Albright Memorial Library Building Scranton Public Library

"Extremely unprofessional staff. We paid to go on a history walk inside their 100+ year old building. But their “expert” on the building’s history was reading from an iPad and phoning it in. We first went to the second floor for a presentation and were excited for a history lesson but even though this building has so much history, she only had 14 pictures in a slideshow that was rushed through and she read maybe 2-3 bullet points of facts you can find on Wikipedia. For example, we learned what color the walls were painted. But maybe group members were color blind and couldn’t see that so I won’t judge her for this too much. But that was their “history” lecture. We also learned the building cost $125,000 to build. But that was it. Okay so maybe expand on that and tell us more because there’s way more to that story you could spend a minute or two on as the assistant director of the building and someone who was described as the “history expert”. On our tour, the guide didn’t even wait for the 25 group members to be on the same floor or in the same room before reading the 2-3 bullet points for that room from her iPad. By the time the full group got to the room she was in, she was done talking and we didn’t get what we paid for. We went to the basement and were told that room was where they exchanged books with other libraries. That was it though. This is the basement for a hundred year old building. There’s a lot of history in the basement that you could tell us and yet chose not to. At the end of the tour, she never asked any of the group if we had any questions about the building. Perhaps she just wanted to get home faster and didn’t want any questions to hold off her dinner or perhaps she didn’t know any info on the building to answer any questions. Either way, it was unprofessional. The worst part is, they likely don’t even care about the opportunity they waisted. My husband and I run a TV show and produce episodes on small towns like this. We routinely run into libraries and historical societies to research our show because there’s SO much history you can learn from libraries that you cannot find anywhere online. We always find staff that are thrilled to talk about their history and will talk your ear off if you let them. We find staff that are excited to share what makes them unique or their city special. Staff are normally thrilled to answer any questions from people wanting to learn about their history. Sorry, I want to clarify…people who spent their hard earned money and came all this way to learn about the building’s history. But this place was a severe let down with staff wanting to rush a tour to get home meanwhile the people who paid to be there weren’t even in the room yet to hear what you said, read from bullet points on an iPad about the color of the walls rather than tell the history of a historic location, and never let anyone ask questions even at the end because it felt like we were holding her back from going home. This was such a waisted opportunity. A group of people wanting to learn about the building are sitting there as a captive audience. Most historical societies or libraries across Pennsylvania would be thrilled for an opportunity like that. Trust me, I’ve never met one that doesn’t feel that way until last night. But to take a rental fee for an event then not even wait until all the people are on the same floor to make sure everyone can hear the limited things you’re going to say as the “expert”, it really annoyed those of us who paid over $100 to be there. I can’t help but feel this experience would have been better if they had a staff excited about sharing information and telling the history. But I could forgive all of that if they had a staff willing to wait for everyone to be on the same floor before giving info to the group. While we won’t be returning any time soon, I do hope this review helps them improve for future events because there are audiences out there excited to learn and waiting for someone who is excited to share."

"A tried and true People’s Library replete with real books and a warm inviting space. The architecture of the building is, May I say, sublime—-and conveniently located. I love that it’s right in the downtown, so we always figure in a stop for a bite to eat at one of our favorite restaurants. The staff is kind to its patrons. And it always has something happening in the way of events and gatherings. It’s why we travel the 100 miles round trip once a month there. Keep up the great work Albright Memorial!"

"I love this place. Free parking after 5pm and all day Saturday and Sunday. The staff here is friendly, thoughtful, professional, and just the best. The space is cool. They have books!"

"Took the granddaughter to a Marvel Trivia night she had a wonderful time and wants to go to other things. The library has a lot of different events not just for small children. The staff was nice and helped me while I was waiting."

"Arrived a bit before they were open and walked in. The librarians were very gracious and allowed me to come right in. They were very helpful in setting up the microfilm and giving me info that I needed. Wonderful experience!"