Keller City Library

This facility is not so much a library as a community center that happens to have books in it. First and foremost, here are my harsh criticisms: It is extremely loud and crowded, with many of the computers being used by children to play video games and plenty of smaller children often running and screaming through the aisles with an adult no where in sight. The Librarians are lovely but hardly bother to emphasize that libraries are meant to be quiet. The ‘Quiet Zones’ are also located right next to where children and teen books are as well as the computers. There are two study rooms, but they are almost never empty and have little soundproofing especially the study room adjacent to a meeting room which is used for events. The noise is such an issue that it is not uncommon to find a single person in a study room quietly working or studying by themselves. If you want to study or do work here, I would recommend that you find another place to go to.
With this out of the way, here are things that I like about it: Everything from the décor to the layout suggests that this library is meant to be welcoming towards children and teens. There is an abundance of computers, however they are usually being used by kids. There are plenty of events that occur in the library for either children and adults. Events can occur in one of the two meeting rooms and a children’s story telling room, these rooms can be reserved if you fill out an application on the library’s website and it is free if you are a resident. The two study rooms within the library are a decent size for a small group of people, each with a white board, a table, and 4 – 6 chairs. It is possible to reserve a study room, but I have not tried so I do not know how easy this is. There are also plenty of outlets near the tables and wifi is good when it is not crowded in the library, usually in the afternoons. As for books, they need to go through and replace some of the more worn out ones and can be a challenge to navigate or browse for books, but the kind librarians will help if you ask. There is also a drive through window where you can return books if you are in a hurry, which is a brilliant idea.
Conclusion: Not great if you want to study or work in a quiet space; Fantastic if you have kids and don’t want them stuck at home all day. Because I use the library primarily for studying and working, I am giving it a ³⁄₅. I wish they had more study rooms and more signs emphasizing that libraries are meant to be quiet.

I love this library. The pick-​up window is wonderful and saves me so much time. The staff is always so nice and helpful.

Seriously the best. The drive through pick up window is BRILLIANT. The staff is always so nice and so helpful. My kids love to go to the library and it is cultivating a love of reading.

I remember the old Keller City Library, and have to say that this one is a significant improvement on many levels. The layout is very open. More importantly though, it makes sense. The staff at the library is always helpful, whether you need to find a book, or get on one of the computers. Even if they don’t have the book you’re looking for, they’ll hunt it down from one of the other libraries (or something like that) and get it to you as quickly as possible. If you need it to be quiet, use a study room. This library seems to be built for the families around the area. Lots of kids activities and events scheduled to get the community involved.

Yeah, I have to agree with everyone about the noise problem. I rarely, if ever, stay here once kids get out of school because it becomes a mad house of kids screaming at computers and running around. During the day, isn’t much better. I don’t mind the occasional crying baby or little toddler throwing a fit as long as the parents take them elsewhere (and they usually do). Some of the people that come here just have no concept of being polite. I’ve been sitting at the public computers and suddenly someone will answer their phone while still sitting at the computer and talk at full volume.
This library does not have the largest amount of books ever, I will admit, but there is always something you can find that will spark your interest. There’s also a good collection of DVDs and Blu-​Rays and there’s always something you can find if you just want to relax and watch a movie at the end of the day.
There is a young lady that works here on the weekdays (I don’t know what her name is) but I have to say that I have never seen such professionalism in a single person that worked at a library. She is so patient with every person who asks for help on the computers and she seems to be the go-​to girl and very knowledgeable when someone is having a problem with the computers. You can just tell that she genuinely is compassionate toward these people and helping them. You know how you can just really tell when someone is a good person? Well, that’s this lady. Someone needs to give her a raise in my opinion.

It’s a nice library, I have to agree it is quite louder than most I’ve been to though. A lot of kids, the only downside. There’s a nice patio in the back, it lacks outlet plugs to plug in laptops though. There’s a walking trail in the back too. Nice if you a break. There’s a few quiet study rooms, a computer lab, and bunch of computers for kids to play on. Nice place to take the little ones, but not if you really need quiet space. Also wifi is slow and interrupted frequently.

I really cant believe I haven’t written a review about the best thing the City of Keller has to offer and its free. When I first moved to Keller, the library was this dim unwelcoming government style building that really didn’t encourage patrons to come in much less utilize their various programs. Fast forward a few years and things have changed dramatically.
The facility is now bright, airy, and welcoming. Yes — the library can tend to get noisy but i love the fact that people are utilizing the library and that means funding! If you need a quiet space to read there are various nooks and comfy chairs scattered around the building including an awesome outdoor patio equipped with chairs and tables. They have plenty of power outlets for those there to study or work remotely. If the kiddies are being too rowdy inside (yes there is always one brat running wild in there unfortunately) the library has study rooms available for use that have doors so it blocks out most of the noise.
The library also has a number of activities and events going on throughout the week that include Adult learning classes, reading sessions for kids (toddler through young adults), book clubs for adults, weekly movie night with popcorn, summer music progams for all ages and more.
Their selection isn’t the largest but on their online catalog you can request books, movies, or music to be reserved and picked up at the library from other branches in the Ft Worth network which greatly extends your literature availability. You can also manage your account including renewals online as well which is a huge huge time saver.
They also just installed a new fancy schmancy check-​in tool that scans in each item you return automatically. If the facility is closed when you return your books, theres a drive through drop-​off slot on the side of the building to return your books or you can go to the city hall parking lot and drop your goodies off in the designated drop-​box there to be returned.
Your library card number also unlocks a treasure trove of online goodies such as three weekly music downloads via Freegal, language lessons using Mango, magazine subscriptions through Zinio and more. Its not perfect and there are limitations but I appreciate the content that is available.
The staff here is always pleasant, knowledgable and friendly. if you have active kiddies, theres also a nice park immediately next door for them to play at.

