Starr Library

Beware on Sundays… there is a very rude volunteer there who tried to get into an argument with me and my five year old daughter! It’s great the rest of the week…

Knights
clocks
and
quilts
The first library in Rhinebeck started back in 1862 and as the town grew, so did the library. The finally renovation was in 2005 when the existing structure was nearly doubled in size and thoroughly modernized.
The library is interesting because of the art that decorates the walls and shelves. Some very cool sculptures of Viking type guys, complete with the traditional two handed axes, are hard to miss. They was also a display of strange masks while we were there and two lovely and old grandfather clocks and the ubiquitous library quilt.
The library also has a nice local history and genealogy room and lots of programs and events for both adults and kids. Starr is a unique library that is not only functional but great fun to look at even without the books.

I think it’s great when a library can grow with the community it supports. If you are familiar with (or have read about, on their website) the history of this Rhinebeck library, you’ll see they’ve had the opportunity to do that.
I normally visit my library in Hyde Park, but they did not have 2 books I wanted to read. Thanks to the Mid-​Hudson Library System (Love the Mid-​Hudson Library System!), I found both were available at Starr, which was not inconvenient for me as I was going to be in the area that day anyway. The library has a great layout, a nice selection, and it was quite busy even on what you might consider a slow day. They were setting up for an evening community activity too, which shows more community involvement.
Besides finding the books, I also browsed their magazine selection. It was smaller than the one for Hyde Park, but it was a nice complement, as it carried a number of magazines not in Hyde Park but which also interested me. I will probably have to visit both now regularly to get my magazine fill.
The one very minor qualm I had was that for one of the books I wanted, the Mid-​Hudson Library System database listed a Dewey Decimal value for a book with numbers to the right of the decimal point, and the actual book in this library did not include the numbers to the right of the decimal on its label and was sorted thus. That required maybe an extra minute to find the book. That’s hardly an issue, though it may mean a little bit extra work for you or a library staff to find a book occasionally.

Starr is a great library and very lucky to have it. We do pay a special property tax to fund it though… worth it. Staff and volunteers are great and provide a lot of service.

Basing solely on my use of the library (Wi-​Fi with my laptop), this is a large, modern space so it can accommodate a decent amount of people without being intrusive. The only complaint is the staff is loud, but at least the patrons aren’t (I’ve been shushed for answering my cell phone while trying to walk outside the building, but I guess that’s a small price to pay if it keeps blabbermouths at bay).
Also, there is plenty of parking, so don’t know what that other reviewer is talking about. Only drawback for me is it’s a long way off from Fishkill, but if I lived closer I’d definitely go there more often.

Really wonderful, friendly staff! I have always been helped without judgement at the library (some librarians can be snooty sometimes, but the employees at Rhinebeck are anything but!).
The space is quaint and always quiet, with neatly designated sections.
I was inspired to write this review because I couldn’t pick up my books before going on a vacation tomorrow, so one of the employees offered to drop my books off at my house 2 minutes away. SO nice!!! I know this isn’t a common request for them but I really appreciate their going the extra mile to be convenient for a local.

Although I don’t need to use this library all that much, I do like to use it on occasion. Between problems at my own town’s library (if any occur) or I’m just out and about (and this is nearby) I’ll pop-​in. It also got an expansion that nearly doubled their size in 2005. (Their new entrance is the former location of their former children’s room, to be exact.) It’s clean and maintained, the staff is friendly.
Their computers, although most of them are Macs, are well managed too. They might not have the ability to run the Mid Hudson Library Systems Internet Software logon, as long as the person can sign a sheet of paper, they allow you 30 minutes time on their computers. And, unlike most others, because of the no-​MHLS software for the printer they have, they do have a printer available for their computers which is not prepaid, so be careful of what you print. Prices on printing are a little cheaper than most MHLS libraries, but if youre traveling great distances from the other side of the county (or from other counties[Greene or Columbia]), it doesn’t pay to come here for computer-​use alone.
Parking isn’t that great. They have about 10 spots, and most of them are underneath sap-​producing trees, and if you add the fact that the trees leaves fall off in Autumn, I haven’t been a big fan of it.
Although I’ve never had a problem with the problem Gregg S. had, they do give you a dirty look, when they notice you have fines on your library account so beware of the evil-​eye! (If you want to take out more books, be nice and pay them back!)