Collier County Library - Headquarters Branch

Absolute worst customer service I have ever seen in my life. The lady at the front desk claims they do not have enough staff to show a new member of the library how to work the reference system when the library was vacant. Overall demeaning and lazy behavior by this lady, I do not see how she is employed. Library has no reference books for a school system that is requiring my child to bring in hard copies of reference books and not supplying them in school.
Feb 18th, 2024

Feb 3rd, 2024

Awful customer service skills. And this is the headquarter branch too. Case in point. There is a computer room inside the library, but there is nobody at the desk to help. There's also no sign or information to let patrons know that the staff is actually in the main front desk. People actually need to yell across the room to let a staff member know that they need help with the copier or the Microsoft Office programs. Just awful customer service.
Feb 3rd, 2024

Great library!
Feb 2nd, 2024

TLDR: distractions interfere with introducing kids to books; needs to be open on Sunday. This is a review for the childrens portion of the library; I havent gone into the adult section. This would be a 4 to 5 star childrens library but for a couple of key flaws: The first thing kids see when they walk into the childrens library area is a table with a bunch of old iPads attached. So instead of diving into the books, which is the whole point of taking a kid to the library, they go straight for the iPads. Is this is some kind of attempt to give underprivileged kids access to technology? If so, the iPads are generations old, loaded up with games, and most of the games dont work because of an old hardware or new OS incompatibility. These devices need to be removed and not come back. Or upgrade them and install nothing but reading-related apps. Second, a toddler will immediately learn that theres a room full of toys right across from the restroom. So instead of introducing your three year old to books, suddenly youre sitting at a plastic fake picnic table in the center of a back room, watching her play with the same kind of non-educational toys she either has at home or at preschool or in a way better form at the Childrens Museum. I gather that this room is for parents whose older kids are involved in an educational program and need something to do with their younger kids while they wait. There must be a better solution. Running the Octonauts on a loop would be a better solution. These issues defeat the purpose of bringing a young child to the library. If Im If Im going to have to wrestle my daughter to get her to look at books in a library, Ill take her to Barnes & Noble instead (which unfortunately is loaded with toys too.) While were on the subject, there are also tables where kids can draw with chunks of crayon. I understand that this could be regarded as educational. But again, this is a distraction at a library. I want to be able to bring a kid there for one purpose: to read books together, learn things and develop that lifelong love of reading that is the entire point of a childrens library. Maybe the distractions can go into a separate room in a different direction from the main entrance. Then I would bring my daughter there every other Sunday. Except that thats another issue. Why is a library closed on the best day of the week to take a kid there? On a positive note, the building, parking, maintenance and tidiness of this facility all seem very good.
Jan 29th, 2024