Picturesque building in a great location overlooking princes street, the courtyard although small…read moreand quite busy with tourists, holds a statue of John Knox. You need ID to access the library but if you wait around for someone to come in or out you might be lucky and once inside you will be greeted by beautiful stained glass windows. It's unclear though where visitors are allowed to roam so some info on this would be helpful.

As well as being a stunning building to admire from the outside, New College is an excellent venue…read morefor hosting events as well. It stands on top of The Mound and so has an imposing look, visible from Princes Street and beyond. Like Edinburgh itself, which has old and new towns, the university has Old College and New College. Also like the city, both old and new are quite old indeed. The building dates from 1846 and houses the School of Divinity at the University. However, there are also rooms that can be rented out for events, and that's what brought me here. Our ball happened in Rainy Hall, a stunning hall, with crests and coats of arms all around. Walking in through the main gate of the college brings one to the very Hogwarts-like quadrangle, which makes for some great photo ops. Once inside the building, all of the interior architecture also captures one's attention. However, I am far from an expert on this, so that's quite enough comments about architecture! Rainy Hall is an intimate venue for events. It comfortably accommodated our ~60 attendees, but much more than this and ceilidh dancing would become somewhat difficult. Catering and bar service are provided by the University's own Edinburgh First, with friendly, efficient staff, and a good selection of drinks at the bar. The food quality is very good, though portion sizes leave a lot to be desired. My recommendation to visit New College is twofold. As a tourist, the astoundingly beautiful building makes for excellent photographs. On top of this, for reasonably small events of up to 70 people, the Rainy Hall is an excellent venue to consider.

Well stocked fiction and non-fiction sections. Internet access and DVDs as well. Good opening times.read more

I needed some documents printed for the same day, so I thought to head to Stirling's library,…read moresomewhere I'd never visited before. In my former student days, I'd head to the on-campus labs. So, somewhere that offers printing isn't something I've really thought about until now. You don't need to be a member to print but if you're thinking of becoming a regular visitor, it's worth joining so you can just get on with whatever you need to be doing, after showing your library card at the desk. In order to gain entry for the day, I had to show something official with my name on it. - A bank card was just fine. I was then sorted with a PC log-in. There were just four PCs, all free at the time. The library was very quiet when I visited around midday but perhaps busier periods can become a little difficult with so few available. The Windows systems running on the computer was a really out-dated one, and the computer itself was a little bit slow. I get the feeling that the computers are mainly to be used for searching the library's book collection, as I was unable to close this function, only minimise it. I printed the three documents I need and an additional copy of one of them. Unfortunately, only the three separate documents came out and not the extra one. This wasn't such a big deal, and I could do without it. I had what I needed and I had plans approaching. So I paid 15p for my three black and white A4 prints and I was on my way. I got just what I was after and there was the added bonus of pleasant, helpful staff. This would certainly be a good place to spend a few hours on something productive, if you can't quite find peace at home.

This new library was a present surprise when we moved to Larbert 5 months ago, easily competes with…read morethe libraries in West Lothian, the selection of books is adequate and the reference selection is very helpful, also for £18 a YEAR you have access to the DVD film and music library which is great value as the selection of films and cd's available is kept up to date and there is a great selection of DVD's for kids. Staff are friendly and I have had no other problems to speak of. As a regular user of this library I would highly recommend using it.

Abronhill library is a local library and is great. It is located in Pine Road not far from the…read moreshopping centre. It is only a small place but keeps a good supply of books and is popular with local residents. Apart from books they offer computer acces as well as music and audio books. This library participates in the bookstart scheme which encorages a love of reading in youngsters. Myself and my two young daughters attend a group once a fortnight for about an hour where we sing songs and hear a story (changed days from when I was young and you had to whisper). It is great fun and my 2 girls love it. They also have their own library cards and are rewarded for taking books out. They get stickers and once a certian amout is reached a certificate is awarded and subsequently when they have enough certificates they get to choose a book. I have always loved books and I belive this is a great idea. Ilove having a library localy as otherwise I would have to drag two young children on a bus to the main one in Cumbernauld. Not a thought I relish.

