I recently moved to Marrickville and decided to check out the local library. I was looking forward to gathering an armful of books, plonking them down on the counter and getting myself a library card. I entered the library and immediately felt some small concern. There was a massive amount of floorspace but very few bookshelves and what bookshelves were present were only five feet high. There was a children's section behind the main desk and an unutilised series of large steps with coloured cushions on the right. There were brightly lit study rooms along the sides and small tables and chairs lining the wall. Lots of people staring at laptops, no one reading books. I headed up the stairs to my right and entered the ground floor to be welcomed by the clanging and banging of a cafe in operation. Traditionally libraries were places of quiet solitude, not places of clanking dishes accompanied by the sound of diesel engines coming from outside. I began perusing what I assumed to be the history section. A bland collection of books on Anzac history in both the first and second world war. I continued walking the aisles looking for anything of interest. There appeared to be no other history books present other than Australia's involvement in war along with some colonial history. I did notice a large section dedicated to cook books though; always important in an age where one can type in what ingredients one has available and have google spit out an endless list of recipes. I perused about half the bookshelves on the ground floor before heading upstairs in dismay. Things were no better up there. The most sorry collection of middle of the road pap one might expect to see being sold out the front of a strip mall newsagency for half price. Plenty of study rooms and a solid collection of foreign language books though. As I walked around I heard someone sharing with their companion that someone thought they were hot. Where was the bespectacled librarian, come to hush these talkative twenty somethings? I headed to the top level to witness an entire floor dedicated to cover displayed art books. Thoroughly uninspiring. By this point I was feeling pretty disgusted with the book selection of this library as well as the racket of the cafe. I headed back to the ground floor and began perusing the shelves on the cafe side. As I drew nearer the cafe, insult was added to injury as I had my ears poisoned by some awful commercial radio oozing out some laboured lyrics of heartbreak and hurt feels. As I was eyeballing the books directly adjacent to the service counter of the cafe I moved around a middle aged couple sitting at a table. The male delivered a sentence to his partner about Foxtel that was met with no reply. Shortly thereafter the couple got up and left. Their visit to the library having done nothing to enliven their stale relationship. As I neared the end of my search for any books of interest I was thinking to myself of everything this library was missing. I had seen no classic literature. No philosophy. Nothing juicy in the science section. Nothing to tickle the mind at all. Nothing but the most bland uninspired dross and badly organised at that. If your idea of a valuable community library is a noisy cafe where one can drink coffee in front of screens whilst chatting to people with no better options than to spend time in your company then this might be the place for you. If on the other hand your idea of a valuable community library is a tranquil sanctuary of knowledge where one can have their mind stimulated to a lust of learning by the finest minds and writers of history; then Marrickville Library can only be described as a paragon of the decay of the western mind and its vision of the future. The head librarian for this 2021 interpretation of an internet cafe should hang their head in shame and ask themselves the question, what is the purpose of a community library? Edit: November 2023 - The selection has improved. I've noticed some juicy history books. Still underwhelming with many more books needed.

I like the new library great design and feeling of space incorporating the old hospital buildings into lovely working space with pleasant outdoor spaces. I am a 'senior' and take part in Council sponsored 'senior activities' in the library on 1st floor in Pavillion area once a week. As much as I like the library there is a major flaw - the lift configuration for the less able. There are 3 lifts, when the library first opened we could park in the basement, catch the lift in the eastern corner, straight to the 1st floor just outside our allocated space in the Pavillion, Use of this lift is no longer available to library users and is only open for 'events' in the evening. There was another lift which is now the Loading Dock lift which also goes from basement to 1st floor, no longer available to library users. The middle lift does not go to 1st floor in the Pav area but goes to an outdoor area near the cafe. As we are a 'seniors' group several people are frail or not very mobile, on average 30 people. To get to our allocated space from car park now there is only the middle lift available. I am not very mobile, use a stick. I have to get out of lift on ground floor which exits 'outside' the library entrance. Then walk to entrance, across library to another lift, then get out on 1st floor and walk across the entire library to our allocated room this is difficult and painful. It is so frustrating when there is a working lift right next to our area. Why is it not possible to have this lift operating on Tuesdays when senior activities take place. The lift configuration and button system is confusing for many 'able' users. We have spoken to staff who are unable to help, some are often rude or off hand. It would be great to have this issue resolved making that area of the library more accessible.

