, real estate, and other careers.
Since the high traffic areas like the children’s section and the computer terminals are on separate floors, the third floor is usually nice and quiet. That makes it a good place to study if you’re the kind of person who needs a distraction-​free environment.
Bonus star for having a pay phone near the back entrance – the first one I’ve seen in almost a decade. (A great tool for explaining the world before cell phones to clueless youngsters like this one:
)

I love this library! It’s a great place to study and most of the librarians here will go above and beyond to help you. The only down side is that the study rooms appear as though the tables have not been cleaned in days.

DeKalb County’s library system is a good one. It may not be the prettiest space around, but this library branch is large, well-​staffed, and well-​stocked.
This branch hosts numerous events, has plenty of space for studying, and has a fair number of public computers. Free and fast Wi-​Fi as well. As with most public libraries, you can have books from any branch in DeKalb put on hold and delivered to this local branch.
Overall, it’s a fantastic public library. Highly recommended.

In terms of libraries, this one is pretty cool. I’ve been taking my kids there for their summer programs (WHICH ARE FREE) and my 3 children all leave excited and happy about what the library has to offer. My wallet feels the same way. The staff are also very friendly. Just a couple of days ago my daughter was really hoping to borrow an Ivy & Bean book and one of the librarians overheard us and personally came over when the only copy (that had just been turned in) and gave it to my daughter. Needless to say, she made my daughters day.

So, I don’t live in DeKalb County, and DeKalb County Library also isn’t part of the PINES library network. Therefore, I would have to pay $ 45 a year for a library card, so I can’t comment on book selection or circulation policies.
That being said, the 3^rd floor is pretty great for studying. I recently spent a fair bit of time there getting ready for my MATs, and it was consistently quiet and everyone was respectful of each others’ space. The tables and chairs are well-​laid-​out and comfortable. Restrooms were not too bad, considering. Wi-​fi speed was decent.
I approve.

What a sad excuse for a library! The first floor has a fiction section that is spread out through lots of different rooms/​nooks, without proper labeling and common sense placement. You know something is wrong with a library when you have to ask someone to help you locate the fiction lit. section! The kind assistant let me know that the labeling is out of date (the fiction lit. section is labeled «large print books»…). They have a very small selection of classic literature. The second floor is the most depressing room… it’s filled with computers and printers in the center, with large, white/​dirty empty walls, and surrounded by shelves and shelves that are mostly empty. I would never spend a day reading in this library… it needs a serious picker-​upper, and if you’re like me and care about what your surroundings look like, this place is not for you.

I’m heading into the last week of spring semester and I realize somehow neglected to purchase to book I needed for the last class meeting. I phoned my college book store which, of course, had already sent the copies back. I checked a local online bookseller to find a copy, but it could take up to 6 days to make its way to me.
I’m beginning to worry a bit. My sister was kind enough to search, and surely enough, the Decatur library had a copy. I was pretty shocked as the text I needed is rather dry and academic, not what I would expect to find at a public library. I went and checked out the book with no problem. Definitely a great find.

3^rd floor is quite but feels like 75 degrees. Main floor is busy with people moving about and mothers bring their toddlers with them. Rude! Second floor is the computer which stays busy.

I LOVE my local Decatur library. LOVE. love. LoVe!
Why?! Because they not only allow — but encourage lazy readers like me. When I want a book — I request it online and they email me when it comes in. I run over, pick it up from a designated area — and check it out. Takes all of 5 minutes. I mean, don’t get me wrong, perusing the shelves is also fun — and they generally have a good selection of oldies-​but-​goodies DVDs… but for all you busy ladies and gents who want to find a good read and don’t want the disappointment of showing up and seeing it’s already checked out — request online first.

I’ve only been a patron of the Dekalb County Public Library for a week or so, but have had nothing but great service and experiences there. When I signed up for my library card and did my voter registration, the man I worked with was efficient and very helpful as well as the lovely ladies that helped me when I picked up some books that I reserved online.
Really nice people, really nice library.

