The Bodleian Library is the main library for Oxford University. It is the second largest libray in…read moreEngland - second only to the British Library. Unfortunately it is is closed on Sunday which was our only day in Oxford. Consequently we weren't able to see the inside or take a tour of the library and got to see the exterior only. The architecture is magnificant and even the exterior is worth seeing.

What an amazing experience! We had a tour of the Bodleian Libraries, and it was by far the…read morehighlight of our trip to Oxford. The rich history of the library was captivating, and the stunning architecture of the buildings was not to miss. Natasha, our tour guide, was an absolute gem! She guided us through the majestic halls and took us behind the scenes, explaining the lavish history along the way, always with a warm smile. Her enthusiasm for the library was palpable, and her extensive knowledge made the tour even more fascinating. One of the highlights was seeing the Duke Humfrey's library. Such a beautiful and historic building with crests of the University of Oxford covering the ceiling, and Kings, Queens, and Bishops along the aisles. The Radcliffe Camera and The Divinity Schools were not to miss as well. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Oxford.

Very friendly staff helped me join the library, which I'm permitted to do because I have a local…read moreaddress and brought my water bill. Very nice selection of books and other materials. There's also a good sized children's area and they have a weekly "storytime" at this branch and others. The 'toy library' is an interesting idea I haven't seen at other libraries. Books are, of course, free. The library's selection of audiovisual materals, including videos and DVD's are not. For these, there is a lending charge of £1.60 for the former and £2.60 for the latter. The library offers quite a few activities and services for adults as well, including author events (a local 'action' author was being advertised while I was there), coffee mornings and a number of book groups. The library's computers are free to use and the welcome packet mentions that they can arrange free delivery for those who might be house-bound. I was able to quickly find two books that interested me - the Science Fiction section is medium size and the regular Fiction looks good too.

Reading central library is a great credit to Reading Borough Council…read more It offers so many services. I will list some of them here: Book loans, music loans,DVD loans, toy loans for children, internet access, newspapers and magazines (to read in the library), job searching, children and parents' sing-along sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the morning. The library is always busy and has something for everyone. When you join Reading library you can have access to all libraries in the Reading area. Also, if you want to borrow an item that isn't in that branch, you can request it from another branch without having to travel to it. They will then email you when it's in stock.

This is for the house, not the library, as unfortunately we did not have time to see the library…read moreduring this visit (but it is on the list of things to make time for on a future visit). This was our first time visiting a manor house, and it was amazing. From first walking to the end of the driveway/carriageway and seeing the house for the first time, I was enchanted. Everything is so well-preserved and/or restored so as to give a good sense of what it would have been like to have lived there in Jane Austen's time (they do recognize most of their visitors are Jane Austen fans, but really, if you have any interest in English country estates or manor houses, you can appreciate this house's history and beauty). The staff and volunteers are very passionate and knowledgeable, and they will share as little or as much as you want them to. The gardens are also peaceful to walk through, and worth the time. They also have The Old Kitchen Tearoom. We had not had a chance to eat that morning, so were pretty hungry by the time we finished the tour before walking through the gardens or down the road to Jane Austen's house. The tearoom was pleasant, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. It was a nice day, so we sat outside, and the small courtyard that makes up the outdoor seating was beautiful. We had the egg and bacon brioche sandwiches, which perfectly hit the spot and gave us the energy we needed for our future walks that day. In the future, I would just make sure to make Chawton a full day trip. Yes, it is a village and there is not a lot overall, but this house alone offers so much that you really need to give yourself the time to appreciate it. We were there for about 2 hours, but could have easily spent another 1-2 hours depending if we wanted to spend more time in the gardens, see the library, and/or see the church (which we did try to see, but was locked when we visited). Thank you to the Knight family for opening up your property for us to see, and to all those who have ensured over the years that this place is accessible to appreciate!

Just a short walk (five minutes) up a pretty country lane from Jane Austen's cottage in Chawton,…read moreyou will find a stately surprise in the form of a Tudor manor house, built in the 1500's. Chawton House and estate were owned by Jane's wealthy brother. She called it "The Great House". Today it is a working educational site (the Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing, in partnership with the University of Southampton), yet is open to the public and a must-visit for Austen fans. Chawton House is one of the Knight estates inherited by Edward Austen, who was lucky enough to be adopted by rich relatives in need of an heir. He changed his surname from "Austen" to "Knight." The manor house interior has been beautifully restored. There is a church on the grounds (Jane's mother and sister are buried in the church yard) - and an attached farm. This grand house is probably where Jane spent a lot of time with family when she needed to get away from the cramped cottage. By the way, it's only recently that Chawton House been available for public tours; it has been a private facility for some 20 years. Happily we can now tour both the interior and the gardens. [Note: if you want to see one of the Pemberley-style estates Jane's brother inherited, go to the palatial Godmersham Park in Kent. Jane would have frequented this house, to visit her brother's family, as well. It's not quite Downton Abbey - but almost!] Finally, for Austenites, it's worth noting that Jane is buried inside Winchester Cathedral; and you can see the house where she died, not far from the Cathedral grounds. Winchester is only 15-20 miles from Chawton.

