Menands Library

My first attempt to visit, on my way to the Watervliet Library, was a failure, because their hours are, in library jargon, “wackadoodle”.  I had glanced quickly at their schedule, saw they were open until 8, and just assumed they would be open at 3.  Nope.  They were open 5-8 that day.

Lay-people may wonder how odd library hours come to be. They are often caused by having only one employee and a non-existant budget, so the hours need to work around meals, perhaps another job, and other factors.  Then sometimes the hours get fixed in place, and need a lot of convincing to make them change.

So I went on a Saturday with my daughter.

The library is tucked away on a side street, with a good-sized parking lot (about 10 spots). There might be a side entrance, but the front entrance is not accessible.  My overall impression is the place is cozy, clean and welcoming. Several families were there, playing, reading and coloring.

The library is all one room, there didn’t seem to be any separate program space or tutor rooms. The children’s area has a play area and tables for activities, and there is a table in the nonfiction area for  small meetings.  I think I would turn the couch behind the computers around to face the shelves (I personally would feel uncomfortable having someone sitting behind me while I’m on the computer.). There is a nice office chair in the teen area, making it easier to browse the lower shelves.

The non-fiction collection could use an influx of new items.  The video collection is robust, and my daughter found several tv show sets she wanted to check out.  The collection was well-tended.  The books on the bottom shelves are sideways to make the spine labels easier to read, not because there’s not enough room for them to be upright.

All in all, a nice little library, one that probably could use more funding.

Jane is visiting all 36 locations of the Upper Hudson Library System (see introduction)

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