Magnolia Branch - The Seattle Public Library

Beautiful architecture, friendly staff and a generally quiet atmosphere conducive to work. The children's corner is very cozy and my 5 year old loves to spend time here. In addition to the books, one can check out magnatiles to play with while at the library. There are also regular story times so check out the website for the current schedule.

Friendly librarians! Wonderful children's section! Beautiful neighborhood library

Seattle Public Library system has a huge collection, but you won't find much of it at a time in this small neighborhood branch. Still, even with a limited selection and limited hours, it's easy enough to order things from other branches or place holds online and you will be alerted when the item is available.nnThe building itself is well-maintained (recently renovated) and lovely. It's a historic building with manicured landscaping that complements the Japanese-influenced PNW style. The interior seems reasonably well-organized for browsing, but again, if you're looking for something specific, you're better off requesting it online.nnOne nice feature here is a wall of current magazines (for reading only inside the library -- you can't check them out) which has a pretty wide variety.nnThey've got a modern inventory control/self-checkout system in use that reads individual RFID codes from multiple items simultaneously, but they combine that with the ultra low-tech book drop slots outside the building or in the hall which always make me feel like the DVD case is going to pop open or the book is going to be damaged or whatever. (I really prefer scanning my returns in or handing them to a human.)

great building.

This is a lovely and small library. Staff is very helpful. Award winning design with a Japanese touch in landscape and architecture. A favorite.