Salt Lake City Public Library — Attraction in Salt Lake City

As a library card holder you get $1 free printing every month, access to a technology center, and 2 hours computer time a day. They also offer 3D printing, free test proctoring, and (I think technology classes too?). The library is very central & accessible since it is right across the street to the Red Trax line and part of the free fair zone. Weekend hours are limited, but 7 days a week is pretty uncommon in Utah so give the library some credit! (There is also plenty of free weekend parking on the street)

This library is one of the most beautiful buildings in Salt Lake City. You can't ask for better mountain views & sunny reading nooks. You can take a study break and go sit out by the fountains or take a quick walk around the building and enjoy the grounds & architecture. I love all the free public events that are hosted in the library like film screenings or lectures. I feel like this public library is a cultural & community center. Friends who visit town are always wowed by the beauty of this library. I'm proud of it.

There are plenty of places to study & private rooms available. The staff are friendly and have helped me order a book through the inter-library loan program. As a woman, there are times when locking & unlocking my bike that I get harassed by men outside, but I always feel safe inside the library and would request a security guard to watch me if I felt threatened.

As far as comments about homeless people utilizing the library, they are members of the public and have every right to be at the library. Not taking care of our homeless populations is our city's problem and a reflection of our local government and our community's priorities and not a reflection of our librarians. Homeless people are everywhere in SLC, so this issue isn't unique to SLCPL. I'm conflicted because in the last few months I've seen the library implement anti-homeless measures like limiting bags that people can bring in, and reducing the computer time to 2 hours (which has made it more difficult for me to use the library as study place). I've also seen security guards chastise people for falling asleep. But honestly, the librarians aren't social and public health workers and they are doing the best that they can with a burden that they aren't meant to handle. Complain about this issue to our mayor & governor & try to fix it as...

Extremely unsafe!! Do not recommend - do NOT bring your children here! The mentally ill and homeless flock to this place and there’s zero safety or security as you approach the building.

Went first thing on a Saturday morning for a friend’s of the library booksale with my young child. There were mobs of homeless surrounding us as we approached the doors. They lined up 30 minutes in advance of the doors opening and waited there pacing for security to open the door. It was VERY obvious many of them suffered from mental illness. As the security opened the doors at 10am, there were 20 to 30 homeless individuals nearly charging the doors to get in - quite a few of them were staring at my child in a very uncomfortable way. The security who opened the doors seemed completely unaffected, just business as usual.

As we were leaving an hour later, there seemed to be an altercation taking place between 2 homeless individuals (again, obviously suffering from mental illnesses) and when one nearby spectating man walked too close, one of the homeless men screamed at him to mind his own business. It looked like it was about to escalate into violence. It was all I could do not to grab my child and run in the opposite direction. It freaked my child out noticeably. WE WILL NEVER BE BACK!

This library, while its outwardly ascetics are pleasing, is extremely dangerous! I cannot imagine that fighting or violence towards the public has not taken place previously. I did NOT feel safe at all. I will NEVER return. Do NOT bring your children here!! Seriously, it is an accident waiting to happen. I cannot warn anyone enough to stay clear of this place. It’s as if you’re walking into a state run mental facility - In no way did I feel safe as a woman or a mother walking anywhere near there and I feel strongly that people need to be made aware of these issues, this is a serious warning for people to never go there - it’s extremely, and I do mean extremely, dangerous.

If I could give the Salt Lake Public Library a negative 10 star rating, I would. Do not go here, do not walk by here — if you do, it will quickly become apparent to you that you are not safe and are at risk...

Had to go digging for some African American children's books, during black history month, because they had no display, and no easy way to look them up. Left some feedback about it, and got a call 3 weeks later from a rather defensive supervisor (or something), who kept trying to turn the conversation into what they do well instead of what I was talking about. I left that conversation reiterating my original complaint that I shouldn't have had to go digging for books, and having the staff (nice folks) trying to help me dig for AA books DURING black history month.

But my last straw was the fines for a child's library card and books that were 3 weeks late. We had a wedding and a funeral in a span of 4 weeks, and due to no fault of my child, the books were late. I expected a fine, and sent my adult daughter with my minor daughter to the library with my debit card to pay the fine and renew the books. I expected something along the lines of $15. Instead, it was over $30. For a child's library card. For children's books that they had no reason yet to suspect they'd never receive back. I moved back here from a state that doesn't charge children anything for late books unless they never receive them back - because they want kids to read. But here...it's all about the revenue apparently. "Why did you pay the fine, if you disagreed with it?" they said. "We have a fine reduction 'read down' program" they said. Well - that sounds rather punitive. I don't want reading associated with fine reduction to my child, particularly when it wasn't their fault. She enjoys reading for the joy of reading, and I'd like it to stay that way, thank you very much.

So, for the most recent interactions I've had with this library, they get two stars. The building is nice, and the staff is decent. But the parking (revenue stream), the diversity issue, and the fines (revenue), leave me ready to just buy my daughter's books from the thrift...