This is the daddy of all the libraries in the Vale of Glamorgan, it's only a few years old (built…read morein 2007) but already blasts the opposition into oblivion. It's modern, fresh and inviting with a massive range of reference materials and fiction titles. A little birdy tells me that the local school had an influence on the design of the 'youth' areas so that explains the sofas, television and music station then. Barry library is a stand out for me because of the sheer volume and diversity of materials on offer, for example, I don't think Penarth would have a section for graphic novels. It also has been modernized to the point where there are self service stations to allow you to check in/out books at your convenience. There are several wifi hotspots so you can work on site or in the adjacent courtyard if registered for the service, if you don't have a laptop however there are a number of computers in the IT section which are available for use. This library has to be my favourite. I absolutely LOVE it.

This library has excellent facilities. It has recently re-opened after undergoing extensive…read morerefurbishment. The staff are all freshly trained and enthusiastic. The stock of books is extensive and there is also a good choice of cds and dvds. Best of all, there are now at least 50 computers with free internet access for library members. These faciities are especially important in a low income area like Barry. The library is very central being located in the main square of the town. This year, Barry has been designated a Reading Town. The library staff are being very proactive and lots of communty events to celebrate reading have been organised.

This is a massive library full of nearly all of the books that you could ever want, from all genres…read moreof books, the good and the bad, the historical and the fantasy worlds to escape into. This new improved building is about four floors high or more, and it is a much more stylish facility than the last central library. It has taken a while to come into action, but it is finally here... ready and waiting... Well it has been for a while actually. You can take; up to twenty books out each time you do so and you can have them on loan for several weeks, you just need to keep renewing them either by phone or by going online. The staff are on board and are on the ball, very friendly and very helpful. You just have to be confident to ask them for help, they can't read your minds you know... There are plenty of computers accessible and plenty of screens to scan your books under and to take them back that way to. Great for all ages...

Defiantly one of the best libraries I have been too. Its really open and airy with great views over…read morethe city below. There is no stuffiness about this place at all. You're not going to get shushed by batty old librarians and the staff are really very helpful. Its so easy to get books out, reserve what you want and drop it back quickly. You can also borrow CD's and DVD's too. Its got free wi-fi throughout, loads of computers for the public to use and even a grand piano for you to practice on! Its also got plenty of drinks machines and places to relax. Its a real haven within the city.

When I was a child I was a little bit of a Matilda, in that I used to go to this library very…read moreregularly, and spend hours scouring the shelves for new books to devour. Situated in a classic old stone building, this library conforms to all those lovely ideals of what a library should be. There is a very wide selection of books, CDs and DVDs at this government branch library. They have an especially good children's section (from what I can remember!), and there are regular storytelling sessions for children. A couple of years ago, Canton Library suffered severely from fire-damage. Since then, the interior has been redecorated well, and new books have been brought in. So out of tragedy, comes a nice selection of slightly crisper books than there might have been otherwise. This is a beautiful old library to go and while away an afternoon in.

Canton Library is well-located in the heart of the busy shopping area along Cowbridge Road East,…read morenear the police station and not far from Chapter Arts Centre. Housed in a solid old building, the selection of books, CDs and DVDs isn't bad for a local library - but with Cardiff's central library only about a mile away I'd rather walk there and get tonnes more choice. It is pretty popular with local mums and their children during the daytime, however, because it's easy for them to walk to - and there's a story time and craft session every Tuesday afternoon. There's also an adult reading club that meets monthly, with set books to read and then discuss. There's no really convenient parking outside the library, but it's within a short walk of about four different car parks including the free one behind Chapter.

Just a mess of fun for a bibliophile!!! Small cram packed stall with lots and lots of books!!! Wish…read morethere was a chair to sit and peruse selections!!!!

