Gwinnett County Public Library - Lawrenceville Hooper-Renwick Branch — Attraction in Lawrenceville

My family and I visited the Gwinnett County Public Library-- the Hooper Renwick Branch, located at 56 Neal Blvd, Lawrenceville, GA 30046. It was a breath of fresh air. From the moment you walked up to the outside of the building, it captured our attention because of the beautiful, vibrant colors they added to the front of the building. When you enter through the automatic front doors, it just smells new and fresh. My kids love it because it's closer to where we live. They have one section where you have the library, where you can sit and study and do research or read books. It's very easy to check out your books using the self-service checkout machine. The staff was very friendly and helpful. Then you have another section of the library, that's like a museum. It was very interesting to see some of the pictures and get a history of this school that I didn't even know existed. I actually met 1 or 2 of the students that had contributed some of their belongings ( the doll) to the museum, and it was great to watch the video and learn about the school bus and the routes that they had to run back in the day and more information about this school. This museum has so much great history and we were truly educated about all aspects of the school system back then We were able to listen to audio of someone playing the piano and we also watched the interviews that were done with a lot of the students who attended this school years ago. It's very interactive in the sense that you just touch the screen of the person you want to learn about and it shows the interview. If you haven't gone by to check out this new library, find the time and do so before the summer is over. It's a great addition, that's rich in history, to downtown...

This is the worst library I've ever had the misfortune to visit; it is almost always loud -- kids crying, screaming, or just jabbering away like they're at the mall instead of a library -- cell phones making their own noise and the noise associated with people rudely talking on them while in the library -- terminals that don't work, so you have to stand in the most ungodly line; librarians that are downright rude -- though a few have been pleasant and helpful -- and just the most ungodly racket and confusion ALL THE TIME -- the librarians apparently have no idea how to be librarians and make people be quiet and respectful to others, nor how to effectively police a rowdy gang of kids. I'm looking for a new library branch IMMEDIATELY, I can't stand this place anymore. Plus, instead of shelving fiction in the time-honored fashion of alphabetizing by the first 3 letters of the author's last name, they have all their fiction shelved by genre, and THEN alphabetized -- which totally eliminates the serendipity of finding some strange book on a subject you never considered before, but take a gamble on and find a great read -- how lame, and how tragic for adventurous readers. On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd give this library a negative 100. The best thing Gwinnett County could do with this place is bulldoze it and start over -- and hire some responsible librarians to keep...

A beautiful renovated public library with historical significance. The space is about 2 and a half levels big on the inside. The first and second floors have a museum dedicated to the Hooper-Renwick community and have a lot of interactive elements that remind me of the National Center for Civil & Human Rights in Atlanta. The library is on the first floor and the outside of the building close to the parking lot has the drop-off slots for quick book returns. Aside from various seating options & computers, the library has 3 learning labs, 2 study rooms, 1 conference room, 1 Black studies room, & 1 teen room. There is a family restroom inside the library. There is also a huge meeting room on the top floor of the building with an outdoor area. I am unsure if this space will be available for public use as the library is still working on setting things up. My only disappointment so far is that the library does not plan to incorporate open access due to there being more than 1 entrance door to the space. I was told this by one of the...