Having lived in Whitburn for many years I decided it was time I joined the library…read more Whitburn library isn't that big and I was disappointed by the small choice of books. For women's general fiction (think Celia Ahrene, Louise Bagshaw etc) they have 200 books. Not ideal if you plan on reading all books by a particular author as I haven't found one author yet that they have all their books. The sections of varying types of books are well laid out and easy to find:- War, Fact, Fiction (broken up into smaller sections), Craft and Hobbies, Some language books though not many, a few audio books and a children's section (broken up into baby right upto teenage). The children's book section has almost its own room. At the back of the library there are 2 reading areas, one with tables which I guess is meant for studying and soft comfy seating next to the magazine and newspaper stand. The magazines and newspapers cannot be taken out of the library. Internet access is free here and there are 6 pc's, only 4 at time of writing this were connected to the printer and its worth asking first as they tend not to ask you. The printer is on the librarian's desk and they do seem to check whatever comes through. Also situated in the library is the Whitburn museum, a small collection of banners, posters, pictures and memorabilia. Ranging from pictures of the first gala day to a sewing machine from the old levi's factory to pictures of the Polkemmet mine. Admittance to the museum is free and worth a look. The staff vary from helpful to downright rude and unhelpful (I asked about ordering a book from another library), but the majority are nice. The library also stock a reasonable amount of large print books and regularly have a sale of ex-stock. DVD hire is also available though not many titles are available (mostly childrens). Hire is £1.99 for 1 night compared to £3 from the nearby DVD rental shop for 2 nights.

The space is absolutely iconic so beautiful. The columns and the library. It feels so formal but…read morecan be more relaxed. We saw others in parkas, joggers and leggings. The flavors are complex and definitely geared towards foodies. I went all in what was described as a Portuguese cheese roll which tasted like Gorgonzola very heavy which is one of my least favorite cheeses so it was a matter of personal preference. The desserts loved the banana rice pudding. It was divine and my favorite item. The chocolate mousse w/a cherry filling was to die for. The desserts were my favorites. Service is prompt and it's leisurely go at your own pace. We did not feel rushed even being 1 of the last tables remaining.

Edinburgh has no shortage of places for afternoon tea. After some internet research, we landed on…read morethe Signet Library. If you want a very quiet and peaceful experience, this is for you! If the quality of the bites matter, this is for you! Stepping into the tea room is literally like stepping into a library. Voices are hushed and tables are spaced out widely to allow for a very intimate experience. The savory tray was filled with delectable treats that were all so well made. The sweets tray that followed was equally gorgeous and delicious! You can really tell that they take pride in creating delicate bites that are very well thought out! So tasty! At 69 pounds, the tasting is more expensive than you'll find in some of the restaurants, but the ambiance and experience is very elevated!

it's a while since I've been in this library but I think I'll be popping in more frequently as…read morethey've made some pleasant changes. Apart from their selection of books,CDs & DVDs being better than before they're doing more such as an afternoon craft programme for young children & a teenage chill time. There are a bank of PCs which are free and I believe MacMillan also come in. The only downside is no comfortable seating to make me want to come and stay a while. Maybe there's a reason for that but with only hard chairs & small study desks I didn't spend as long there as I would have liked.

Fairly large library with a decent selection of books and a large childrens area.read more

One of my regular library haunts which has a good selection of books as well as cds/dvds, the free…read morecomputers to use (if you have a library card), a cafe and a variety of groups meet here inc book & writers groups. Sadly there is no free Wi-Fi at the moment and the staff could be friendlier but they're just small points for me. More important and the reason why it doesn't have 5 stars, is because they only open one evening a week. A city centre library should be open a few more evenings so those of us who work can use it more often. I'm sure there must be a way of closing off the art gallery so this can happen. Anyhoo, it is worth a visit as the sections also include graphic novels, modern classics, lgbt literature and everything in between. They can also order in books from other libraries.

Armed with my new Glasgow library card, I ventured into this place…read more Computer access with my new card plus free wifi AND lots of books makes it a strong contender for a repeat purchase or three, particularly given its good location. It's quite busy during the day and has a good buzz about it, more like a cafe with books than a library with a cafe. Depending on what you're after, this will either be good or bad. A handy wee place I can see me going to alot over the summer.

This is a small town library with a fair range of reference books and a good range of childrens…read morebooks, and some adult fiction. At the moment it seems to be frequented mainly by people reading papers and using the computers. It has a good range of CDs to borrow too. Although I was pleasantly surprised that the reading room was almost full when I was in, It would be nice to see a more lively culture around this local library. It's in a fantastic building (one of two places in Bo'ness that's supposed to be haunted - the other being Kinneil House) and it has that old-book smell (even tho the books aren't really that old). If you ask the staff there is a collection of 'local history' books that they keep in a special room. These books are very rare and you can't take them out of the library. But they should definitely be of interest to people who are interested in the local area, which is fascinating for such a small town. Bo'ness has been home to the medieval village of Kinneil, a well-documented suicide and a 'white lady', a Roman occupation with a fort, and a farmer's discovery of Bo'ness's portion of Hadrian's wall. It's been a prolific witch-burning site, birthplace of the father of John MacLean (Scottish revolutionary, not Die Hard protagonist), the site of commercial whaling, and visited by Robert Burns (who was not complimentary). Across the road from the library is the foreshore area which has recently been the subject of major development, and is on the top of an old coal mine (Bo'ness has also been a major site of coal mining!). A memorial to Bo'ness's miners stands next to the library.