Van Nuys Branch Library

nice quiet and usually not too busy. they typically have activities for kids and an area for toddlers to play with toys
the selection is decent

First impressions are crucial… and upon entering the Van Nuys Public Library I was greeted to a large bin of tortilla chips blocking the metal detector entrance. The book keeps just looked at my friend and I like we were crazy as we staggered over the peculiar blockade. Strike 1.
They have free Wi-​Fi but lack proper charging outlets for laptops… The power strips are located under desktop computer terminals and a tiny pocket of desk. Certainly not enough to accommodate the cliental. Strike 2.
Loads of transients lurk around and in the building. Certainly a variety of flavored characters… often times it was distracting.
Also the bathrooms were a mess and the entrance near the restrooms reeked of urine. Strike 3.
And to top it off the entrance is hard to find and find parking wasn’t the simplest task as this branch is off the beaten path. The area looks a bit abandoned like a scene from a zombie apocalypse.
Not my favorite study destination.

They are a very small branch. Not a whole lot but enough of what you need. Also they are located in an area where are outdoor benches so if you don’t want to read inside you can do so outside

Free parking in an area where parking is difficult is a big plus. The lot itself is difficult to find in my opinion as it lacks good signage. It is a pretty large library with plenty of tables. I went to study so didn’t use the books or computers but I liked how large the space was. The bathrooms were a bit dirty but it is a high traffic library it seems.

okay so its like all the other Libraries i been. The parking is kinda hidden but slots are easy to find. Time to get my geek on

So we went here after picking up some documents since my husband loves books.
The first thing I noticed was a bike loaded up with bags full of refund bottles and a shopping cart with somebody’s belongings in front of the building.
At some point I had to use the bathroom, so as I walked into the ladies room this horrible smell of nastiness, unwashed clothes, sweat and mold hit me in the face. An obviously not very fortunate person was filling up her water bottles at the sink.
When I left the ladies room my husband told me that he just witnessed a person coming out of the men’s room with a needle in his mouth, removing a rubber strap from his arm. EXCUSE ME???
Yeah, at this point there’s no reason for us to stay another minute!
Unfortunately a bum — hangout. :(

I worked at the Van Nuys branch of the L.A. Public Library for about six months when I was sixteen. It was my first job, and I loved it, so forgive me if this retrospective review is riddled with bias and nostalgia.
I started as a volunteer because I fell in love with the downtown branch, and that segued into a legitimate job with a real paycheck, perhaps the only one I’ve held with any pride. The Van Nuys branch is very different from the beautiful central library, but I ended up loving it as well. This is a neighborhood library, cozy and little, without grandeur. When I worked here, anyway, the clientele was heavy on neighborhood children, which meant the branch was doing things right. There were occasional disturbances — once, I saw a drunk man get arrested right on the floor — but the library was too small for, say, homeless men to print out porn, which cannot be said for the central branch.
I was a messenger clerk. There were a few of us on that bottom rung, then clerks and librarians, making up what I thought was a small, effective team. My bosses were two wonderful people named Peter and Lupe, who I’ve tried, without success, to track down years later. I know a lot of this information is irrelevant for most people, but it should be known that the library was very lovingly run, and I see no reason why that should have changed in the intervening years.
I operated the circulation desk once in a while, but I spent most of my time communing with the bookshelves. For a neighborhood library, we were pretty well stocked. I checked out a lot of books while I worked here, but the ones that stick out are The Big U by Neal Stephenson and Transparent Things, a slim, lesser Nabokov. They were just sitting on the shelves. I also took home a bunch of retired books, because the library system discards some books when no one touches them for years. Any books that aren’t on the bookshelves can be ordered with ease from other branches. There’s a constant flow of LAPL books in the staff room. I managed, at various points, the 500s, the 600s, the 800s, the 900s, fiction, and children’s books. I still remember the call numbers for planets, diseases, World War II — all useless, of course, since no one uses Dewey Decimal anymore. The sorting shelves were a playground. I’d pile huge stacks of books onto my cart and put them in order before wedging them into shelves and smoothing the surrounding spines so that they lined up as neatly as possible. My shelves were meticulously kept, and I used to resent this one hyperactive kid who came in every day and rampaged among my shelves. I was a jerk, I guess. Anyway, I have my own bookshelves to obsess over today.
I haven’t been to this library in a long time, and it’s possible that it’s changed significantly over the years. But I doubt very much that it’s changed in its essence, in its welcoming atmosphere and community value. The Van Nuys Public Library was an important stop in my coming of age, and I’m sure I’m one of many who hold it dear.

