I've got to say that you are one of the few people that I've seen that have come here wanting information on keeping the App Library. Most people come here to complain about it and ask how to remove it entirely.
It works quite well for me when I need it, but I don't have a great deal of apps on my iPhone, so with folders I've created I only have 2 home pages, so it is easy for me to access. I'm not aware of a shortcut to access the page, but I do know that if you touch and hold the little button icons near the bottom of your home screen that shows the count of home screens, you can swipe that to quickly move through the home screens. That could help.