A truly inspiring building and justly so as the year long construction site for the drivers that drove past on a daily level had to experience. First thing you notice about this building is the Zig Zag roof which serves as an awning to the main street. Inside is marvelously big with very high ceilings as it's really a new building next to an older more established building probably heritage so it looks like a building within a building. The older brick building houses broader categories of reading material and lounge type seating. The new area in the main chamber has seating reminiscent of a theatre with it with 5 tiered levels down to a huge vestibule with more lounges and tables and chairs scattered throughout the chamber. Climbing the stairwell at the edge of the building will take you to two new levels. Up to street level and then one level above that which gives you a commanding view of the whole library plus great veiws of the outside as it's almost completely surrounded by glass. A very busy Cafe serving both people in the library and people off the street is on the street corner end of the library, a unique touch. Most of the tables or benches scattered within the library have power points on the underneath for your laptop or smartphone so it's populated with people tapping away on their keyboards or phones. The air conditioning is wonderfully cold and succeeds greatly at drying the air for a very comfortable visit. Surrounded by greenary, the odd statue, outdoor furniture and contemporary design make it look more like a modern Museum. For travellers it's a must see, for locals it's a must do.

Not happy with the library or cafe. LIBRARY design and the loss of the trees and green space has been a travesty. The Hospital building has been hidden away from view and the library looks like a 70s church design. Why is the roof so horrible, no street level access to the hot 'green space'. No shade, no comfortable seating, no sheltered sitting. No trees or green at street level. It's not part of the street. What happened to the stained glass in the library. Why are kids allowed to make so much noise in the library. CAFE Been to the cafe 4 times. Each time it was not great. Tried to give them a go but after the last time will never go back. The coffee is average and this is what they call a cup of tea. Lucky I opened the cup will we waited for my partners coffee. I complained, the kids behind the counter didn't care or get that the tea had not been brewed. It was just a cup of hot milky water. We waited for over 5 mins for the coffee so I can't understand why the tea wasn't left to brew. Both drinks and food is not good for and overpriced. They are hopeless and disorganised, the outside serving a seems like an afterthought.

I'm not usually the type to leave negative reviews. However. This library really needs to develop a better system for printing - the current process is incredibly convoluted, involving multiple logins and hand-typing of barcode numbers.... When something goes wrong (which it inevitably seems to), staff all seem at a loss and are generally vague and unhelpful, other than muttering 'well it should be working!' Surely in the 21st century a simpler process is possible! The rooms available for booking are lovely and quiet, however to access one (even after having placed a booking) you need to ask a staff member to unlock the door. Again, this should be a straightforward process, but on multiple occasions staff members here (excluding the very excellent older Italian-sounding guy) have made me feel like I'm asking an enormous favour, and taking up their precious time. Finally, the cafe is a great addition to the library but the blaring commercial radio infiltrates much of the main study/reading sections of the library. Surely cafe staff could listen to music through headphones instead?

Library facilities are good But the staff is rude and need professional training.I took my children to visit the library for the first time , my son found a kids balance bike in the library kids reading area.He didn’t know it couldn’t be played in the library.But the staff in the picture is very loud and strict with the child and order him to return the bike immediately.As a guardian,I feel really bad,first of all, this toy is in the library and there is no sign that it can not be played.The staff grabbed the bike from the child’s hand,took the bike out of the door angrily,and the three-year-old did I not understand what was happening and began to cry.Please take care of the toys if you don’t allowed the toy inside.And hope that will not happen again which will have a very bad impact on children’s physical and mental health.Please be gentle with children.

It's more of a fashionable pavilion than a useful library. The book shelves are scattered a bit here and there humbly supporting a trendy architecture statement, displaying loads more quality wood, light and air than books with substance. Seeking a particular book, I walked up and down the stairs, darted accross reading areas in order to reach the few other book shelves, passing the same readers a few times like a nuisance drawing glances. I ended up going downstairs joining the queue to get help from the nice librarian lady. There was even a brief moment of triumph after I went upstairs again, finally located the book in the dark corner behind the lift. For browsing and borrowing books, I go to other libraries now. For coffee, I come here sometimes.

