Killingworth Library is located within the White Swan, a community centre in Killingworth…read more It's a nice, modern Library with friendly staff, Internet workstations, a good selection of books, a children's area and a number of community and special interest group activities to be found. I often visit, find a quiet spot, pop my earphones in and take advantage of the free Wi-Fi to get some work or research done. It's (as expected for a Library!) quiet and relaxing here. The Library also has a great selection of comic books and graphic novels for the more geeky learning amongst us. All in all, this is a lovely local Library and a credit to the staff and the local community.

This place is a global treasure. One of us had been here 11(!) years ago with friends who live in…read moreNewcastle who brought her here, and she loved it so much that she insisted we all go again--so we did. After spending the morning at Alnwick Castle, we came to Barter Books for lunch and browsing. The cafe is adorable and cozy, and our party of seven was promptly seated. You order at the register and you do not want to sleep on the rarebit--it's so good! While it had just a tad too much mustard than remembered, it was still so gooey and heart-warming (and certainly more impressive than the pile of gloop that was our daughter's mac-n-cheese...let's just pretend that never happened). The beans on toast was also comforting and perfect in such a setting. Fries (chips!) are well-made, and the accompanying salad has a tangy vinaigrette. The whole bookstore is a converted train station and it's massive and we would have perused the titles for several more hours had we not had four children in our party. It was still a lovely time exploring the store, roaming the aisles, and getting lost in old books. We bought a few to bring home, as well as some other swag. And obviously you don't want to miss seeing the famed original "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster. This is just one of those magical places that you really can't describe, but once you go, you'll get it. Five unequivocal stars.

Love this place! Neat rooms to explore, fun model train, lots of used books a nice selection of…read morenew gifts AND a great and reasonable cafe. Their chips are so good I went back the next day for a snack.

A beautiful building, paid for by the legendary Andrew Carnegie, who was by all accounts the Bill…read moreGates of his day. Great selection of books, and peaceful surroundings, and even free internet access. Fantastic library

I cannot fault these people.I had travelled 350 miles from Oxford to Dumfries to do research.The…read morestaff simply couldn't do enough to help me.I spent several days off and on and enjoyed every minute there.This was a few years ago but is fresh in my memory.

My favourite small library. It does not look much from the outside (concretey). At one end is the…read morebright and cheerful children's library, which also lends out story sacks (books, games and toys or puppets on a particular theme). Friendly staff. I can always find something to read here, it's small enough to browse and read stuff you perhaps wouldn't usually. Shame it isn't open for longer hours. There are 4 computers and a photocopier.

Very nice and modern library in the centre of Newcastle, with a huge selection of books, a large…read moreamount of seating and study space, excellent views from the upper floors, and a nice café as well. This has everything I want in a library. The modern building is quite attractive and welcoming, with a very open and spacious lobby. There is a glass lift, which offers a pretty exciting ride to the upper floors, but also nice wide staircases. I realise I'm commenting on fairly irrelevant things for a library, but I enjoyed the overall feel of the place. As already mentioned, the views from the top are very nice, all the way over Newcastle. There are comfortable seats provided by the window, so you can relax with a book or newspaper and take in the view. The Laing Art Gallery is just across the street, and it was just a lucky coincidence that we saw its advertisement for a Leonardo exhibition from the library. Of course we had to go see that as well (review to follow). Before leaving the library, we tried the café, which is good value, comfortable, and serves good products. Worth a visit.

Libraries have had a hard time lately so it was great to visit Newcastle City Library and see that…read morelibraries are still something we can be proud of. Newcastle City Council really should be proud of this place, it seems to be a real community hub and the staff were justifiably proud of the place which provided not only space for an impressive collection of traditional library items but meeting and community areas, good quality retail stock and a rather nice cafe.

Welcoming, spacious and airy. Good stock of reading material. Lovely children's library. Shame it's…read moreon the first floor, but there is a lift, and there are toilets (always a plus if you've got kids in tow!)