Edgewater Public Library

Some staffs just talk in the phone and not pay action to u

I wish I could love this library - I'm an Edgewater resident, and this is the only library in our very small neighborhood. But it's a sorry excuse for a library, and needs a serious upgrade. I spend a lot of time in the children's section because I have a small child. But the room is cramped and disorganized. The books for toddlers/preschoolers are kind of haphazardly shelved. There are all these cluttered back rooms that are reserved for group gatherings, but it's at the cost of having a smaller main reading/book area. There are also only 2 small tables to sit and read at, so it's tough trying to jockey for a seat and stay a while. My son and I usually just grab some books and leave. It is NOT the library experience that I would like my child to have.

Additionally, they have a really disorganized system of book returns. My child and I borrow books every 3 to 4 weeks, and we ALWAYS return the books on time. But every month, I receive email alerts telling me that I have an overdue book, that I am being charged for overdue books, even though it has been returned weeks and months ago. Every single month, I have to deal with a random book that they claim has not been returned. Everything is computerized - I don't understand these discrepancies?!

And while I appreciate their calendar of activities, I wish they offered just a simple, good old-fashioned story-time session. I like Adra, and her Story Time Yoga sessions, but sometimes you just want someone to read a really good story, without the extra stretching and rolling around. And Korean Storytime?!? I get that Edgewater is overwhelmingly Asian (my son and I are also Asian!!) But we are not Korean, and would much rather have an English-speaking story time session that's geared for a wider range of ages (the Mother Goose and Baby Lapsit story-times are for babies 18 months and younger, but my son is preschool age).

Great library and constantly improving!

New books, the latest movies, audio-book materials in several formats, foreign language media, computers, cozy chairs, and meeting rooms. If the book, CD, download, printed music or magazine or periodical you need isn't in the Edgewater collection, chances are good that the library can reserve it from a partner library in just a few days.

Very responsive to patrons, it's as much of a community center as a library - new and constantly changing programming offers movies, a writer's group, children's activities, classes for movement and aromatherapy, language learning and so much more.

With a historic & charming building, and a computer network that offers several counties worth of lending materials, the Edgewater library combines the warmth of a small town with enormous resources.

The Edgewater library staff is wonderful, hard working and striving to update, innovate and add value. Fingers crossed that the building gets the restoration & maintenance budget it needs! It already has all the spirit any library can hold.

It is loud in Edgewater Library but it is not a level of 'yapping' and not because staff are yelling. Library is small so tables are literally less than 5 feet away from help desk. Hence if they talk you can hear and this applies to everyone. Someone a table over talk you will hear because that table is right behind you.

Edgewater Library is small, have limited resources, and definitely not a place to study. I recommend you visit Fort Lee library which is much bigger, open longer, have a lot more resources, and much quieter place to study.

There are at least 5 people there working at all times and they are constantly yapping and patrons talk on their phones and nothing is done about it.