I really like the new library, I think it looks great - it's huge, modern, has lots of great nooks, the cafe is handy and the staff there friendly but I have to say, I am really disappointed with the booking a study room feature. You can only book for a maximum period of 2 hours per day, even if there is no one booked in any of the rooms after you. I asked two different staff members if I could stay on in the room, as no one was booked after me, but was told no, without offering any meaningful explanation as to why not. I find this really devoid of any logic and frustrating. I don't foresee there being any reason for me to use the library for study for this reason. hopefully something that can be altered and better managed later down the track.

Here on Monday 31/05. The library itself is beautiful and spacious, however even though there are work stations everywhere there is still no where free to sit. Hardly any staff to help with queries (only 2 people?!) and the ones you do find are quite rude and unhelpful. In fact moved us from where we were studying after finally finding somewhere to work. Ended up in the hallway section of the building but already wasted 20 minutes trying to find somewhere to sit and left a lasting bitter taste in being there. It’s a shame because it’s a nice new library but I’ll go to somewhere with better facilities and helpful staff.

I'd say this is a 3.5 star Library, but architecturally and design wise as well as seating and studying options it is excellent (so for that element it is 4 stars). The draw backs for me were the top level close to the mezzanine, the coffee shop can be very loud, and certain areas of the facility have slow internet for video conferencing, which can be hard if you're wanting to work in that way. It's a great and inspiring place for research and general study, the Liberians are very helpful and you can also book private rooms - which seems to be the only inner west library that can do this at the moment.

I really liked the seats and places where you can read and do your work and as I was wondering around, I was always finding some new place. Very quiet and a large selection of books which makes it great. I would give it five stars but the food was horrible. When I went there, most of the good food options were gone (and there really is only 2 good food options) so I tried a veggie wrap - I forgot what it was called. It was utterly disgusting. Never order any veggie related food from this library as it tastes just awful. TLDR: Great working spaces but terrible eating options.

My absolute favourite library! The building is beautiful and large, with many different nooks (this originally autocorrected to books - how appropriate!) and crannies to work in, and a silent space if you prefer to work without noise. There's a great café attached, and you can take your dine-in coffee and food anywhere with you in the library, without the use of take away cups, which I love. Lots of books with very easy self-checkout and returns, and a generally great vibe. I have nothing but good things to say about this place!

Fantastic venue! Plenty of seats for different types of activities. All very functional with power outlets at each seat (!!) fast and reliable wifi and a great atmosphere. There's also a cafe and you can consume your drink or food anywhere in the library. Well maintained as well, cushions on chairs and clean environment. Remarkable what you can borrow: there's even robots like Sphero for kids of all ages to take home. Last the automation in the borrowing/returning of books makes the experience flawless. Well done!

The Marrickville Public Library is an excellent place for the community. There you can do research, socialize, can improve yourself or simply have a good time amongst a wide variety of books. The Community coordinator, Ms. Kathy Yang,is a young person, full of wonderful ideas and with an extraordinary capacity to work with others to implement them. All the staff is very friendly, courteous and helpful which makes the experience of going to the library a very pleasant one! Keep up the excellent work you're doing.

The library and coffee shop is great 5 stars. The indian lady that works here on sunday 13th june yelled out to me and my wife that we where not allowed in the upstairs section - she yelled out from downstairs instead of politely coming up the stairs and most of the library heard her...i cant believe such filthy behaviour from library staff ( the upstairs section was wide open and no signs saying you couldnt go in ) If i was running this place i would employ people who are actually human and have people skills

Beautiful, big library! its wonderful however I have been there three times now and spent hours just trying to find somewhere to do my work as it is packed! Full of HSC students who go there to hang out and talk or will leave all their stuff on a table to reserve it and go out for a walk or to get food. I wish there was allocated seating for HSC students. I have never been able to find somewhere to sit. Maybe this will change once the school semester is finished, would love to use this beautiful library.

