Kanawha County Public Library 123 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV 25301

"A wonderful clean library with a wide variety! They offer books, audio books on tape, computers to access the Internet, conference rooms you can use for a small to medium crowd if reserved, and much much more!! It's very simple to receive a library card for new members or new residents of the community! The people there are terrific and helpful! If they don't have something you're looking for, they can typically find it in another library and have it brought to this library for you to check out. There are also many places where you can sit down and get lost in another world, as you read books from your favorite or a new author! It's also handicap accessible from the parking garage, there's an enclosed walk bridge connecting the garage to the libraries third floor. But there are also elevators inside. So, everyone can enjoy everything they have to offer! From the youngest, to the eldest of our community, and everyone in between!!"

"Amazing atmosphere and staff for the most part. They are enthusiastic and love the kids coming in. I'm thinking she is the head of it but whe is the sweetest lady ever she gave us schedules for March events and made it a point to thank us for visiting. A great place to bring the whole family for education and fun."

"The Kanawha library is historic on the outside and modern on the inside with many tools, but the modernity is the reason behind its two star knock down. Everything about this library is nice EXCEPT for the very thing it needs for its users to stay; comfort. The main plastic chairs have no cushion preventing me from sitting. I have a bad back and recently injured tail bone, so I couldn't sit in most places to begin with. The big, wide cushioned chairs were too big and barely provided any back support. Then there were the blue chairs that felt like you were halfway reclined in a lazyboy. There was no way to sit upright in them without adjusting every couple seconds. They were uncomfortable and painful to sit in for more than 30 minutes. To make matters worse, the two elevators were in and out of operation. There are technically four floors and a basement but the basement and second floors are staff only. Don't count on the accessibility of the elevators to help you get around and don't count on staying long as they went too modern in buying pretty-looking furniture for decoration rather than usage."

"The newly redesigned library is a very modern, well thought out and well equipped building, while still paying homage to some of the historical parts of the old library. The study rooms, rare books, West Virginia history, children's area, tool rental, and Idea Lab are all very welcome additions that make the library a valuable public resource that Charleston will hopefully respect and be able to use for years to come. For me, the Idea Lab and the tool rental areas are some of the best additions. These allow you to try out machines or tools for yourself before deciding to buy your own, or if you only have a small project, allowing you to complete the project without a large investment for a specialty tool that you may not need afterwards. The whole library is very open, well lit, and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I look forward to going back."

"I’ve been going to this library ever since I was a little kid. I brought my daughter for the first time today and I was blown away! The librarians are so incredibly helpful and the kids floor is perfect in every way - so many diverse picture books for the little ones, a play area and little reading nooks throughout. I can’t wait to bring her back time and time again! And mom can’t wait to explore the rest of the library and all the amazing resources it has to offer. ps - I’ve lived in NYC, DC and Seattle, and the newly renovated Kanawha Public Library is far superior to any big city library I’ve visited."