A bright, spacious local library on Weoley Castle Square, Weoley Castle library offers books, DVD's…read moreand CD's to listen to and hire, plus a good range of local history and more. Based across two floors, the library offers a dozen or so Internet connected workstations for use by the public, but sadly doesn't offer Wi-Fi. Never the less, I find upstairs in the library a good place to sit quietly and get on with research and other work on my laptop. The staff are friendly and helpful, and there is often themed displays drawing attention to specific books. For instance, when The Hobbit movie was released the library had a section on JRR Tolkien including a collage of facts and artwork. As local libraries go, Weoley Castle Library is bright and modern and a welcome place to visit on Weoley Castle Square!

Weoley Castle Library doesn't provide much facilities in the areas that I am interested in but the…read moredo however provide books and access to information and novels of various genres and topics which I will happily get myself lost in. If they don't provide what you are looking for you can always ask and enquire with a member of staff about the books and items that are in your search criteria and they will pleasantly assist you with ordering the books from other libraries across Birmingham and they will notify and let you know when you can expect the arrival of your item and when to pick it up. The librarians, volunteer workers and members of staff are all very helpful, warming and inviting and they don't hesitate in any way to assist you and your local library experience.

The outside and inside of this building are a bit tired and old fashioned. However when you get in…read morethere its a bit of a normal library. Two floors - downstairs is the fiction area, with a few computers in the kiddie section where kids generally do there homework whenever i have been in. So go up the ramp and they are refitting the counters so only one is open, they have kids books and fiction - few travel stuff. Then upstairs are the factual books, a lot more computers available for working on, checking e-mails etc. they also rent out films here for a cost. Really the whole place could do with a makeover - but its fit for purpose.

Old building, but a comprehensive library inside. Bigger than most others in the area, with a good…read morerange of books as well as cds and dvds too.

This is what a real library should feel like, it's barely changed since I last visited as a kid…read moresome 20 years ago as a child - even the leaflets rack is in the same place and looks suspiciously like the same one! I love the large entrance as you walk in because it makes visiting the library feel like a proper special occasion, the check in/out counter is in keeping with the decor of the building and so is everything in the place. This has a lovely peaceful air inside, the acoustics of the building means it has a very hushed quality which takes me back to the days of the librarian who really would tell you to 'shhhhhhh!'. The selection of books is excellent, this library is bigger inside than it looks from the road and is literally crammed with bookshelves and racks. If I'm looking for a particular book I can usually find it, or if it's not available then reserving a copy is an easy process and they rarely take long to become available. I like the childrens area because it's fairly enclosed so I can safely leave my older girls' in there while I browse the adults books. Sometimes I'll let them watch the baby in there and show her some books, but she's a mummys girl and soon gets rid of the hushed atmosphere I was telling you about earlier when she notices I'm gone! The non fiction section is fantastic and I often find something to pique my interest; everything from books about American literature, a biography of Charles Darwin, introductions to knitting and cookery books are available. I find it a fascinating area of the library and if I happen to be in there without the kids then I'll pick something interesting and sit down to have a read - if it interests me then I'll book it out, if not it's five minutes wasted in a lovely environment.

Kings Norton Library is only a little library but facilitates a lot. They have a cute little…read morechildren's area with a wide variety of books for children to read, enjoy and learn from. The seating area within the children's space is fun, colourful and enticing for any child. The seats are really comfortable too! They also supply various computers for your use, a large mature reading section and a great supply of novels and informative reads for teenagers too. When Kings Norton Library was my local amenity, I would go here all the time to enjoy the peace and quiet they have to offer whist getting lost in a good novel. Come to think of it, I really miss going to Kings Norton Library and I will most likely go out of my way to venture there again soon.

Of all the libraries in Birmingham I've visited this one is one of my favourites. When this library…read morehad some work done it wasn't to change the beautiful architecture but to reflect the vibrancy of it's community in the decor. With bright colours and white to contrast with the dark wood, the decor is certainly a change for most libraries. Add into this the Phillippe Starck Ghost chairs and matching lamps and you wouldn't be wrong to want to live in this library, especially if you love books. Some may think this is all a bit fancy for a library in Handsworth and alienating to the locals but you will always find a host of regulars in there to read the papers, as well as a children's play area and a suite of computers. With all this fancy expect to see a security guard, however he won't be all burly and mean. Let me introduce you to Mr Handsworth, he knows everyone and can keep you chatting till after the library closes, blending in perfectly to the laid back atmosphere of Handsworth.

