Urbana Free Library

A nice library. Friendly staff. Friend stopped in to pick up some info for school so I tagged along to explore tbe library. A nice travel section, better then my local library. Plenty of study tables and place to sit. Clean bathrooms.

The staff were really nice and always willing to help you.

This is a beautiful library with a wide selection of books, movies and CDs along with a coffeeshop. It is also located conveniently near Urbana’s downtown.
My complaint however is that this library is always noisy. Urban kids and people who seem unemployed hang out here and many of them are totally loud and at times obnoxious. There is a very tiny room that is silent but the rest of the library is fair game for people to essentially be as loud as they want and the staff don’t assert any type of intervention.
A beautiful library that is unfortunately LOUD.

OMG I LOVE THIS PLACE! Over the years, «The» Urbana Free Library has undergone several face lifts but I just love coming here. Growing up, I cannot count the number of times I went to the Urbana Free Library to do homework, to browse through isles after isles of books, to pick up a movie to watch…

I love you so much, little library. I love your café and your wifi and your quiet reading room and your eReader loans and how well your librarians hide their contempt when I check out Lisa Kudrow movies. Never change.

Fairly good library. The parking lot has parking meters unfortunately though.

A great place for teens to hangout after school in the open lab — they have a 3D printer, sticker cutters, recording equipment, art drawing tablets and games!

This is the kind of place that makes you feel good about the community you live in. It is a haven and a community center.
We have two kids (1 and 4) so that shades this review. After visiting the main branches of the New York City and Boston public libraries while traveling in the last few months, the UFL comes out as the clear winner as far as children go. Those cities can’t compete. If you have kids visiting from out of town, this is the first place to take them that is indoors. They have fine programs from little ones, great toys, a freakin toy train table, cozy booth tables, a massive, multi-​lingual selection of books, internet stations, even a creative play area, parenting books.
Great.

I’ve always been amazed when I come here. They have everything I could want in a library and more.
That said, I am always a visitor, not a resident. So to me, as a child… this place was like the grand daddy of all libraries. Grandma and my parents would take us here, we’d grab a book or two, maybe a video to enjoy while we stayed with her.
They had… EVERYTHING.
I remember loving the children’s area as a child.
They had so many books! And you could sit there and read them in an area just for kids!
Now, as an adult, they have so many books I’d love to read (I remember during one visit, making copies out a recipe book I couldn’t find by me lol)! And more movies than I could ever watch during my lifetime!
It’s a great library! (And as mentioned in another review, I am spoiled when it comes to libraries… I’m kind of a library snob.)
And the librarians are always super helpful, which is great.

One very good little library hidden in downtown Urbana! It’s a beautiful structure and probably looks amazing this time of year!
With a café inside, you can grab yourself some coffee and enjoy the many little nooks to study or read in!
They have small conference rooms, open tables to study and even a quiet room! You can enjoy the outdoor patio in front when the weather is nice and when you’re ready to return your books, there are quick drop off stations in front.

Very nice library. Especially with the new expansion a few years ago, the space has greatly improved. Great selection of books, music, dvds, etc.
The one thing that I do NOT understand is why they still have paper cards for the media items. It seems like a waste of time and energy. You have to collect the cards then give them to someone who then has to find the items while you wait. Instead, they should just follow the example at the Champaign Library and have you pick out the actual dvds, cds, etc and then check them out. If the Urbana library is worried about people stealing the media items, that shouldn’t be an issue because it would sound off alarms. I just don’t understand why they still have this system. It seems absolutely pointless.

We had a couple of hours between motel checkout and outdoor wedding arrival, and needed a place to get some work accomplished. We’re glad we stopped by the UFL. The parking lot on the south side was almost full, but we managed to find a place. As we entered, a friendly staff member greeted us, asked if she could help, and gave us a mini-​orientation to library services. The reading room wasn’t exceptionally large, but had good seating, free wi-​fi, and offered access to a wide variety of newspapers and magazines and a small café. The restroom was large and clean, not something that I usually find in an urban library. The architecture was lovely, inside and out. I can’t disagree with the folks who posted five-​star ratings: UFL looks like a gem in the crown of Urbana.