I recently decided that it was about time my younger brother read Phillip Pullman's Dark Materials…read more I don't own the books myself, having read them at school, so I decided I'd buy them for him to read over the summer. The same week I decided this, I came across Northern Lights in a charity shop, along with The Amber Spyglass. No middle book, but I figured that by the time he'd read the first one, I'd have found The Subtle Knife in another charity shop. This was much, much harder than I thought it'd be. Being a huge book lover, I am in charity shops all the time hunting through the books and adding to my collection, but every shop I went into had the first and last book of the trilogy, but no Subtle Knife. I don't know what it is about this book, but I couldn't find it anywhere. Finally, after 2 months, I happened to be buying something else from this stall when I saw TWO copies inside. That's how great this stall is: it magically comes up with all the books you can never find in other second hand bookshops. I also love that the general fiction isn't arranged strictly in alphabetical order, because a) it makes browsing more fun, and b) it means you read every book title rather than just homing in on the areas where your favourite authors would be.

The library in the heart of Grangetown, just off Penarth road serves it's community well. This is…read moreno Central library, but then Grangetown library has not had the huge cash injection that the new library has had. The library is open plan, but there are distinct sections. There is a beanbag area for parents and their kids to lounge and read books in Welsh or English. Unfortunately some of the books are a little dog-eared, although some are also brand new. At the other end of the spectrum there is seating provided for the older generation and those intent on serious reading, this area is sheltered by bookshelves behind the librarians desks. Grangetown library also offers a computer room with internet access, choose your times carefully (during school hours) if you want to use the computer in relative silence. As many libraries do these days Grangetown library runs a number of workshops including 'Tots time', 'Singing and art fun', 'Bookworms storytime' and 'Story and art fun for children'. For adults the library offers the 'Grange readers book club', which according to the library website is an: "Informal group meeting to chat about a selection of books over a cup of tea!" Library opening times are: Monday 9.00-1.00 2.00-7.00 Tuesday 9.00-1.00 2.00-6.00 Wednesday 9.00-1.00 2.00-6.00 Thursday 9.00-1.00 2.00-6.00 Friday 9.00-1.00 2.00-6.00 Saturday 9.00-1.00 2.00-5.30

If you are a writer or book lover in Wales chances are you'll have come across Academi, the Welsh…read moreNational Literature Promotion Agency and Society for Authors. As a writer I find Academi and invaluable resource and support network. Academi has a face. This face is Peter Finch. A known name on the Cardiff performance scene and, for those who wish to know lots and lots about Cardiff, he is the writer of Real Cardiff 1,2 and 3. Three books about Cardiff. Feed your thirst for knowledge, get them all. Academi run all manner of events, courses, competitions, including the Cardiff International Poetry Competition, with the support of Cardiff Council and offering a First Prize of £5000, conferences, tours by authors, lectures, international exchanges, events for schools, readings, literary performances and festivals. They are also responsible for the National Poet of Wales project and the Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. They do all of the above thanks to dosh etc. from the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Assembly Government. They also give out bursaries each year to allow writers time to write their next masterpiece, and they help the thriving literary scene within Cardiff and beyond by helping us raise the cash needed to run all out literary events and pay poets and things like that. They still haven't given me a first prize or a bursary, mind. But I'm young, I'm sure they'll be kind eventually :P

Canolfan a Llyfrgell Star Centre and Library is an impressive, purpose built leisure centre and…read morelibrary complex situated on the main street in Splott. The library, (as with all of the libraries in Cardiff), is a focal hub for the local community, offering all kinds of activities and talks to inspire and educate. These events are often free of charge. Splott is considered to be a 'problem area' and suffers from high unemployment and the associated social problems of economic privation. A small number of the kids in Splott are responsible for some pretty anti-social behaviour. The authorities recognise the need to constructively engage the under sixteen's, and so the library is intended to be a place where children from all backgrounds and age groups can meet and have fun. The library has been recently refurbished, as have the sport and leisure facilities in the same complex. It has a wide range of books available for lending as well as providing access to the whole of the Cardiff Libraries collection. There's a new children's area that is packed with fun stuff, along with an extended IT facility that offers a range of computers along with full on-line services and access. The library holds weekly pre-school activities as well as half term events for school children. On Wednesday mornings they hold a story time and craft session at 10.30am. Weekly rhyme times are also available. An adult Reading Group meets on the last Wednesday of every month from 7.00pm - 8.00pm. Email: splottlibrary@cardiff.gov.uk How to get there: Bus Numbers: 11,12,13