As a history buff, avid reader, and past library fundraiser, there is no way I could skip a visit…read moreto the British Library. We enjoyed roaming the floors during an unexpected rain shower, and enjoyed all the historical tomes exhibited here. We did not sign up for cards, and therefor did not get to explore the rooms or stacks, but we did enjoy our walk around. During college (as a history major), it was frequently joked that you haven't really researched in a library if you haven't wound up making out in the stacks... well, after a day of research, I enjoyed some fun pictures and 'making out' with my husband, making this a thoroughly educational stop in our London adventure.

Would definitely recommend checking out the British library at least once! It's a beautiful…read morebuilding with a lot of bookd and exhibits, as well as a little coffee shop. If you plan on seeing any of the actual exhibits or checking out the areas that actually house the books, you'll need to sign up for one of their cards. I also can't really imagine getting much work or studying done here. It can be pretty difficult to find a seat and it's so loud and busy that you may be better off going somewhere else.

I have been an active member of Highgate Library since January 1991…read more And that was when, Margaret Thatcher was still the British Prime Minister. I only live around the corner from this Camden library branch, which is Holly Lodge. And even up to this day, I will always use the services at Highgate Library, for hiring out DVDs, PC printing and the photo copy machine. And I even reserve books and DVD from Highgate Library. Highgate Library is literally right next door to Highgate Cemetery, the place of Karl Marx's tomb.

I joined this library and it took less than 5 minutes after which I received a plastic card with a…read morenumber on the back that I could use on one of the 12 or so internet computers for an hour at a time. One of the computers has a flat-bed scanner attached and the staff where very helpful and friendly when it came to explaining to me how to use it. Printing is cheap and available from any of the computers of which 4 are on the first floor of the library. You can also bring your own device, mobile phone, tablet or laptop and connect it to the wi-fi. I connected mine without any need for assistance from the staff, easy peasy. All the daily newspapers are there to read and every time I went there they were always available. I am into computers and I managed to take out the maximum 9 allowed books on one day, read them all in 3 hours and took them back only to suprise myself by finding another 9 that I could learn from, so I took them out too. To check-out and back in again they have a self-help section downstairs to the left so there is never any waiting, if there is someone there just go to the humans for check-in or out. All in all I was hugely impressed with the library, the furniture, the state of the art IT as well as the collection of books are in excellent condition and really up to date. Of the 18 IT books I took out most were 2012 and I was the first one to take about 12 of them out so they still had that new look and feel to them. Oh yes, and did I mention that all this is for FREE.

Fantastic library based in the civic centre - easy to access from town. Is absolutely huge, with…read moreamazing selection of books, and I think around 50+ computers with internet access. Has reference library downstairs with rows and rows of desks surrounded by books, directories and so on. Also has wide range of magazines and trade directories that you can look through. Just next door is an art gallery and a cafe which does lovely food in a really attractive environment. It also has a small gift shop where you can buy artist's work from as well as stationery, cards etc.

A good library in town with many books, papers, magazines, cds and films. They have computers that…read moreyou can use to access the internet and there is normally a queue to use these. The library is located inside the civic centre and is quite big on three floors.

A magnificent and historic library - a wonderful place for scholars and other bookish people.read more

A good, well stocked central library. Has a reference section with many current UK and…read moreInternational newspapers and journals, all up to date. Has a number of drop-in 15minute computers as well as about 8, 1 hour internet access computers that you have to sit and wait for until someone finishes. If your in Oxford and need internet access its worth popping in. The usual array of books, photocopying, fax,audio/video and reference materials that youd expect from main city library.

This was my childhood haunt and now I am back 20 years later and it's almost exactly the same (the…read morechildren's library has shrunk though, surely? or am I just taller?). Friendly and efficient reception staff got me registered and carded in a flash and off I was browsing the shelves. Fiction is good, and the music library rivals the Westminster Music Library (the UK gold standard I think) but not a massive number of non-fiction books in each category. Still, if you're after a specialist subject you'll probably be going to a specialist library, won't you?

Over the years I've moved house a fair bit and, believing that they are an important part of the…read morecommunity, have always made full use of my local library, wherever I am. Highcliffe Library is, without doubt, the best library I have ever been a member of, which considering it is tiny, is pretty good going. The staff are friendly - nothing ever seems too much trouble for them - and kids are made to feel geniunely welcome, even when they're running up and down! The room at the back of the library is set aside for children's books and has been lovingly decorated with posters and pictures, with bean bags and cushions strewn on the floor to encourage even the most reluctant of young readers. For the real little ones, there's always a tub of crayons and colouring activities which change from week to week, and regular storytime sessions.