PSA: The library coworking thing is actually solid

I was super skeptical about using a public library for workspace. Thought it would be loud, kids everywhere, weird hours. Gave it a shot last month in Portland when my usual spot was full. Quiet floor, free WiFi, no one bothers you. I got more done in 3 hours there than my whole week at a noisy coffee shop. Anyone else tried a library over a paid coworking space?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_craig77d ago

I tried the Portland library coworking thing twice and both times I had to leave early because the quiet floor wasn't actually quiet. Some guy was on a zoom call near me, a kid was watching videos with no headphones, and the librarian had to come over and shush people three times in one hour. Plus the WiFi kept dropping out every twenty minutes, which is kind of a dealbreaker when you're trying to submit work. The chairs are those hard wooden ones that kill your back after an hour, and there's no power outlets near most of the tables. I would rather pay fifteen bucks for a day pass at a real coworking space where I know the internet works and people actually follow the rules.

skyler_johnson327d agoTop Commenter

Ha yeah @william_craig7 you nailed it. I had the exact same thing happen at the Portland library last month. Dude next to me was on a video call with his boss talking about quarterly reports and I could hear the whole thing through my headphones. The WiFi cut out on me twice in one hour and I lost a submission I was working on. And those chairs are brutal, my back was killing me after 45 minutes. I gave it a fair shot but I'm done with that, it's just not worth the headache.

victorhernandez7d ago

Yeah, the WiFi dropping out thing is a real dealbreaker. Was that on the main floor or did you try the basement area too? I've heard different floors can have totally different connection quality depending on how the building's laid out. Also curious if you checked in at the front desk about the noise or just bailed, I feel like some librarians are way more on top of enforcing the quiet rules than others.