Best food in Belfast so far. Linen Hall breakfast is fantastic, vegetarian Linen Hall breakfast is…read moreevery bit as good. Poached egg on avocado toast with walnuts and feta highly recommended. Service quick and friendly. Atmosphere absolutely beautiful and a library to boot. Prices lower than many others of lesser quality and ambience. Don't pass up this Belfast gem.

The Linen Hall library is plonked inbetween two banks which for something steeped in so much…read morehistory, it was somewhat a surprise (borderline disappointment) to actually find out where this place was located. I love books, bookshops, librarys, words, dictionaries, the old 'shift+f7' shortcut on word, but there is just too many flaws with this place to make it five stars. Yes it has the history, yes it has a proper traditional uneven floors and some books which you know if you tried to sell you could probably get a holiday out of it. But... and I don't strive to be controversial, the entire library and the entire experience is ruined by the coffee shop. It is an old-fashioned library set in the heart of Belfast's city centre. The Library is tiny compared to Queen's Library and simply cannot compete for the depth of knowledge or academic texts. But what is has is character. So why, please tell me, would you take this terrific library and stick a chain coffee store in the middle of it. If you step outside and throw a book, you will probably hit a coffee shop. Don't stick one in the middle of the blooming library. It's not necessary, it's trying to capitalise on the experience of going to the library and if it were to be taken out, you could put in a few squishy, coffee smelling sofas and a couple of newspapers to read. The library has character, it has history, it has a proper library atmosphere. It should not have a chain coffee shop (even though it is a NI coffee shop) in the middle of it. Let it be a library. Don't try and make money out of it.

Belfast Central Library is a great institution. One of the first libraries opened in Ireland, it…read morestill provides the general public with innumerable services and facilities. There's a lovely cafe on the ground floor selling coffee, tea, hot chocolate etc. and after you've refreshed yourself you can make use of the free computer and Internet facilities which are available for use throughout the building. The top floor houses the only dedicated Music Library in Northern Ireland, which is a great service and costs a small amount to rent out the Cd's. The Library also houses a number of special collections including archives, extremely old books (i.e. printed before 1500AD!), Irish Language manuscripts, literary manuscripts, maps, postcards, photographs, theatre and cinema collections. It also holds the F. J Bigger Library and Archive (a practising solicitor whose chief interest was Irish antiquities, he devoted his life to the study of Irish archaeology and Ulster history.) The building also houses a fine collection of maps, both contemporary and antiquarian. There's also the 'Theatre Collection' which consists of three thousand Irish theatre programmes. It's quite a comprehensive historical collection (the newspaper reviews, posters and programmes date from 1821 onwards!) In the Library there are various facilities available for use including public lifts, public toilets, meeting rooms, exhibition Space, a fax service and photocopiers. Call in to the alluring old building and check out some of these helpful services. The staff are hospitable and the building is a beautiful example of Victorian Belfast. N.B. The Library are currently carrying out some renovations and at the moment the outer facade of the building can't be seen (such a pity!) hopefully this will be completed soon though!

Although it is a fine resource I have mixed feelings about Belfast Central Library, having spent…read moremany hours in the Irish studies section researching local history. Just about anything in that line that you might need is available like other large formal libraries there is a system of requesting a book that staff will go and get for you. Mostly that worked fine but there were occasions when staff members really didn't seem willing to help and it creates a bad impression and puts me off using the library unless I'm really desperate. There are other libraries in the city with a much more welcoming atmosphere. On the other hand the opening hours are useful if you need to come here after work and there plenty of computer terminals for access to library members, with quite a good lending section on the ground floor and a useful coffee shop downstairs.

