There are better libraries than the Gladstone branch, but if you live in the neighbourhood and this happens to be your only benchmark, you really should get out to the other locations.
Yes the architecture and interior design here is nice, but there are some negatives which can detract from the experience:
- spotty wifi: In general the TPL rules the internet airwaves with a heavy hand (over restrictive proxy practices, bandwidth throttling perhaps) but for some reason this library was slower than the rest.
- the main foyer area is a class-A noise-generator and unfortunately this permeates throughout the library. People talk out loud when entering and this echoes off the walls and into other areas... but the worst is the chatter (screaming) from the children's area located on the lower level which for some reason does not have any walls or doors to contain both the noise and stray kids wandering around.
- the ONE place in the library that is quiet is on the second floor furthest to the east, but realestate is in high demand here and the area is not laptop friendly since there aren't many tables near the windows that have power outlets. I did bring an extension cord and ran it from one of the outlets, but the punchy security guard with the bad moustache shut that down pretty fast (tripping hazard apparently.. who knew).
- if you do manage to get a seat with a view the homeless people yelling at the pedestrians outside can be a bit distracting.
Don't get me wrong: I do like the renewal that the libraries are undergoing, but dealing with the hard rules and logistics is a stark reminder that it's still a municipal service run by a commission with their own interpretation of 'Community Service'
For a better experience, try the newly reno'd Northern District branch at yonge/eg with decent views and plenty of laptop stations in quiet areas. OR the Toronto Reference Library, which hosted a live hardcore punk band recenty... now that's the spirit!