I've been accused of being a nerd for as long as I can remember, and I've always denied the charge. Waxing lyrical about my local Brisbane City Council library is not going to help my case I know, but my local library has provided me with so many hours of entertainment that it would be wrong not to laud its merits.
The library has a terrible reputation that it's a place of silent contemplation. Being quiet is associated with study and from that, people deduce it's not a place to go to have fun or be social.
This is wrong! I don't know any place where you have to be quieter than the movies but everyone expects the cinema to be lots of fun. Sure, there are silent reading areas within the library but there are group areas as well. It even has an X-box set up in the young adults' area with a huge range of games and controllers for group play.
The work/reading area is ideally situated being far enough from the group activities as to not be distracting. This is a perfect arrangement for people like me who usually work from home but like to seek refuge from the summer heat by working in the library. There are plenty of individual tables to set up my laptop and utilize their fast, free wifi. After a morning's work I can duck into Garden City to grab a coffee and a cheap lunch at the food court.
The library also hosts regular events for a range of users such as book clubs, training sessions and author talks which you can find out about through the Brisbane City Council website.
The December events are:
Story time for children (English and Mandarin for older children)
Computer literacy classes
Babies, books and rhymes (for mums and toddlers)
The details can be found here:
http://www.brisbane.qld.gov.au/facilities-recreation/Whats-on/library-events/index.htm
So instead of seeking refuge from the summer heat at the beach, community pool or cinema, give the Garden City library a go. read more