As a former student who used this library on a daily basis, I feel that I am well qualified to…read morecomment on the quality of this library, which is fantastic. I know that Jordanstown students regularly used this library in exam times which shows the superior quality of this library! The facilities here are top notch. The book collection is extensive for every subject, with friendly and helpful staff being able to assist you in ordering any journals or documents you need. Set over four floors, there are ample computers and seating facilities for students and associate members. People see this as a place only for students, but that i not the case, and a membership here for older members would be very worthwhile. The library is totally clean and with a lot of open spaces it is a very inspiring place to learn. Unfortunately the open spaces are a hindrance when it comes to exam time as things can get very noisy when the library is brimming with people, so I advice getting in early to get a good place and brining earphones to help drown out any noise! The library has a cafe and eating area attached so there is ample opportunity for getting your food fix here! The library is fantastic, so don't listen to anyone who tells you that the facilities here are nothing less than the best around. I feel I should sign off with some useful information. To use the wifi here you need to download a program to your library off the QUB site, ask assistants if you can't find it! Also if you want phone reception head to the third floor, as the rest is a no go zone for phone signal!

Astonished that as an English student I never quite managed to write a review on this place…read more Though my love-affair with one of the most stunning libraries in this country has been as temperamental as a hormonal teenage girl who has just been told she has to go visit her Great-Aunt while all of her friends go to a VIP gig with Tine Tempah. It started off with a WOW! LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THIS BUILDING! THERE'S BOOKS AND TOILETS AND LIFTS AND EVERYTHING! It then fell apart slightly when I actually tried to do some work. There seemed to be a herd of cattle that ran through the library whenever you wanted some peace and quiet, thus my love affair began to wane. I couldn't seem to get some quiet time that wasn't at half 8 in the morning or 9 o'clock at night. But then I discovered the Narnia room which changed everything because it was so quiet! But then so did everyone else, so Brian became so angry he wrote in the third person, so he did. There are quite a lot of things going for this library, but unlike the Old Library Tower which I used to frequent, you never have enough time to sit and do some work. You could be typing away in peace and quiet and then in the space of two minutes, some hammered wee tramp from Antrim comes in with her American friend and have the loudest chat that even Chaka Kahn turned up to the maximum on my generic MP3 player couldn't drown out. I then discovered another part of Queen's which doesn't have too many tramps or loud people for which this review will not mention, just for my own sanity. Like I said, it is a stunning building and as far as something to look at goes, it sure is impressive. But as far as somewhere that is supposed to operate as a library, it doesn't quite fulfil all of its requirements.

very interesting place to be in you will be glad to know i wasnt arrested, i was there to take…read morepart in the mock trials via school, its a class place to get to see, great views out the windows, and really modern rooms, which still keep with the idea of it being a court also loads of facilities, bar library is right across the road, as well as the magistrates courts, so the legal scene in Belfast is very self contained sadly however people somehow fail to appreciate the building when they are on trial somehow

This library is of a quiet and relaxed atmosphere which made doing some work a lot easier with no…read moredistractions (very easily distracted woman here) The staff were helpful explaining how to logon with my password etc and also gave me a new card as i had misplaced my old one! Only down side was that it was 4.25 to print about 8 pages!! Although it needed to be done there and then and thats exactly how it happened everything was fast and made easily accessible

This library would probably be pretty quiet if it wasn't for the staff. They are approachable and…read morehelpful, but when you're sitting in otherwise almost silent environment trying to focus on something, well it's your own fault for coming to a place where people work. What was I thinking? I can't expect employees not to converse with each other all day, sometimes from one room to another, just because I'm in a library. Yep it's pretty frustrating. There were a few kids there as well but they were really quiet. They were just sitting checking a few things on the internet as the staff went about their daily conversations. But what can you do? Take off to another library I suppose. I was to be further disappointed when I was going to print a load of pages out. 50p per sheet was the levy for that. No thanks. I'd about 50 sheets to print out and didn't fancy parting with £25 to do so. I went up to PONG, making sure to completely avoid the inhospitable disorganisation that is Megabite (see my reviews), got on the internet for a while and got the sheets printed out, all for around a tenner.

The rounded roof of Holywood Arches library resembles a treasure chest and it's a fitting…read morecomparison as a local library is most valuable, especially in a down beat area. Though small it is well formed and a bit of a haven with a modest book collection and a good selectionof DVDs which you can hire more economically than from commercial outlets. There is free internet access for library members with about 15 PCs, printing facilities and a photocopier but no fax. As it's near the childhood stamping ground of CS Lewis, author of the Narnia books, some explanatory information is on exhibit and of course you can't miss the commemorative sculpture outside that depicts, in lifesize, the writer as he opens the wardrobe door.