I love this library. I’ve been coming here for years to get my book fix, and I’ve yet to be disappointed.
For popular books, I’ll put them on my request list and even if I’m number 87 (which I have been before), I still get the book within a few months. And if a book you’d like is not in the Dekalb County catalog, ask a librarian if it’s possible to get it from a system outside of Dekalb County. This library system is linked to other library systems, so they can borrow a book from another library system for you.
When I want a quiet place to read, I head to the third floor. It’s the quietest floor and has chairs for reading and tables for setting up your laptop. (Free wi-​fi is available here.)
On the second floor is reference and where the computers and microfilm are located. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the computer area empty but there is a time limit and a sign up process to use the computers. Popular magazines are available on the second floor as well for temporary checkout. (I’m guessing that people were walking off with Vogue.)
I started volunteering here once a week about 4 months ago, and the staff are really nice people and want to make the library a positive experience for everyone. I decided to volunteer because I was already going once a week so now my book browsing has a purpose other than personal entertainment.
And thanks to the Dekalb County public library system, my spending on books has gone from $ 100+ a month to less than $ 20 a month. Maybe that’s bad for our consumer economy, but it’s great for my budget.
I’m not even going to tell the story of the guy I met here. But I will say that he was nice and read books without pictures. Gotta love that.
And they have a parking deck with 2 floors. And plenty of free parking is awesome. Just awesome. (But you have to come early if there’s a festival in downtown Decatur because the festival goers will take it!)

Very wide selection of books and what I like most is they usually have a good number of copies if it’s a popular book. I really appreciate the inter-​library transfer. I can have a book transferred to my nearest library and return to any. Usually the librarians and staff are very very friendly and helpful. My favorite branches are Tucker and Clarkston.

This is a real library. Plenty of books, the DeKalb system can order you just about any book you might want. There is also a very good selection of CDs and DVDs. You can get on the wait list for new items, it might take a while to get but again, it’s your public library so the more you support it the more you get out of it. I like this location, it’s close to home, MARTA, and many of the businesses where I am the Duke.

Lots and lots of books! Some of the best hours that I have seen at any library over the years. It is open until 9pm Monday through Thursday, so you can easily stop by after work. They also routinely will put books aside for you or you can request a hold on books online. There is a large area where you just find your name and your books are there ready to be checked out. So, if you do your homework and put books on hold, you can just run in and pick them up in under 5 minutes.
Located right in central downtown Decatur with a large 2-​level parking lot, so very convenient.
Also a nice CD and DVD selection! And there are a bunch of computers on the second level if you need. Plus, cubicles if you want to bring your own computer. And there are machines for self checkout, just like at the supermarket.
Here is a link to the Decatur branch:
Now go read!

I guess I don’t have too high of an opinion of Dekalb public libraries after having lived in Gwinnett before that. In Dekalb, the overall book collections are not as large. When they do have a book I want, they simply don’t have many copies. And the libraries themselves are more limited. The staff is friendly and their hours are great, though.

I second Kim D.‘s review. Please let me add that you can «order» books, DVDs, CDs, etc. online from anywhere. All you need is the Internet.
You login to their website search for the titles you want, reserve the ones that are in stock, queue the ones that are not – and then wait for the email from the library saying your stuff is in.
You don’t even have to go looking for them b/​c the library has a special area right by the check out desk where reserved materials are held.
Who knew?
No more icky expensive bookstores. No more spending too much on «discounted» stuff on Amazon. The DeKalb Public Library is your tax dollars hard at work.
True the selection is not that great, and sometimes it’s crowded with high school students – again this is your tax dollars at work.
How about doing the library a solid and donate those books you bought ages ago in the vain attempt at letting your friends and dates know that you were really *intellectual and cultured*.
Login and get yourself something you’re really interested in reading.

This library is awesome! I just got my library card today and am so excited to use it (yes, I’m a nerd!). The library has so many events planned — check out their website for their schedule of visiting authors and also the little exhibitions they have in the front. You can also rent cds, videos, and DVDs FOR FREE so you can cancel your Netflix membership and bring your friends out for drinks instead! The BEST part about the library? They have a Rosetta Stone subscription that you can access FROM YOUR HOME INTERNET CONNECTION! I was checking out language software online and if you wanted to the program for yourself you’d have to pay over $ 500! Definitely a fan!

UPDATE:
My last experience was terrible… I first gave them a 5 star now it’s down to a 3. punk kids are back in school, from my last review, and they don’t understand that even with headphones on, if the music is loud, it means I can hear it. internet was down, people were going nutts.
Great place, extremely quiet and full of seats available for those that need a quiet refuge to study. If you get tired from cranking your head in the books, you can walk down the Ponce de Leon street where there are shops (alittle funky hippy old school/​granola) but it’s still fun to look. You can grab a bite to eat at the various shops. around the downtown. The librarians are very nice, but they all look bored… the security guy has nothing to do, cause I place my foot on the chair which was under a desk, and he walked up to me and asked me to not place my feet on the chairs. very strange, but still I guess the guy was just doing his job.