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.

How exciting can a library be, right? Most libraries consist of lots of books, enforced silence and…read moreenough dust to fuel a Little Britain Fat Fighters club for a month. My local village library is adorable though. Really friendly and helpful staff, free internet access and an up-to-date DVD section (rather than a section packed full of Friends VIDEOS). It's also right next to a coffee shop, Waitrose, New Look, Boots and several decent charity shops. That's my pottering afternoons sorted then. I might even pop in there for a quiet day of work if I need a bit of peace and quiet.

Woking Library is a large branch of Surrey County Libraries, and is a very spacious and pleasant…read moreplace to browse for books. The atmosphere is usually quiet and peaceful. There is a good selection of books; mostly fiction, but there is also a decent non fiction area, a section for teenage fiction and a children's area with child suitable comfy chairs and tables for reading. The computer facilities are also good, with many stations found around the library, some seated, some standing. All have access to the internet, and to the library catalogue. Library sales also often have some good bargains of books still in reasonable condition. The layout of the library can be be seen as quite confusing as the genres of books are grouped broadly, and then alphabetically within these sections, but if you are looking for a specific book this means it can take quite a long time to find if you're uncertain exactly which section it is in.

If you need to search newspapers,periodicals or browse free internet , th best place to do this is…read moreWoking Library. Lots of Computers are available to search the stock and accssing internet access They have kids Storey time sessisons on a weekly basis

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.

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.

The facility is lovely, and the librarians very nice and helpful. I find the literature section a…read morebit lacking, but enough if there are interlibrary loans (I haven't attempted this yet). However, it would benefit from an outside book dropbox (even if it's just outside the doors and inside the Carnival complex). Several times I've thought of returning my borrowed books only to realize it's after hours or a Sunday.

My sons really like wokingham library, and sometimes go in on there way home from school…read more There is always something going on in there, clubs and special events, especially during school holidays. Its not somewhere I would normally think of taking the kids for an afternoon out but on their insistance I did and we all had a lot of fun. And it has saved me a fortune not having to buy so many books anymore! :)

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

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.

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.