I love this place. And the coffee shop (Latte Da) is my favorite coffee shop in the area as well. Some of the baristas could use a little training though…
The library is so quaint and has several different rooms that will definitely allow you to get some peace and quiet!
I have seen some SUPER WEIRD people lurking around here though, inside and out, so beware! It seems like a safe place though, generally.
Also, you do have to pay for parking there Mon-​Fri 8 – 4, but 25 cents will get you an entire hour.

Excellent library. Here’s why:
1. There’s a café. Other public libraries have Keurig machines where you pay $ 1 for a styrafoam cup of coffee. Urbana Free Library has an actual coffee shop where you can get espresso drinks, brewed coffee, pastries (including GIGANTIC brownies), and pre-​made sandwiches.
2. Their DVD section is huge, and nicely organized. Includes a great selection of full seasons of various TV shows. Including Daria. Woo!
3. The really important part: they have great books. Something in the New Books area always catches my eye. Great selection of sci-​fi novels (including an almost comprehensive collection of Philip K Dick novels) and general fiction.
4. Graphic novels. They have them. Lots of them. Honestly, more than I’ve seen at any other library. And they have an excellent, varied selection, ranging from mainstream Marvel to underground comix printed by Fantagraphics and other smaller presses. Seriously, amazing.
5. The staff are helpful… and plentiful! There are plenty of library staff and if you need help with something, you’re sure to find someone who can help you without having to wait in line forever.
6. It’s an overall lovely place. You will feel happier the moment you walk in the door.

I am in library school at U of I (but I live in Chicago), so I checked this place out during an on-​campus class weekend.
It was awesome – what I think a library should be! And it was busy! I had coffee and read a few magazines. Everyone was very friendly, and the atmosphere was very comfortable.
Besides… it is called the «Urbana FREE Library.» All public libraries are «free» but their title suggests something else… something that reflects Urbana itself. Very nice folks, A+.

This library saved me when I was down in Urbana getting my MSW.
I went in there my first week with my mom (yes wonderful mom helped me move in when i went to grad school) and we both went «ooooooooo» and my mom even mentioned that this library put her fancy schmancy library in california to shame. it is huge, brightly lit and the people that work there? super helpful and nice.
for the next two years, i was able to borrow FULL seasons of tv shows (i started with monk, the office, the entire run of gilmore girls…) and the waiting list was not that bad. it was wonderful! and uh… FREE!
also they were really quick on requested books and cds as well. i got new cds pretty quickly. the new book section of the library provided me with great new (and librarian suggested) books that i may not have picked up. the magazine section was stellar.
when i was there, there was a new little coffee shop owned by a very nice couple. they were always there with a smile and sometimes with their cute little baby.
i miss you Urbana free library.

Um, amazing? Beautiful grounds, free wireless, a little coffee shop inside as well as a friendly staff and great porch for just kickin’ back?
Nice job, Urbana.

Despite the University’s extensive library system, this is probably the nicest library in the area. The outside is beautiful, with blue striped verandas and ivy covered walls, and the inside has a nice coffee shop. The is an extensive selection of DVDs, which are popular enough that there are crowds perusing them during the weekend. Also, if you want a more recent popular book, often UFL will have it before the University because the latter is more focused on academic tomes.
It’s also a good place to study and most students are unaware of how nice it is, so it is less crowded compared to other nice study hubs.

A fantastic community library in the heart of downtown Urbana. It’s in a great, older, traditional stone building; appropriate considering they were founded in 1874. These crack librarians can help you find information quickly, sometimes without even consulting the computer. They house a wide collection of subjects in books, and the CD and movie choices are extensive. You truly do not need a Blockbuster membership if you live in Urbana! It’s also quite comfortable. They offer many classes and kids’ programs. So many reasons to check it out.