Kent Library

Was here in the evening in the middle of the week.
This library is too loud. It’s too close to the train tracks and the constant dinging of a bell at the information center doesn’t allow for quite reading time.

We love the Kent library. I take my kids there often for programs or to check out books. The staff are awesome. I appreciate that it is inclusive to all members of our community. There have been just a few annoyances that are not in control of the library itself: the intense smell of cigarette smoke that one must endure when checking in books, and a fight once broke out and made me feel unsafe for a moment. There is police presence frequently and that helps me feel safer.
We love story time with Miss Laurin. She has always been sensitive to the needs of our family. The kids section here is awesome.
I do wish there was a drive through option for returning books when I have sleeping kids in the car.

Great place to get books or get on computer. I like the large selection they got here as well.

I thought this was a library, but it seems like it’s more of some sort of «community center.»
Children screaming, people eating lunch, people talking at full volume in the «quiet zone,» people playing cell phone games with the volume on… the noise just doesn’t end!
If you can’t afford to go to a café I guess this is where you’re supposed to hang out now. For those of us that would like to study? Just stay home!

This place is good for computer use finding a good book hanging out with friends catching up on school work or just in general finding what you need. The homeless population does overcrowd it a bit and that part needs to improve

I love the Kent library! I love that they offer classes for the little ones and that they are a 2 minute walk from the sweet themes bakery lol…
Story time: I LOVE story time at the library… Fun nursery rhythms and my kid loves the shakers! I made some at home but she doesn’t seem to enjoy it as much as the libraries lol
Kaleidoscope Play & Learn: great concept and nice to have since it’s free, but toys are never in their set station and some parents see this time as gossip time with their friends and aren’t watching their kids. Leaving a lot of misbehaved kids running around…

So many of the reviews here are complaints about the amount of homeless folks that hang around here and so little about the library itself. Could the staff do more to prevent the bad crowd? Maybe. But before criticizing the library (which is a public space after all, so while they need to ensure safety of their patrons, they need to be available to everyone), perhaps we should talk to the businesses in downtown Kent that are against a putting homeless shelter in the area. Where else is there for the homeless to go if there isn’t a shelter?
But I digress. On to the actual library.
So the parking here is often insufficient (but it’s Kent, so there’s plenty of free street parking on nearby blocks) and you do have to wade through a rough crowd to enter at times (I call this the character building, teach-​my-​child-​and-​myself-​about-​all-​facets-​of-​society aspect), but once inside the library is nicely designed.
I don’t use the computers here but there are plenty and I always see a few open ones. The selection of books is good and the children’s section is wonderfully designed — like a little cocoon. Naturally I spend the majority of my time here with the little ones.
The staff are pretty nice, although there’s always one or two who are remain aloof. But they seem to mean well. Like most libraries they offer several programs. On a recent visit they hosted a large group of infants for reading time and I was impressed with how well the sound was blocked from the room they were in.
If you can look past the issues, you just might enjoy this library. Give it a try!

Why didn’t I check Unilocal before heading here? Feels more like a Chuck e Cheese than a library. I’m seriously looking for another place to study as I write this review. It may be because its summer (although these reviews tell me probably not) but there are a ton of people in here doing the kind of stuff that they should be doing at home. Like anything loud.
Also, staff dont seem too friendly. I was in the only quiet-​ish place in the library until this woman interrupted me to tell me that the room was going to be used for some kids activity starting in 20 minutes. I say ok sure and glance at my watch. I go back to intently reviewing with the idea that I’ll just pack up after about 10 minutes. She then says they will be setting up… and using the tables (mind you I’m at one of only five tables in the room and she’s already moved the other four into place). You can’t wait ten more minutes, lady? It doesn’t take 20 minutes to move a table!
Oh, they do have parking though. So there’s that.

I used to frequent this library when it was the only location in the Kent/​Covington area. That was aproximately 25 years ago before the population boom and homeless community decided to reside in the area. The library used to be clean with books in good conditions and it was quiet. It was never overly crowded either. You weren’t afraid to enter because although there would occassionally be an obnoxious teenager that was talking to loud, that was the worst thing you would have to deal with. The last few years or so though the place has become ghetto. Fights break out in the parking lot, people yelling and cursing. Homeless people hang around to use the bathrooms. My Mom went there while I was in jury duty on monday. I told her she shouldn’t go there because of the homeless and deranged people. Well, she risked it and went there before my lunch break, and then again after my lunch break. In the morning she said it was overly crowded and out in the parking lot there was some woman yelling at the top of her lungs using profane language. The even scarier part is there was nobody else around so who knows who she was yelling at? She was probably schizo. In the afternoon when she returned there was nobody yelling but there were people who looked homeless outside, and she said she saw some homeless people near the bathrooms as well. The interior of the library was not in good condition either.
A library should be a safe and quiet place where you can do research and read… use wifi without feeling threatened. It’s sad because what was once a beautiful library is now a garbage dump where the homeless and deranged hang out. They need to hire some security guards to deter the «bad» crowd. If you are looking for a decent and well kept up library in the area, without the homeless, gangsters, and schizo people, go to the much newer Covington location.