Marrickville Library and Pavilion is a great place to take the kids to teach them to reader and write or for you to wind down and browse at the book section. The library it self has a very cosy environment due to the incorporation of the existing heritage building in it design which makes it a great environment to study or do some work on your technology. It is as a great place to study or do some work on your technology because there are a big variety of study area with in the library.

went here to go study for uni. I couldn't find a seat which i wasnt complaining about because i know i went during a peak time. However, library staff need to stop allowing people to leave their things at a table for hours as it takes up unnecessary space. Also saw people taking up tables for up to 4 people and all they did was scroll on their phone. This happens the most on the top level. Please tell people to take their stuff if they leave it at a table for more then 10 mins.

Marrickville Library is an amazing local library, with an enormous collection of amazing books. Featuring a large variety of seating options in a calm and quiet atmosphere, the library is a perfect place to study. The cafe also sells good food at reasonable prices. The library's interior is beautifully designed, modern and spacious. Additionally, the outdoor pavilion is a pleasant location to be seated and enjoy a sunny day, a borrowed book or a chat with a friend.

Been to this new library 3 times and have been unable to find a seat. For all its impressive design and good looks, the functionality of Marrickville Library is pretty bad when you can't even find a place to work! The void takes away so much space which could have been used for more tables and chairs. I can only imagine in 5-10 years how much worse this will get. And don't even bother coming after 3PM when the local school students arrive!!! Haha

Wow what an amazing space, fantastic library with great facilities and services. The library has heaps of seating for everyone to feel welcome and comfortable,even in these covid 19 social distancing rules . Excellent amenities for all to use,very clean and accessible to everyone. Large range of books and library facilities to fulfill most needs. Marrickville should be really proud of its library.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐️️️

Such a breath of fresh air, the library is my favourite place to spend my spare time. I regularly go and enjoy a coffee while reading some of their great collection. It’s very inclusive, inspiring and feels like the beating heartbeat of the marrickville community. A space for everyone. We love the story time and crafts for young children, and I love it for its liveliness. Nothing like the staid libraries I remember as a child!

Very large and spacious study rooms. Modern style and feel compared to the old library. Many power points for bringing your electrical devices. It's very quiet and every one understands the library rules. Toilets are unisex so make sure you lock the door. The Cafe is always busy and serves decent coffee, haven't tried the food menu yet as down the road there is more variety of food selections. Still 5 stars overall.

Beautiful library and staff are helpful. However it is so noisy and fiction is poor quality and out of date - lots of trashy romance and the like. If you want intelligent fiction, they don't have it. The art/design/ fashion section is also woeful, ancient and minimal. They also have super short borrowing times. If you want to study, hang out and have coffee, this place is perfect.

Extremely good library to sit in and work. Lots of seats, outlets, natural lighting, etc. I worked online for a solid 3-4 hours and never reached any data limits (Dec 2020) various people mention, but I wasn't streaming video, browsing and writing on blogs. Great cafe out front that serves INTO the library, too. Who needs coworking spaces when places like this exist.

Extremely unfunctional. Massive yet so much wasted space. Very limited resources and fiction books for highschool students. There is hardly ever any seats and the website is difficult to navigate. I keep having problems with the wifi and my account. Furthermore, it is not a great place to study as the cafe is really noisy.

This is hands down the coolest library I've been to; the interior design is modern and gives a sense of calm and joy when inside. There is a beautiful cafe just outside and you can get food and drinks even from the inside! There is a variety of study rooms and quite desks for research or study as well as collab spots.

Great coffee Great people Great vibes When I can’t work in the office, I come here to work. I don’t know what people are complaining about, but the vibes here is perfect. Friendly cafe staff and library staff. No issues on my end. The kids section is great as well. My daughter loves the outdoor area. 5/5

lovely spot ! Staff are incredible & friendly with a great selection of books to loan. Library is very busy so it can be bit hard to find a seat during HSC period but great study location, good food nearby & good little cafe in house too. Garden outside is a great spot when weather permits too

Nice cafe inside the library to enjoy the time spent in one of the many niche corners. Wonderful redesign of the original heritage building used as a hospital. Especially delightful of the indirect natural roof light that provides consideration for book lovers. On street parking available.

