Carlsbad City Library — Attraction in Carlsbad

So thankful for this library. But I absolutely hate their poor covid operations... I showed up at 4pm to pick up a book for my wife. Before I left my house, I called the main number and spoke with Shelly who told me to just go to the southern parking lot and call the pick up number listed there. She said they would be able to help me.

So I get to the parking lot and call. A young man answers and asks for my last name, I give it. Then he asks me if I have a library card and tell him I do. Then he asks me what book I would like, so I tell him the book.

He then tells me that I will have to place a hold for it. I can either call reference (again) or do it online. I ask him if he can just grab it, but he says he can’t, “we’re really busy back here”. I am literally the only person parked out front. He tells me that they won’t be able to get my book today, because the hold will take too long to process.

I am livid. I don’t write reviews, I don’t even write negative reviews, and I love this library, but the operations team here suck. The hours on the website are wrong, the circulation desk felt intentionally unhelpful, and no one wanted to help me.

I absolutely hated the experience.

I made a hold, so I’ll find out tomorrow if I’ve jumped through the right...

A nice community library. The most significant aspect of either Carlsbad City Library is they are both far superior to those in Oceanside. After making the mistake of going to the library in beautiful downtown Oceanside, I was thrilled to learn Carlsbad allows those of us with an Oceanside address to get a library card. I greatly feared I was condemned to the Oceanside Library experience for years to come and considered giving up on reading. Thankfully, a neighbor suggested I go to the Carlsbad Library. The difference is like that between night and day or perhaps, more accurately, between Paradise and Hades. The fear, depression, and desolation that enshrouds Oceanside's Civic Center Library can now be avoided and it's possible to once again enjoy reading. It is awarded 4 stars as a pleasant small library and 5 stars for simply not being anything like the dank, inadequate facilities passing for libraries in Oceanside. A journey from awful to awesome in only a couple of minutes driving time. There are finer libraries in California but not anywhere near the "lovely" neighborhoods to which Oceanside has seen fit to subject its more...

A good-sized facility with a smaller branch library downtown, and surprisingly good collection given the size of the city. Kid's section is particularly good. Staff are friendly and the librarians are knowledgeable. Although often busy, the library is rarely crowded. The online catalog is difficult to use and the search results are at times bafflingly bad. The library subscribes to small number of online databases. Unlike the County Library, Carlsbad is not part of local San Diego (Circuit) and California-wide (Link+) library consortia, making for limited interlibrary loan options. But local residents can get to a County branch in San Marcos or Encinitas...