Castle Hill Library — Attraction in New York

Arlene Soto is the Children’s manager at this library. The Hispanic woman with glasses who is known in the neighborhood as having a very nasty attitude. Well the rumors about this woman are true. I came in to the library last week Tuesday, March 12, 2024 for the Storytime event at 11:15am for babies and toddlers. There were 2 other toddlers and my friend and I brought our children. Arlene claimed she’d read to the children before we arrived, as we were 10 minutes late. I asked her how long is the Storytime event because it’s only 11:30am. She left toys on the playmat and then sat down to play Tetris on the computer for the remaining 30 minutes. When asked about this, she replied that she isn’t obligated to read for Story time. I then spoke with the branch manager (Mark Torres) today March 20th who didn’t apologize and whom also backed up her behavior by also stating to me that she does not have to read. The NYPL is suffering budget cuts and wants signatures and advocates to rally around and support them but they can’t even read a book to babies for 45 minutes. Amanda Farias whom my organization is affiliated with and who also sits on the board for NYPL, donated a million dollars to this branch. She will definitely hear about this and I’ve also taken this complaint to this next level. To Mark and Arlene: I know this is The Bronx, but this is our home and this type of negligence is not acceptable and I will see to it that this matter is rectified. Because we deserve librarians who want to do their job and who care. Not play Tetris on company time when there are community members who are looking forward to these programs. They can not continue to be rewarded for this type...

The Castle Hill library is my favorite branch in the Bronx ! Despite the changing staff over the years ( my son and I have been going there since 2007) the staff is always professional, patient and kind. They expect and gently enforce ( by example) a quiet and reverent atmosphere. Its their behavior that sets the tone for exploring the joys of reading for the young and old alike. My hope would be that someday they could expand, add a second floor ( like they did in parkchester). As a child , I was taught to revere learning institutions . This branch is elite. The staff at Castle Hill provide a welcoming and non " stuffy" vibe but still is the quietest branch in comparison to the surrounding branches. I...

Castle Hill library is a great neighborhood library. The staff is very friendly and we always receive a warm welcome when we arrive. This branch provides lots of resources for toddlers and programs for children. Children’s storytime helped my daughter develop her love for reading. Ms. Soto, the children’s librarian, is doing an amazing job at this branch. She engages children through storytelling, songs, and play. Ms. Soto is very good at suggesting books my daughter may like to read. She is also very helpful when we need to find multiple books for school summer reading logs. Thank you to all the staff at this branch for providing a valuable resource to our...