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.

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.

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.

Tucked away up one of the side streets that connect Stirchley and Bournville, Stirchley library is…read morefairly small, with a not-that-massive selection of books and a few internet ready computers. One of the only points of novelty I can find about it is that it seems to have exactly the same frontage as the Selly Oak library (now closed) a few miles up the road. There's not a grand deal to talk about, but here's a couple of points about it that may be of interest to you. A fairly large segment of the books seem to be large print, and the children's section definitely looks like the sort of place that would interest little kids. There's probably not a lot of reason to visit this library if you don't actually live in Stirchley. This is probably down to budgeting issues. However, if you do live in the area, I'm sure this library will forefill your expectations of a local library.

For some reason when I have walked past this library before I have always thought it was closed. It…read morejust does not seem obviously open, unless it is just me being oblivious to the world around me! Anyway, after discovering it was in fact open, I decided to go in and take a look around as I am an avid reader and I like going into libraries as they are usually quiet and have a good selection of books. I noticed there they were a few computers inside, which is always handy if you are out and about but need to check something online or need to use a computer. The library itself is fairly small and they did not seem to have a great selection of books, there were not many staff or indeed members of the public inside, which was a bit sad. Overall, it was a fairly basic library.

West Heath Library is a small stand alone building situated in the Fordrough area of West Heath,…read moreit's been here for years and has barely changed since I used to go in there with my mum as a child. Inside it smells like a library should - of paper, books and learning which combined makes the most wonderful almost musty smell! It's completely accessible to disabled visitors, having a choice of ramp or steps leading up to the entrance. The ramp is perfectly angled for you to get your chair up there with no steepness which can sometimes be a problem with ramps leading up to these older buildings. Once inside you'll soon see that this is a small library and as such does not have the wide selection of books that you would expect from a larger one. What's there is always good and they have an excellent combination of older classic books and modern new releases or best sellers. Of course if they don't have what you want you can always order a copy to come to the library and they will advise you when it has arrived. The childrens' area is, and always has been, excellent with plenty of small chairs and the shelves been particularly low for the little ones to be able to reach their own books. I have also noticed that the books in this area are not as tightly packed as those in the adult section so that little fingers can easily reach in and pull a book from the shelf. The adult area of the library is well split between novels and non-fiction books. Obviously the fiction section is the larger of the two and I can always find something here that I want to read, although I find the gems are often placed on the rotating paperback stands so these are always my first port of call in this library. There are a few computers in here from which you can access the internet or do any typing you need to do, with a small charge for printing. These, however, are usually full whenever I visit so perhaps you need to book them in advance - not sure as I only use my home computer so don't really have the need to visit the library for the internet. Also keep an eye on the announcement boards as there are sometimes activities on for the kids, be it story telling or a general reading time for them. These usually take place in the school holidays and when my daughter went to one over Christmas she loved it because everyone was so kind to her and there was a nice festive atmosphere. Be warned though, you are expected to stay with your child as it's not a baby sitting service but it's really no hardship to spend an hour or two in this library while your little one listens to a nice story.

i can only support fruity tarts comments! this is a wonderful place. my daughter knows the staff by…read morename and they are so friendly. we attend the read and craft sessions there on friday mornings 10.45 - 11.15 where they have books read to them for a short amount of time before embarking on a wonderful craft activity (the mothers normally complete these with the help of the children! i get very proud of my achievements!) it can get very busy on the computers and some of the children on them are very loud however it is still a lovely friendly atmosphere

Very good if u want to go in and print something off…read more They have a 15 min use computer. 50p for A4 colour 20p for A4 black and white

As a proud lady librarian (or should that be librarian lady?) I have been to a lot of libraries -…read moreokay, so Quinton isn't quite up there with the splendour of New York Public Library - and yes, I am showing off here - but it's a lovely place never the less. Housed in a fairly bleak 60s building, the library is actually part of the Quinborne community centre - the centre itself is a pretty decent space and holds a bar and a number of rooms you can rent out. There's also a selection of events and dos held there - everything from bridge clubs to social get togethers for the elderly. The library itself includes collections for adults, children and teenagers (I was always very excited by the latter - especially as I started reading them before I was actually a teenager. Fifty Shades of Grey has nothing on some of those Judy Blume books!!) as well as large print and talking books. They also have a very decent music library. The staff are brilliant - there's a real sense of community spirit and somehow the place has a cosy air that makes you want to stay.

today my laptop has been crashed and as I need to research a couple of topics I was forced to go…read moreto the nearest library near my home which name is quinton library ,there was really friendly and helpful receptionist but it was look like a social area than library as every body speaks loudly,kids playing around ,and young people playing and chatting with lots of noise while they chatting together or ... So that I recomended you if you are going to use this library pls take ur headphone with your self to avoid this noisy place couse you are able to get more concentration in busy road than there :))))))

Every town has a library and Solihull Central Library is the flagship for the borough. Over the…read moreyears the library has expanded in a variety of ways; they even have a theatre! They have information on events (mostly local), council services, education and work, business information and various local and family history. Unlike many other libraries that are local to Solihull, here they have a large amount of computers and a host of books on different subjects. There is pretty much a book for any subject and if there isn't then it's pretty easy to find out where to get the information you want. You can also rent DVDs and CDs. Librarians can be a bit boring and come across negatively and here some of them are no different. However, some of them are very friendly. They are all very helpful though and knowledgeable on everything within the building. I've been to the library theatre a few times and have really enjoyed the shows put on here. Before a show, or in general, I like to go to their cafe where they have some hot and cold snacks. The food can be eaten in or taken away. As the library is in a courtyard you can also enjoy the lovely water feature outside. This is definitely one of the best libraries I've been to in Birmingham.

Solihull Library is modern, spacious, bright, light and a provides a lovely space to read or ponder…read morein. With most of the usual library trappings (you know books, CDs, DVDs, internet) and some extras thrown in. Their local and family history department deserves special merit. They have an excellent children's library. Upstairs is also a public gallery with collections changing on a regular basis. Sadly, Solihull Library isn't what it used to be. They still have a fairly good stock of books and some CDs but the music library isn't what it used to be. There are plenty of DVDs but often they are just the modern rom-coms and nothing much else of note. Finding a member of staff to help you might be your biggest problem. If you are happy to stumble along without any assistance and use a self serve machine to issue and return your own books then this is probably the library for you.

Even if you're not a registered library user for Birmingham this library is worth a visit. Due to…read moreundergo some restoration and expansion the architecture of this library is captivating and there are still great original features inside. The staff at this library are committed to their community and regularly run family history events to help you with your genealogy.

It's a lovely looking library from the outside. It's one of those buildings which has most of its…read moretraditional features which makes the place more unique and vibrant. I'm a fan of period buildings so that's why I find the Bloomsbury Library a treasure. A lover for books, this library has some books which I hadn't managed to find in the main Central Birmingham Library; so I was advised to visit this one to take a look at their book stock. I was pleased to find that the one book I'd been looking for by an African American author was present. I'd been looking for this book for over 5 months, so it was a relief to finally gain access to it. Since then I've continuously checked if they have other books which I can't find from other libraries. Not always successful, I still like visiting the place once in a while.