Handsworth Library is a gem on the Soho Road. Set in an old building, what you find inside will…read moresurprise you. Alongside the row and rows of shelves of books is designer furniture, beautiful windows letting ample light in, a community gallery space with work displayed by local residents, and a computer suite which is actually fully equipped as a video editing suite! All of this combines to create a space which is used by a wide range of members of the community, and is an excellent example of how libraries are having t diversify to stay open. Who would expect to find something like this hidden along Soho Rd?

Coalville library is situated in Coalville town it is directly opposite Cash Converters. Parking is…read moreavailable behind the library, though it is limited and not free. The library has a reasonable selection of books, cd's and dvd's, though it lacks the scope of the bigger regional libraries that Loughborough and Leicester libraries can provide. However, it does provide many other useful services, that are extremely useful. It regularly holds a variety of interesting courses, ranging from IT skills, to sign language and foreign languages. The staff are very friendly and more than willing to help you find what you are looking for. All in all, as good as you can expect for a small town library.

this is a top notch library but book your computer or you will be dissapointed.read more

Coventry main libery and is my number one place to loan books from…read more All books that i have used have been kept to a good standered and its impressive the range of books they have of offer. I myself like books on nature and the wild and some of the books i found were to me uterally amazing. They have such a range on all types of books, and they also have the computers which can be handy for doing a bit of work.

The central library is huge having obviously hundreds of thousands of books available. As others…read morehave said they are kept to a really good standard. Inside i am always suprised as to just how quiet it is. But due to its vast size im sure any sounds just dissipate. Some of the lighting if i remember correctly is very orangy, weird becasue it doesnt actually affect your reading. They also offer computers which you can use for a small aount of money. They also offer rental of some cd's and dvd's too which is a great addtion. If your into books or need to do research this is the place for you!

Libraries are one of my favourite places and I pop into this little one any time I find myself in…read moreHarborne. It's at one end if the High Street but happily close to Waitrose so it works well for me. Because I'm used to the central library being my local, it feels I've stepped back in time to the sort of library I had at school when I step into Harborne. However, it does have everything you need as apart from fiction it has decent sections of most non-fiction genres and a few large print books too, CDs and newspapers. Sometimes I find a shelf of old books for sale and there is an array of information about the local area and great staff that help you out. Delightfully, you do have to still speak to staff as unlike central library, they haven't got the automated desks! The downside is they close at 5pm (except late night on Thursdays) but at least there is a library.

I can't get to this library as often as I used to go there before but when I did go there a few…read moretimes, I was a fan of the library. It's especially great for spending a couple of hours having a snoop through all the good reads and locking yourself into a great read. I'd advise you to leave a few hours spare to get the best experience as possible. It's got a brilliant children's library in there, so for those with children living in the Harborne area or close to the library then it's somewhere you should visit. There's all the useful equipment to help your children with homework and there are computer services for you to use. Like most libraries it does what it's meant to do. The librarians are friendly, they have some fantastic books and they offer events/workshops/activities within the community that are exciting and enjoyable for the whole family.

Often you search the Library catalogue to find that the book your after is neither held by your…read morelocal library or even in the central library and you are faced with the challenge of travelling further a field to find that source of reference or rare novel. With Acocks Green Library I was happy to find that although the Library building was from the grey era of Birminghams Architectural history there had been great efforts made to add some colour and decoration with some commissioned art and the work chosen was bright and enhanced both the exterior and interior of the building. Approaching the front desk the Library is split into two, with the childrens section on the left and the adult sectoion on the right, computers were located towords the front and there was a quiet hum of activity which was pleasant without being distracting. Acocks Green Library doesn't have the scope of the Central Library or the charm of some of Birminghams more antiquated public buildings but does take pride in it's appearance both inside and out and is a plea sure to partake in.

I love their selection of CDs! They have a wide variety of music and classics from metal such as…read morethe band Black Sabbath to movie soundtracks. I was a bit gutted to find there was a small price of a pound to pay and you can only hire them for about two weeks, but that's a bargin. They don't have a large study area and it was as if they put desks in between the book shelves as a substitute, but they had enough room for the children's section. In fact about a third of the library was taken up by the children's section, which I think is unfair. On the other hand I can't complain about their selection of books as they cover all the basic academic subjects and have a good selection of fictional books. They also provide old computers; you know the ones that look like they belong in the seventies? I guess these are useful though otherwise they wouldn't be there. So you could say Hall Green Library has everything you'd expect in a library.