Ramsbottom Library is fantastic I go all the time with my girls, the staff are really helpful and…read moreit is a beautiful library. There are very good facilities, my eldest daughter loves going and choosing books and a dvd each week and my littlist goes to a baby group there each week. Fantastic x

Ramsbottom library is located in the centre of Ramsbottom, and also has car parking. The library is…read moremodern and clean and has a good selection of books and dvd's. The staff are extremely helpful and set up both my children and my accounts quickly. The children's books are on the ground floor, as are the adult fiction section. There are easy chairs and newspapers to read also. Upstairs there is non-fiction and a computer suite, where you can get internet access. There is also a coffee machine - the first I have ever seen in a library! There is also a room for courses that the library run. The library offers friendly service and good resources for a smallish library. I should also mention that you can access your account online and can order books from other libraries in Bury, if they are in the catalogue.

Walk into Prestwich library, go round the till. Ok? Now down near the large print books, through…read morethe doors, up the stairs to where the computers are. Aha. The Adult Education Centre. Firstly - what a lifesaver these computers are. Your printer runs out of ink and you need something desperately. Well, Bury Libraries members can use a PC here for free for an hour (or longer if no-one else is waiting). Plus printing is cheap for black and white pages. The smaller room to the left as you come in is for Adult Learning. The staff there told me about the huge range of beginner's courses in I.T and the grasshoppers playing about whilst I was there seemed to be getting a good amount of support. A sign on a window downstairs advertised courses in crafts, stitching and the intriguing 'Adventures in Writing'. It is a shame that most of the courses are during the day as this leaves many people unable to join in this reasonably-priced learning fun. There are substantial discounts for those on income support. I went in to enquire about their e-learning which involves you paying a set fee for a year. With this you get access to a teach yourself course which you can use to your heart's content at home. There is a specified number of in-centre hours if you need them although, disappointingly the library employee explained that for the course I was interested in, she didn't think anybody could help.This was their Web Design and HTML course which I was quoted as £75 for the year. So, if you have the get up and go to make yourself put the time in their e-learning courses are good value. It is primarily for the basics though (they do the I.C.T ECDL Driver's License). We're talking Word, Excel, email and the Web. For instance, they do not currently offer any courses in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Indesign, Illustrator).

From the owner: The Mission of Bury Public Library Service is to help individuals and local communities to achieve…read moretheir full potential by providing reading and learning opportunities, access to digital skills and services and fair and inclusive access to a range of educational, cultural and recreational materials and opportunities.

The only other person to write a review is grossly overexaggerating probably out of some sort of…read morebias. It simply isn't as bad as they made it out to be. It's a centre used by teens, adults and most often children considering that it's located next to a primary school and baby centre. It's a small and comfortable library, with a great children's area with jigsaws, colouring activities and great books. It's obviously not going to be some huge and grand library because it's just a presumably poorly funded council library located on a main street. It fulfils exactly what it says it does. But for what it is it's a great little library. It's got pretty much all of your basic needs. The other person is just a little snob who probably doesn't even live in the area. If you like books, comfortable lighting and sofas, free WIFI and computers, very cheap printing, you'll probably like this library. Also, why are you coming to a predominantly children's library for its political books? Obviously it won't have a great selection. The rest of the genres are well fulfilled though, I've taken out quite a few books and loved them. The fiction here is great :) (the staff maybe could be a little nicer, but it's in the middle of council estates. it's kind of our thing)

Not the biggest library in manchester, but its one of the few in my experiance that the books are…read morewhere they are supposed to be in order. If they havnt got the books you want they order them for you from other libraries and send an email or phone you up when they arrive. plenty of seats are available so you can spend time reading in peace and quiet. They also have several Pcs available for browsing the internet,but be warned these are popular and you usually have to book the day before.

Great place! as procalc said above, its not the biggest library but the staff are fantastic and are…read moremore than wiling to order books in. fantastic service and in a lovely place! Lots of computers and seats, and the occasional competition for the children. Guide dog friendly and they sell lots of knik-knaks.

As part of the Manchester Histories Festival, Chetham's Library was open to the public for a day. I…read moretook the opportunity to sneak into this hidden gem and was overwhelmed at just how spectacular the library is. You feel like Harry Potter as you walk up the stairs into the half-timbered library space. It is dark, creaky and full of beautiful old wooden shelves. It is one of those spaces that takes your breath away, particularly as it is so beautifully hidden in Manchester city centre. It is worth organising to visit this wonderful space and to walk amongst the beautiful old books in the school's collection. Manchester is lucky to have a library like this - go and appreciate its beauty.

If you love a little bit of history and you also love to read, then Chetham's Library might be a…read moreworthwhile trip. Established in 1653, it's the UK's oldest free public library (although to visit you must make an appointment). Housed in the most incredible 15th-century Baronial Hall, the stunning dark-wood aisles are packed to the rafters with all kinds of publications from 'large folio books to manuscript diaries, letters and deeds, to prints, paintings and glass lantern-slides'. There's also an incredible selection of archives, newspaper cuttings and old photographs. In fact, all together, there are over 100,000 publications here, the majority of which were printed before 1850. If anybody has ever read 'Shadow in the Wind', you might have some idea of how special a place this is and what a wonderful insight it can give you into our heritage (note that to see specific material you'll have to enquire). A nice little bit of trivia: this is a library where Marx and Engels would meet, you can see exactly where they sat and what book Marx was reading at the time. Ok, I'm a geek. What can I say?