Billings Public Library — Attraction in Billings

Do to the weather there is really nowhere else to take your children without spending money we went to the library about 7:00pm, I knew I had an hour went straight to the kid area. My boys got on the computers. I sat down and read a book to my toddler. The young librarian mentioned they close at 8pm. I told her I knew that, she said I’ve never seen you before, so I’m just letting you know. I said I don’t know you either and lived in Billings my whole life and I do come to the library once in a while with my children however, there is always someone different sitting in that chair. And the short, chubby, redheaded, security guard not hard to miss, kept coming to the play area, watching me and my boys first couple of times I smiled and waved the third time it was starting to get uncomfortable like we were doing something we weren’t supposed to almost like hovering over us, my boys were on the computer and I was reading a book to my toddler, 7:55pm I walked over to get my boys bc it was almost time to leave. The security guard came looked at me and said it’s 5 to 8. It’s time to start wrapping it up. I looked at him and said what do you think I am doing he said we close at 8:00pm. I said “I know that” he said I just want you to understand that we are closing and I said “you need to understand that I understand you guys close at 8 I’m getting my children together because the library is closing and we’re leaving, there was another child in the kid area looking for books may mind you he was a white child. I didn’t see the security guard harassing him. The security guard was following us toward the door, and there was a family a white family coming down the stairs, nobody was harassing them even that same security guard didn’t say anything to them , I asked the security guard why aren’t you harassing them and letting them know as well?? HE Said that would be harassment. SMH I told him to stop following me and my children because that was also harassment. I never felt so discriminated against like that ever...

We frequent the library often. My friend and I visited with our 8 children combined on a day off of school. We left feeling unwelcome and felt this library is not a kid friendly zone. Every visit I feel uncomfortable as the security guard hovers over me and my children waiting for one wrong move on our part. Aren’t security guards supposed to protect us, and not scare us away? Our children were harshly corrected several times for being kids and exploring their environment. We were only in the lobby and the children’s section. The children were touching the water in the reflection pool and using the stumps in the lobby as stepping stones. The children were being supervised and being instructed to stop by their parents. I felt they overstepped their bounds. Might I suggest the workers smile and make their patrons (who are mostly mothers and children) feel welcomed? And perhaps the reflection pool could have a glass wall built around it, so curious, little hands aren’t tempted to touch such an accessible object. Or perhaps you could move the children’s section away from the pool (out of sight, out of mind). And finally, please remember that the library is for the community, a community made up of families and children. Shouldn’t we be instilling a love of reading and learning at an early age? How are we to do that if we don’t feel welcome at...

I only reviewed this library to post how disgusting some of these stuck up people are with their reviews. If you can't accept that people who are not as fortunate as you still have the right to use a PUBLIC library, you should be ashamed of yourself. The security is very much on top of if any disturbances and go as far as to not even let some people who have been up all night trying to stay warm sleep. If you are so much of a self righteous snob you can't be bothered with the homeless problem in this city, take your uppity self to barns and noble in the mall. Or get off your high horse and help the city to reach out to the lost and hurting. But you wont, you would rather sit on your ass, in your warm home, and judge the way others provide a place where some homeless and unfortunate people can go to use computers and read. And take part in programs to help them learn to find jobs. Some people were not given a chance at this life. Or some people made mistakes and now have to pay for it with hunger and cold. Or they are mentally ill. But they are human. Apparently some of you are not....