Warner Library — Attraction in Town of Greenburgh

Beautiful space. I’ve been coming there for years, love it. However, the uncontrollable, unchecked noise level has been a huge issue in this library. Patrons, confused, speak in their full voices and the staff matches their tone and volume—sometimes louder to make themselves clear or heard specifically when providing operating instructions, etc. Kids run around crying, screaming, and yelling. Parents don’t seem to care. Teenagers holler and roll on the floor, laughing at their inside jokes. The staff does not intervene or model proper behavior either. No signs anywhere about maintaining noise levels low, but you’ll encounter signage reminding patrons not to eat and that the space is monitored by video. And on weekends, you may hear a live music concert going on upstairs. On weekday afternoons you’ll be listening to a match of chess by the local chess club—on the main reading room instead of giving them a reserved room upstairs. All of this is simply unacceptable to patrons who pay a lot taxes to Westchester and NYS for a peaceful library to read, study, work, or cool off of warm summer days without so much noise or distractions. Patrons, including me, have complained about the noice and the staff said that there’s nothing they can do about it. That’s unacceptable. The staff should make this a priority to monitor, control, and model proper behavior and install appropriate noise suppression panels to keep noise levels down. While the plexiglass around the staff desk may have good intentions, it doesn’t help with the noise problem, it adds to it: people have to raise your voice to be heard on the other side—I mean is this a bank protecting staff against robbers? I know public heath is a concern, but we have to break way from the trauma of COVID (I currently see people wearing masks AND be shielded by a plexiglass; it begs the question: is this the safest position for these potentially vulnerable staff members?). Lastly, I don’t think no one expects zero noise, but one can expect speaking in controlled speech volume or close to a whisper. All this points clearly that the noise issue is a management problem and patrons suffer the consequences.

My reply to your response: THANK YOU! But keep in mind that study rooms are not always available. All three rooms are available on first-come-first-served basis, and you can’t reserve them for a future date. So if one is not lucky enough to get a room, one is forced to use the larger spaces, which means enduring noisy customers and staff without moderation OR simply leave the building. Your management team should make this a TOP priority and implement impactful measures (e.g. noise suppression panels, noise suppression enforcement by staff). It’s a LIBRARY not a social club. Alternatively patrons can exercise their civic right and bring this issue to the Tarrytown town hall meetings to be addressed more...

I went to apply for a library card today and I did not like how I was treated by the lady with the pink hair at the front desk. I do not live in Westchester, but I work in Tarrytown so I brought a letter from my job confirming that I work there. The lady who attended me stated, that it was her discretion to issue me a library card because I did not live in Tarrytown. She repeated this to me multiple times and in a very condescending tone. She said it in such a way as to make me feel bad for having the audacity to apply in the first place. The library's website clearly states that anyone who lives or works in Tarrytown is eligible for a library card, and there is no mention that it is up to their discretion to issue a library card to a nonresident who works in the village. I pay thousands of dollars in taxes to New York State to be treated as if I'm applying for welfare. To add further insult to injury, she balked at my NJ driver's license and my job letter. She also demanded that I show a copy of my utility bill since I recently moved and my license has my previous address. It's very discouraging to someone who supports public libraries to be treated this way, especially considering that this day and age most things are available online and many people don't use libraries anymore. I didn't deserve that kind of treatment for attempting to get something so simple as a library card. I've had better experiences at the DMV than what I dealt with today. Even though I was able to get the card, I don't think I will end up using it since I feel very uncomfortable...

I have a lot of great memories about this place. On the hottest days of summer vacation, my father would take my siblings and I here to escape the sweltering heat. They had (and still have) a great selection of books, and I remember being stoked to read the graphic novels they had there like the dorky kid I was. The staff was very kind and helpful, even though I was probably a little rowdier than they would have liked. They'd always have their doors open after the Christmas Tree Lighting in the nearby park, too, and my family and I would stop in for cider (that I scalded my tongue on because I lacked/lack patience) and check out the Christmas decorations they put up. I've long since moved out of the area, too far to visit myself, but my parents and brother still go there all the time to check out books and relax. It seems most of the same wonderful crew are still there, too. I'm glad this place could be a part of my childhood, and will always look back at the times I had there in...