In terms of books there's not a big selection and there never seems to be anything new, as a whole…read morelibrary its got computers and you can get photocopying done too, its a valuable resource for that alone as there's few places in the area with those facilities. They can source books in if you know the isbn number and any other library has them available to transfer in.

During a hot afternoon spent walking about the city a stop off to use a library such as the one on…read morethe Shankill Road is very welcome. It's old fashioned in style, built by the Belfast Corporation in the late 1920s. The library is on an upper floor, approached by quite steep steps and stairs although there is also a lift. On a hot day the room is airy and bright thanks to high ceilings and big windows, some of which are old fashioned stained glass, and there is an old parquet floor. Like most local libraries it has a large supply of fiction books, a children's section and DVDs. There are plenty of computer terminals, always very handy for free internet access and enough people about to prove that as ever, libraries are an invaluable resource in the community.

I have been a member of this library since i was a child and i have seen many changes in those…read moreyears, i have always enjoyed going to this library as i find the staff there very friendly and helpful. my son and daughter who are now both adults are also members of the library and have been since childhood. i hope that this and all the other libraries continue for many years to come as i find that they are a vital part of a child's education. Many Thanks to all the staff in Shankill Library for your help over the years Arlene McVeigh

Helpful staff, printers, scanners, newspapers and computers. Not many books but they can be…read morerequested from other locations! #Knowledge

I have been using this library since I was 5, so thats quite a few years and much as I favour…read morewriting with honesty, I'm not going to say just how many. Anyhoo since then this library has been a great resource for me and continues to be so for my children. I love that. From the outside the library looks pretty grim as the building is a bizarre haxagonal shape which was probably the latest thing in architecture back when it was built. Inside things look much better - bright and airy with lots of space and light. Every possible literary taste is catered for - chick lit (my guilty pleasure), reference books, hobbies, biographies, the lot. Downstairs is given over completely to the kids, with loads of books and cute little tables and chairs. There is a kids book reading session every Wednesday afternoon too. There are also audio books and large print books for anyone with a visual impairment. You can surf the net for free too on one of the banks of PCs. I know you can buy all the latest book releases for next to nothing in Tesco these days but there's something pleasingly frugal in taking the kids to the library and all coming home with new books to read.

A remarkable sculpture at Holywood Arches that depicts the author CS Lewis as he opens the door of…read morethe wardrobe where the journey to Narnia begins in the well loved series of children's books, of which the first is The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. CS Lewis grew up in nearby Ballyhackamore and some of the landscapes described in the Narnia books are identifiable with north Co Down nearby. Ross Wilson was commissioned to produce the sculpture in 1998, the centenary of Lewis's birth. The Searcher stands just outside the library, a surprising sight when you first see it, especially in a rather unassuming part of the city. As a landmark I suspect is not as well known as it might be.

The people of East Belfast are always proud to refer to the likes of George Best and Van Morrison…read moreas having come from the area, and rightly so. Oooh, story time... [The podiatrist I worked for has dealt with Van Morrison's feet, and this somewhat excited me, though he never appeared while I was working for her. I was quite gutted to say the least...I had rather hoped he would serenade me with "Brown Eyed Girl", but it just wasn't to be.] Anyway, back to the review! One of the most famous and recognisable stars to have come from this side of Belfast is CS Lewis, though he is often forgotten about amidst the other names, such as the aforementioned Best and Van Morrison. I absolutely love this sculpture, as it epitomises CS Lewis' most famous work, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by including him in it, as the narrator of another of his books from the Chronicles of Narnia - The Magician's Nephew. I remember The Searcher being erected, and I can't believe it was 12 years ago in commemoration of the centenary of Lewis' birth! Since then, CS Lewis has become a bigger talking point for the tourist industry, with tours based on his life occurring every Sunday of the month from June to the end of September, and on the first Sunday of every month from October to March. Tickets are available from the Belfast Welcome Centre. I truly hope this wonderful and inspirational man is remembered for another hundred years, and East Belfast will continue to be proud of a man who was born here, educated in Campbell College, and lived here for much of his life.