After walking a mile to get to this library (as parking is premium), I noticed they had parking in the back. That blew.
This place is interesting, since as I was growing up in the 1980’s in midwestern Ohio I remember my school had large paneled fake wood trim. I went to one of the shittiest schools in Ohio around the toughest neighborhood, so this place felt like I traveled back in time.
The DVD selection is miniscule, but was still able to find some interesting flicks. Score. And it is on a plaza full of some of the most miserable people in California (as you have a parade of criminal miscreants, angry divorce court rejects, lawsuit anger, and in this very day, a newlywed couple, that collectively had to be 600 lbs.). The scent in the air is misery. But as one other reviewer mention, this is either your favorite Fellini movie of freaks or a Bosch nightmare.
If I recall a few years back, there was a guy who lost some custody hearing or something and started shooting at his own lawyer. I can see the tree his lawyer was hiding behind in the children’s book section. This is totally Van Nuys, homes.
So if you want to hide out in plain sight from police. Or you just want to catch up with Judy Blume, this is your place.
p. s. I realize it is douchey of me to write a review of the same library I’m piggybacking on for internet use. And knowing is half the battle.

The library itself is great, there is a decent size selection of books and the staff who run the check out counter are so nice. I’m giving this a one star though because none of the positives outweigh the fact that the librarians here are abysmal. It feels like I’m pulling teeth any time I want help. I’m sorry I would like help looking for a book or putting a media item on hold (since you cannot do that yourself online). These librarians remind me of those lazy teens you see in retail stores who act so offended that you asked them to help you. If you need something from the library go here, it’s a pleasant place, but do NOT ever consider asking a librarian for help, you’d be better off running head first into a wall than dealing with these grumpy unhelpful souls.

I believe since the kindle and all the other electronics came out libraries are smaller. I remember this library feeling a lot bigger. I like this location better than the one in sylmar since I find the books I need more often.
The employees are also very helpful. They are really nice all the time to me so I appreciate that.

This is an average Los Angeles Valley library. It’s a rather small library and like most libraries it’s a bit in need for refurbishment. That being said it’s clean and quite place to study or read. Has bike parking right outside the door for those cycling students (u shaped racks).
That being said there are not a lot of outlets to plug laptops in. I believe there is only one of them accessible in the whole building. Wifi was just fine and worked the whole time.

This is my neighborhood library and it makes me proud.
It is in an historic building, which means it will be preserved — thank goodness. It’s small, intimate, and the librarians are eager to help.
It is the kind of public service that makes the government look good.
Outside there is the federal mall where food is often being cooked and sold, children are playing, and people are hanging out in the shade.
It has such a sense of community, and the diversity is thrilling.
Yes — it is true that the people using this library might come for the free internet or need help learning how to use their library card, but that makes it even more important to us all. Kudos to the Van Nuys Library!

I LOVE THIS LIBRARY.
(I must disagree with Amber’s review)
This library has everything I look for in a library!!! It’s small, which makes it feel nice and cosy.
The old library look and smell is something that must be preserved. If you want to read in a cold chic place, then you can head over to Barnes & Noble or Borders.
When you visit this library it makes you feel like you are participating in something special as you’re surrounded by courthouses, the Van Nuys jail, police station and fire department.

Yesterday I went to a used book sale… being offered by «The friends of the Van Nuys Library»…it was in a lil room connected to the library… and it was really cool… they offered paperbacks @50 cents each… or 5 for a dollar. Hardbacks were $ 1.00.
Nice selection of childrens books, religion, mysteries, non-​fiction, fiction, Cookbooks, vhs movies and more.
Very friendy ladys running the operation… and when I say friendly… I mean friendly 8))…and very very helpful.
Every third Saturday of the month it will be offered for the rest of the year… except December… so I will definately be there next month on the 21^st
This book sale event gets 5 stars… and the library itself gets 1
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On to the Library review… OH MY… what an AWFUL lil library!!!
~~~HATED it~~~
So shabby and in dire need of a make-over.It’s just north of the Superior Court Building and next to the Van Nuys Police Station
and Parking is a nightmare during the week… because of the courthouse… and the librarys lot is really tiny 8((
If you want a quality library to visit… DO-​NOT go here
Really small inside… and alot of unsavory characters are around
Mondays & Wednesdays 10:00 am — 8:00 pm
Tuesdays & Thursdays Noon — 8:00 pm
Fridays & Saturdays 10:00 am — 6:00 pm