Great library with an amazing selection, only downside is that you have to pay for parking.

I'm a library rat. Every city or town I've ever inhabited, the librarians have necessarily become very familiar with my presence. The St. Catharines main branch location is one of my favourites. Quiet, good selection of materials, the staff are friendly (most; as everywhere there are exceptions), the layout is nice. Unlike Toronto, there isn't the constant threat of having your electronics stolen. I've spent many a snowy, cold, dreary afternoon happily ensconced within its protective frame, utilizing their public high-speed WiFi & drowsily browsing the stacks. Love it.

Beautiful and clean library with friendly staff and a great selection of books and activities for all ages. I find it amazing how you can take out different things like board games, video games, DVDs, outdoor activity sets and more! They have a good selection of large print books which is great for accessibility reasons.

Greatest STEAM Drop in program for families👍 Thank you so much ❤️

Absolutely exceptional customer service. I went in with my boyfriend and our 3 kids today (November 20, 2021) and everyone was lovely, but kudos to the woman (maybe mid 20’s with long, straight hair) that was working upstairs. My son was looking for a particular book on zodiacs and even though they didn’t have what he was looking for, she went out of her way to even Google it and offer to print out information for him. I didn’t catch her name unfortunately. A very welcome environment with a wide array of books.

Great staff. Clean facility. Online options and SMS messaging services. Wide selection. You can request orders for items and be notified when arrived. Free WiFi. Paid onsite parking. Free on Weekends and after 600PM Weekdays.

On the positive the Librarian and Library Staff are lovely, friendly, and good for a conversation…the biggest drawback to this Library, at this time, is the location and the shelter it provides to the transient population at night. At 9am the Security Guards clean up the property and make the Library a more friendly approachable entity. I highly recommend the Library but chose the time you go with care.

Very pleasant staff. This was my first visit. I would go back at anytime, however it's meter parking only, and I usually spend a few hours in a library.

Coming from the city life. Lovely Library. I come here to study most of the time. There are a few things that are not good. 1) the timing, the library is not good. It closes on Monday, open for only 5 hours on Sunday (makes no sense) 2) the inside looks kinda outdated. Maybe do some renovations or something. The staff is very knowledgeable and kind.

Large selection of materials including books, magazines, DVDs, audio books, etc. Very cozy, calm and quiet atmosphere. Very helpful and educated staff. They have free computers to use wifi etc. They also offer many different programs for all ages. Handicapped parking available. Very spacious library.

I went in to research and pass time. Staff were very nice and helpful. Helped me find what I needed. Sat down to read. Not even 15 minutes later, two mothers and their five kids come in. Mothers sit down and proceed to ignore their children screaming, throwing things, climbing on things, etc. and by the looks of what I saw when I left, tore up a book and tore things off the walls, though I am not entirely sure the extent of the damage because I was trying to get out of there and I didn't stop to observe, as my head hurt from the sheer noise level. Security got mad at me for being concerned and asking what got destroyed / what was going on / is there a fight. Even with headphones I could hear the screaming, and it was echoing. Security did nothing about it. I have a migraine now and I left ten minutes ago. Edit for clarity : I couldn't even hear music over the screaming.

Have been a consistent patron since I moved here in the 70s; I always feel welcome, and well-served.

I’ve been going to this location since the 1970s. The library is kept clean and well organized and has a good variety of books, DVDs, etc. I wish more people would take advantage of the Library’s offerings, as libraries are not something we can afford to lose.’ I follow the downtown location on Facebook and, while they don’t post all the time, they do post about upcoming programs, etc., which I share on my feed. One of the things that I think is great is the online offerings of books and magazines, though it seems the Library changes its apps to access them a bit too often. Their online catalogue is good and it is very easy to place holds, etc. A great place to spend a couple of hours in the reference area upstairs and just browsing through different books.

Good if you need to kill time. Did you know the library has games lol not like a 90s library.. will go back and again free parking

Best secret in town. I call it a secret because if everyone knew how awesome this place is and how awesome their services are, it would be full to the door. The employees I've always found to be super sweet, kind and just so pleasant. I am truly grateful for everything I borrow from here.

Bad experience from my 5 year old Borrowed some games , they refused to give an envelope or anything to protect the games while walking in the rain. Customer service desk didn’t look happy to help either.

Over the past few years this place has devolved into the defacto meet and greet for the cities drug using community. Their social accumen isn't much to desire although they're all harmless and you can safely conduct business here with little to no issues. Just lock your bike lol. Disclaimer: Scenes of open drug and IV use may be encountered so for those with kids please keep this is mind.

The picture is incorrect. What you are showing is where the police used to have a satellite office. The library is actually one building over, towards the actual police station. Tried writing this under "Suggest an Edit" but no place for comments, hence this route.