People needa stop hanging out by the front of the library. It’s not where the coo kids are supposed to be hanging out at!
The library has the most uncomfortable chairs to prevent people from sleeping in there. Lots of computers though!

This place is complete trash. My husband and daughter have been here twice in the past month and both times it has been full of the homeless both loitering and harassing the staff. There was an argument in the bathroom and my husband felt threatened enough to physically prepare himself to be jumped by a guy who was shadowing him (the person reeked of feces) but he promptly left and we will not be back.

It’s only a little uncomfortable when the first thing you see is a couple police officers standing ominously in the library. Not that the officers them self make me uncomfortable, just the fact that they are needed concerns me. Is that weird?
Patrons in this library from what I’ve observed are typically less then studious. There are a few in the silent section though.
I do love how helpful the librarians are. I’ve many times come in for help with research and even as they may not be able to help me immediately they are eager to continue researching for days and keep in contact via email or phone. Which is amazing and very helpful.
Lots of technological resources. Pretty limited on big comfy reading chairs though. That’s always a bummer.

Definitely one of the bigger library we’ve been to, whether it’s a King County or Seattle Public (excluding the one dt).
Nonetheless, we were impressed on the size and selection but unimpressed on the type of patron that visits there.
Don’t get us wrong, it’s great to see young kids use a library as a hangout spot vs the streets or shopping center, but how many of them are actually there to use the facility for its intended use?
Again, don’t get us wrong, on the appearing homeless, finding a spot to sit in and stay warm and dry. I’d do the same if I were in their situation.
I guess what I’m saying is, yes it’s a large library with selections but no thanks to the type of crowd.
I’ll stick with my fairly decent size library in my neighborhood, can’t wait til they’re done doing what they’re doing to it.

I like to use the microfilm reader. For some reason, you have to ask at the always-​busy reference desk for the lens. They used to check it out to you on your library card. Recently, they’ve wanted to hold my driver’s license hostage while I use it. What?!
Update: Now, in addition to making the microfilm reader hard to use, they’ve shipped out most of their newspaper archives to the Bellevue branch. I can no longer do local historic research in the Kent Library on a drop-​in basis. I need to know the publications and editions I want to research and then place – get this – an interlibrary loan request to have them sent to Kent. The last time I tried this they never even called or emailed me to tell me my reels were in. Basically, unless you want to deal with 405 to drive to Bellevue, microfilm research really can’t be done.

I’ve stopped in here several times looking for someplace to sit and read after work, but there are only four comfortable chairs to sit in, and those are generally taken by sleeping homeless folks. I don’t blame the homeless folks, but the library COULD put in more non-​wooden straight-​back chairs.
Regardless, those tend to be taken up entirely by high school students. There is no where to sit for a non-​student or non-​homeless person from 4:30−6. I guess we need a bigger library or layout.
Also, if the librarians had any courage they might consider telling anyone talking louder than conversational tones to be quieter in a community resource dedicated to research and learning.
As I looked around the place. They could tear out walls and make a larger common area.

I went here a couple of weeks ago to get some studying done. I was hoping for peace and quiet in a library, boy was I wrong! It seems like the library is the place for people to hang out and socialize. There were some, for lack of a better word, shady individuals in there. People out in the parking lot were drinking beer and really didn’t make me feel safe as I was walking to my car. No one pays attention to the «quiet zone» signs in the library and the staff just seems to not care.

This is a really nice library. The selection of books is very good, they have an extra nice children’s area, there are lots of computers, and I was incredibly impressed by the gigantic section of foreign language books.
It is within walking distance of Kent Station, which is nice and makes it very accessible.
Downside: They really need more parking. Most times my boyfriend and I try to stop by here, the lot is completely full.

I used to come here when I was a child. No. Wait. I’m old enough to say that I used to go to the Kent Library when it was where the current police department is.
Annnnnnnyway… It’s a great location. I can drop off or pick up books on my way home from work. I love looking across the street at the water feature that beckon squealing children from miles way.
The remodel looks fantastic. It’s always busy in here! However, I’ve never not been able to get a computer to print something out.
The only gripe I have is that the parking availability is crap.

Lots of selection. Free wi-​fi. Lots of computers. I like the layout of the library.
It often gets crowded though. Sometimes, there is nowhere to sit.

WENT I SAY ‘KENT’, YOU SAY ‘REGIONAL’.
Kent Regional Library has a large selection of books with a large amount of computers to use. They even have shared computers now.
Their foreign language section is awesome and so is their kid’s section. It’s so nice. I like to bring my niece here and pretend that I’m a good aunt and read books to her but I’m really just doing it to get out of my house.

This is a library. They lend you books. The idea after that is that you read and return them.
I had to visit the location to sign up for a card so I could check out audiobooks and listen to them on my iPod.
This is a nice location. It’s not a super fancy library but it has a lot of computers. It’s close to the Kent Station. It seemed pretty clean and not extremely iffy. There were a few crazy people, but that goes with any public service… right?