The Keller Library is a typical medium town library, if not reflective of the growing affluence of the residents. Some previous reviews mentioned some positives I was not even aware of, such as the ebook lending. Other positives are the story /​rec room, and seating by windows.
There are two downsides. The minor downside is the creeping non-​objectivity of the selection and placement of books. Anyone who lives in Keller has probably already noticed this sort of cultural liberalization.
The major downside is noise. As others have mentioned, it is not quiet. Apparently the same cultural progressives who place those books think that being quiet in a library is so «old fashioned.» I endeavors to fill out a complaint card once and was thwarted by a reference librarian. She was perfectly polite but at the same time, basically admitted that the idea of the purpose and design of libraries has changed. Therefore, 12 year old boys shouting and running while playing computer games is what the library was built for — the books are for décor.

Currently studying for my CPA and know myself well enough to know I study best in a library setting. This situation is different because I am not a student and do not have access to a library as I would if enrolled at university. Only visiting a few public libraries, each visit was a nightmare and akin to a trip to walmart. Since I don’t have much choice of places to study and have never been a person to study at home, I embarked on finding a public library that met my needs. You can visit your local community college campus but some require a parking permit and then of course the 10 – 15 walk to actually get to the library. Walking on campus was enjoyable when I was an undergrad and lost all it’s luster during my graduate studies. Now, I simply loath it, especially after work in heels.
Keller Library has quite an adult population using it’s facility on the weekends and has private study areas. Visitors actually respect the library setting etiquette and whisper when speaking. Alas, I have a place where I can log some quality study time.
I’ve also come to discover they have tons of dvd’s and activites for kids, since I am at a «more mature» stage in life!

So this isn’t breaking news or anything, but here’s my new discovery for the Keller City Library: eBooks, audiobooks and Freegal
Now I’m not completely thrilled how they work, as checkouts and downloads are limited, but hey, it’s free, so I can’t really complain.
For eBook and audiobooks you are limited to three holds and three checkouts. Lending period can vary from title to title (most are 14 days). The books I’ve checked out are in Kindle format, which means you need either a Kindle, of one of the the free Kindle reader apps (available for a variety of platforms). Unlike a real book, it does not appear you can return material early in order to check out more material
Freegal Music gives you access to millions of songs from over 10,000 labels including the Sony Music catalog of your country (in MP3 format). You are allowed a measly 3 downloads per week. If you are patient enough, you can download entire albums.
Another thing I just started looking into is Mango Languages, also available with your library card. Maybe after 10 years of marriage I will finally try to learn some Vietnamese, beyond the most rudimentary of basics that is.
As I mentioned in my earlier review, Keller City Library is part of the MetrOPAC system. Other MetrOPAC Libraries, which accept Keller Resident Library cards, are:
Fort Worth Public Library
Benbrook Public Library
Burleson Public Library
Haltom City Public Library
Richland Hills Public Library
Watauga Public Library
Oh, and here’s a cool tip: If you book is overdue, renew it on-​line. If the renew is successful, it’s won’t be overdue anymore. I’m not sure if this works with DVDs, which carry a stiffer overdue fine.
Lastly, this library can be noisy. People just don’t seem to know what library etiquette is. Perhaps the expectation of a quiet library is changing. I agree with Tee, if you are looking for a quiet place to study, this may not be the pace for you. The Texas Motor Speedway may be a bit quieter ;-) Nowadays I find bookstores more quiet than libraries, and many even have tables (and coffee shops).

Have a final to study for? Need a quiet place to read? Well, then run the other way or bring a couple of ear plugs with you.
The sheer volumes of irritating soccer moms and their crotch fruit ruin this place. Screaming kids? Nobody bats an eye. I guess the meaning of quiet is just lost to some. I’ve been here at least 3 times, and every time there would be a screeching kid at large. Not even the private study rooms could prevent those sound waves from reaching me.

I think the Keller Library is a great facility and has an excellent staff. We live in an area that does not have a library district so we had to search around to find the closest, quality library in the area and the Keller City Library is great. As a non-​resident you can pay a small fee and gain access to the collection for the year.
The building here is gorgeous, a great environment for searching the stacks and escaping into a good book. The collection is sufficiently large and offers a great variety. All the new books are located at the front of the library and are easy to search. The juvenile section is very complete and has the current book selections that youth are looking for.
The real icing on the cake is that the staff are fantastic. They are very friendly, cheerful and are willing to help you with any request. They are also great with children and young adults.
I feel that we are fortunate to have a quality library system like this in Keller.