If you want some quiet time, have a coffee and read a book of your choice (even picture books, no judgement) you've come to the right place. I went on a downpouring rainy day with my sister and niece, and it's a great place to catch up, and unwind. Go when you have a chance!10/10 …

Very modern and spacious with ample desks and sitting areas. It has an integrated cafe for patrons to enjoy a coffee/cake whilst reading. Forward thinking design and concept. Other libraries should look to this as a positive example.... hint hint Darling Square library.

The new Marrickville library looks great on the outside and inside with ample seating and love the theatre style seats. A nice kids books and play area as well which is great for parents and you won't feel bad with your kid making noise in that area of the library.

Recently visited the library and was disappointed that there was no heating/air conditioning being used. It was so cold upstairs I left. I understand that it's a large open space but surely some climate control could be switched on as it is the middle of wimter.

I attended today, and want to thank Leah ver much for all her patience and help in getting into various sites, locating documents and printing them. A dreaded activity was made easy, and I'm definitely enrolling in the computer education classes now!!

The book collection is fantastic and the resources available for language learning is simply amazing. The accessibility of services and niceness of staff certainly go a long way. Studying can be a bit difficult when the children are loud, however.

Excellent time beautiful building heaps of books and the Cafe was a stand out. Had every thing you could ask for in a library. Highly recommend it . Don't hesitate to call in and see for yourself. You will not be disappointed. …

Great place to spend time on studying and reading, as you would normally expect from a library. With a Double Roaster coffee shop on the side of the library, it’s an all-in-one package perfect for group study sessions and casual gatherings.

A lot of space so plenty of areas to find a quiet spot to study/work/read. The children’s area is quite a bit away from everything else which works really well. A nice range of books and different types of seating so you have options!!

Nicely designed with good facilities but seems to have become a defacto childcare centre. Some parents seem quite happy to let their kids run riot in the study areas despite the availability of a dedicated children's area.

This is a very good library and they have a lot to offer when it comes to books DVDs and music. I have become a member of this library and I am happy to recommend it to anyone who is interested in the Marrickville area.

Such a good local place to work or study one thing I couldn’t find but would recommend is a water bubler/tap where people can fill their bottles up Love that inner west council is providing sanitary items in bathrooms

I highly recommend this beautiful and very well stocked library. It has generous spaces for kids, anyone wanting to read or study, or looking for a quiet space. The air conditioning is outstanding in a hot day.

Good variety of spots for everyone though it gets packed from the moment the doors open. The design of the library is stunning with a neat little cafe if you're after a bite. Makes for a great study spot.

we had a lovely experience with one of the staff members Ray who helped us when we had troubles with the room we had booked. He sorted out our problem was very kind and understanding. thank you Ray.

It's one of my favorite libraries so far. So many "corners" you could choose from. Although it can be fairly packed on some days, I love going there a bit earlier. It's a very lovely place for me

Great library, very impressive architecture and a nice cafe to go with it. Study area and various seating areas dotted around to sit and do some work. Also great for community events.

What a beautiful building. Set up in sections that are easy yo find and make sense. The children's area is safe, spacious and intriguing as it invites young readers to pick up books.

My favourite library in Syd. The cafe is great, plus the pavilion and green space if you're going a bit mad inside. A great mix of casual work spots and quiet work spots.

Very stylish library with lots of nooks to read books and study. There is a good collection of art books and more. A cafe attached and toilets on the different floors.

Absolutely modern space comes with a variety of seating arrangements. Can feel relaxed and immerse into the pool with of some amazing books , love the place …

Best community library in the world imho. Wish the closing time during the week can be extended for a couple of hours and that will make it even more perfect!

Very nice staff .bright place . And I really enjoy the coffee#107. With their explanation I do realize the multi flavor of the coffee. Cheers …

Love this place! Great collection of fiction novels and art books. Highly recommend as it is one if the few libraries in Sydney open until 7:30pm.

Such a beautiful rebuilt library in the area!! Lots of places to sit and read or working. green views and spaces for kids.

Best library I've been to in Sydney for studying; quiet areas, great opening hours + lots of individual seating!!

Great place to study! Lots of variety of places to sit, not too loud, and good coffee

Love the modern design, which has kept the original buildings structure!

Beautiful library with lots of clever space for reading or learning.

Open on Sundays...cafe has really good food and coffee.