So the library building itself is very Nice an modern. However there's a massive problem with the staffing. They're all temp workers apparently so nobody has any idea about even basic rules and the staff ALWAYS defer to the Security Guard even on basic no brain decisions. I've had two huge arguments that where only resolved with direct involvement of the Management about bringing in my scooter. In both cases I had been doing it for a long time and nobody said anything. Then one day the security guard decided that Scooters where just like bikes and had to be left out front. I lost 30 minutes this week arguing with the new Security Guard after having already resolved this EXACT ISSUE months earlier. It took the manager coming down IN PERSON to convince the Security Guard that I wasn't lying about scooters. Honestly there's something very incompetent about the entire setup. The washrooms are worse. They are nice big and clean. Only problem is that ONE PERSON AT A TIME is allowed in despite having the Security desk right next to them. The door is also locked. Let me Repeat: These washrooms are literally guarded AND LOCKED and only ONE PERSON IS ALLOWED AT A TIME regardless of their specific physical needs. basically if the security guard doesn't like you or is simply being lazy you have to wait for him potentially for minutes to unlock the damn restrooms which have room AT LEAST FOR 3 PEOPLE EACH WITH PLENTY OF SPARE! Even worse they're the only public washrooms in the area after 5 because most things shut down. They know this I've told them, they don't care. in short the rules about the restroom are unreasonable and even paranoid. It's a ludecrous situation for a large public building with two expansive floors.

Great staff, friendly and very helpful. We just moved to the area and started to explore our new home town, and of course, the library was one of our first destinations. We have only visited the main branch, but so far we have met with nothing but superb service and a well stocked library for the size of the city. The layout is intuitive, with a spacious second floor, with lots of room for reading, browsing and working. Even with a fair number of people in the building, it never feels crowded. I will say the stairs from the first to the second floor are tight and would be a challenge to young kids and older people. Given the ample space, that seems like an odd design choice. There is a little coffee kiosk in the main entrance, although I have yet to try it. Getting a membership card was a breeze. This will definitely become a staple of our life in St Catharines. We will return…frequently.

First time visiting the city in 15 years, was not impressed by the amount of drug users dealing and using drugs (not weed) on the library's entrance and surrounding garden. Not to mention it is right across from city hall, a destination point for first time tourists. Not only the library but the street had paraphernalia lying in plain site, proving the age old problem still exists in St. Catherines. Definitely wouldn't bring kids until the library's grounds are safe. I left other reviews of this city, since St.Pauls dining experience was great.

So amazing. I had a well overdue item and they didn't make me feel bad, let me pay my fine and then helped me get another card. Great staff and so professional

Great staff and services highly recommended...thank you

Amazing library, pleasant, and clean environment. Love the staff, they are always knowledgeable, helpful, and friendly.

My favourite library in St. Catharines! The library has a large selection of books, audiobooks and movies, but you can also borrow from the Library of Things, which has many other items (Board Games, a telescope, outdoor games) It's also worth noting that you get free access to Hoopla, an online library with more books and movies, with your card. Aside from what you can borrow, the library has some interesting sections, such as the Special Collections and the study rooms upstairs. They do a lot for little kids, too -- there is a craft zone and a gaming room. Also, the library is constantly having events (Brock Talks, Movies, Workshops). The staff have always been friendly and helpful to me when I visit!

Firstly, I want to make it clear that I don't have an issue with the public library downtown, and I appreciate the hard work of the staff, without whom the library wouldn't be possible. Now, onto my pros and cons: Pros: 1. The addition of a gaming room is great. Not everyone can afford an expensive entertainment system or a high-end gaming PC at home, so having a shared space brings people together. 2. Allowing people to sleep in the library is a touching gesture. It provides a warm place for those less fortunate during cold or rainy weather. 3. Beyond book borrowing, the library offers a variety of items like outdoor gear and home improvement tools for borrowing. Cons: 1. The website's claim of having 5 high-end gaming PCs is misleading. The Nvidia RTX 3060 paired with i7 1200ff is a mid-range setup suitable for 1080p gaming, not high-end. Clarifying the specifications on the website would be beneficial. 2. The cloud library feature, meant for borrowing books online, was confusing. Although staff offered to help during the library card setup, they didn't provide guidance on using the online borrowing system, leaving me and others confused. 3. When seeking help to find books, the staff's assistance was limited. They didn't show me how to locate the books I wanted and simply mentioned checking other libraries if unavailable here. 4. Wish they had escalator to help elderly people who have bad knees get to the second floor when looking for books. 5. I wish it was more engaging and feel more alive like they do in other libraries in other cities.