The Kansas City Public Library: Central Library

So, if you’re not drawn in by the incredibly cool parking garage design, the interior architecture will do the trick. It’s an awesome, peaceful place & a great place to take the kiddos on a rainy day or any day. The kids were able to look at books, play checkers, put on a puppet show, play on interactive tablets, etc. They loved it!

Super beautiful- great community center. I picked up a copy of “Kansas city” magazine to get some recommendations. The employees were all lovely, and helpful. They even have a cool section you can buy from, a terrace, and cafe

Stopped by as a tourist. Really cool First National Bank building. Fantastic galleries and the services all look really great.

Beautiful old building. Was sightseeing, looking for the Bookshelf. Stopped in to view the architecture.

The Downtown Kansas City, Missouri Libary is Slowly improving. I would suggest that they turn up the water pressure their water Fountains and have their Janitors to clean the Bathrooms more often. I'm glad they are Friendly to the Homeless and unfortunate that Hand out there often. Don't forget, they Offer Free Notary Services by Appointment. Also the Yellow jackets and Security Guards And Some of the Homeless Often Have Additudes and are Very Moody and may take their anger issues out on you or whoever out the Blue. BE CAREFUL!

Great public library. Kansas City is fortunate to have 2 overlapping wonderful library systems with locations throughout the metro.

We visited from IL and had the best experience here! Specifically, the children's area. But first, the parking garage- it is SO cool! We took quite a few pictures of that, alone. The entrance to the children's department was so neat. It's spacious, fun, clean, has a teen area, and we happened to go during their summer reading signup. We were able to sign up, even though we are from Illinois, and we got amazing prizes for reading while we were there! The library itself was a bank, so there's a lot to history. We got to see the vault (which has now converted to a little movie theater) in the basement. There's also an outdoor area/ rooftop that hosts native wildflowers. Loved, loved this library!

What’s not to like in this incredibly large building? I am curious to know approx how many books they house? It’s amazingly stuffed full of goodies everywhere!

My two spots of interest are the rooftop - the chess pieces were gone prob due to needing space for the movies shown up there. And the children’s /teens library. From the bookend benches, printed tutorials to teach you checkers or chess, huge faux tree, & much more to dazzle before your eyes!

Everything is free including the movies in the vault on the lower level. Great room for fun pics! The outside is the best with the book decor & steps that look like books. Check out our local library. You will be glad you did!

Periodically they will have exhibits on the first floor on various topics.

Happy reading!

Do yourself a favor and plan a full day at the library. I mean it! I got stuck there in the rain when I had planned to explore much of downtown KC, and it was a blessing in disguise. I still didn't see it all, though I did check out every floor.

The first floor is grand and old-fashioned. The second floor has a neat art gallery that was holding a collage exhibition. The children's section of the library is absolutely astounding. The Grand Reading Room is a lovely space-I sat in the windowseat, read, and watched the rain. I messaged a friend where I was and he mentioned a chess set on the roof. I hadn't gotten out there since it was raining, but I popped my umbrella and took a look. I'm so glad I didn't miss the rooftop terrace!

All in all, this was more than enough to fill my day, and I hope to get back again soon.

I love libraries, and this is definitely one of my very favorites! The historical, enchanting bank building with its surprising vault theater and welcoming, helpful staff, a new treasure around every corner! It is a fascinating museum in itself!

So much history, a beautiful building with such an interesting downstairs! This used to be a bank and there are still original fixtures from those days including a vault they've converted into a small movie theater! Very cool. Very populated with homeless people though and some scary individuals hanging out in the bathrooms

Beautiful library, and friendly staff, the second floor rooftop has great views of downtown. Elevator was out when I visited and it was hard on my knees.

The KCMO Public Library is a critical community resource. Their staff are unsung heroes. One example comes to mind: when I am using a library PC, I often observe staff members who are going above and beyond to help people who have little experience in using computers.

I love the KC library! My husband and I moved here for a year from Portland, Oregon. This library has been one of my favorite aspects of our time here.

To start, it’s a beautiful building. I love the art gallery, the Eviction art installation, and the curation/layout of the building! From the clean bathrooms, to the comforting reading nooks, printing center, and musical events, this is my favorite library! I always feel so safe and happy here.

I have truly loved my time pursuing the shelves, and am currently reading my 145th book of the year thanks to this library. Thankful for this haven of literature!

Appreciated the help been a long time since I was in the main branch will go more frequent

This is one of the best libraries I've visited. The design of this library is amazing. There are many elements of the book in this building. The parking garage steps are book. The garage walls are book spines. The wall of the musume is desings of the books. And the most amazing part of this library is the children's area. The entrance to the children’s area is walking into a fairy tale book. Absolutely beautiful.