Fresno County Public Library in Fresno

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  Phantom Stranger

  :: 04 May 2018 15:30:20

  This library has seen better days. Most of the people within its walls on any working day are homeless folks seeking air conditioning, a handy restroom & computer use. The staff do a tremendous job with dwindling resources & an often crumbling infrastructure. They also have to work in a dangerous environment as the customers are frequently mentally disturbed, quite literally hostile to the notion of following any rules & pumped up on booze or drugs. There is a security guard here throughout the operating hours & he is endlessly calm & patient during long days which invariably throw violence & vicious verbal abuse in his direction. Some of the reviews here echo that very trend - yet I have seen this decent man demonstrate compassion & kindness in abundance in spite of the no-win nature of his job. The entire building is worn out & dirty. Most of the books have been discarded. The Reference Section is bare. Comic books seem to be given a higher priority than the kind of literature one expects in even a basic library. The place smells like a garbage truck & it must be hell for the people who have to work here. At least the mental hospitals which this library most resembles do require the inmates to take a bath now & then. This branch used to provide free parking. That was taken away & the inflated cost of metered parking in the vicinity has driven away real customers - placing the library even more in the category of vagrant hangout space. Downtown Fresno was already an unattractive place to explore before the parking changes; as the risk of being mugged by meth addicts is no longer offset by convenient parking, why bother using the library here?

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  Steven Lewis

  :: 11 January 2018 13:45:48

  Security guards give the place the feel of being in a prison psych ward. Library staff members are sometimes snarky, especially if you express any concerns or complaints about anything. Men's restroom is unacceptable, with NO ventilation and only 1 toilet (inadequate for a building this big!).

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  Brent Ransom

  :: 27 November 2017 16:46:46

  While the Fresno library system is decent, Central has let what started out as a small problem severely overwhelm the branch's ability to operate. The downtown homeless population uses the branch a lot, which is great, since most are model citizens. However, led by the fascist security guard identified by a lilting British accent, the staff at this branch (very particular staff) seem to have some prejudices they vent on library patrons. I understand that cellphones are not allowed, but only at Central will you be banned for a month if caught, even very quietly and briefly, using a cell. It would not be fair of me to pretend that some rare security issues do not take place, such as a yelling drunk man or two people in a heated argument. However, the guards eject anyone who doesn't follow a set of varying rules that are nowhere clearly posted. This is sad, because I've had to watch the elderly thrown out just because they accidentally doze off sitting in a comfortable chair, reading a book. When they even ask for explanation, they are "banned" from the library for days, weeks, months... I've even heard the ridiculous hyperbole of being "banned forever." I have not witnessed this at any other branch and I am a library and book lover. I visit one branch at least twice a week. I do not wish to indicate the most troublesome staff bullies, for fear of some false call of malfeasance, but the Administration needs to be made aware.

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  John Jaksich

  :: 23 August 2017 21:07:00

  Great spot to find either that rare DVD or book. Staff is competent and helpful. I go there regularly for a quiet read or find an interesting DVD. I wish it had longer hours-- my only gripe.

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  Andromeda Celeste

  :: 29 October 2016 13:56:43

  Meh. I wasn't expecting a major university library, but one would think a city of this size would have a good deal more fiction (and other genres) on hand. OK customer service and lots of public computers/charging stations, though. The building kinda has an old, funky smell, too--but not an old library book smell. I wish it could be modernized and renovated: apparently, this burg is more interested on stadiums and unnecessary shopping centers.