The majority of Manakau Rd seems to have converted houses as business offices which are a little…read moredisconcerting to enter. Thankfully Epsom Library has a nice shiny sculpture and car park to set itself apart. Regardless, I often forget about this little library. Epsom has a neatly spaced out library with very helpful staff members. Their friendly advice and knowledge of the other library branches is an excellent benefit. The sunny bay windows with private chairs and power points are perfect for the solitary study of the studious. And there are no near-by bars to distract you. Actually there isn't much near by so have a coffee before you arrive. It's no flowery, latte-art city library. Epsom has a good, standard, silent library that only misses the long wooden tables and green desk lamps.

This is a small library, with a decent selection of books and some tables and chairs. There are a…read morecouple of chairs near windows that have (quite unstable) single person desks and power points, but otherwise it's not very laptop friendly. I once set up at one of these window seats, only to have to move about 10 minutes later due to an ant problem! The staff are friendly, and they have a children's play group thing in the mornings on certain days, which can get a little boisterous - great if you have kids, though!

The library is located in an enormous old building at the top of Parnell Road and houses a great…read morecollection of books from childrens to cookery and everything in between. It's not the biggest in Auckland but it has everything you really need, including wifi so I'd recommend bringing your own laptop rather than waiting for the library's own computers. With only four of them, it can often be quite hard to get online during busy times (although I have never found myself waiting more than half an hour to get a place) and they can be painfully slow at times. The staff are all really friendly and helped me out when trying to print off things and to order me in a book from another library in the city. There is ample amounts of parking at the building, which is great as the location is a bit of a climb!

I first walked in here when I was delivering pamphlets as part of a crazy get-rich scheme. Safe to…read moresay the scheme didn't work, although that may have something to do with the fact I decided not to bother keeping on walking after I came in here. There was something about the place that made me want to sit down and read a book, so I picked up Filth by Irvine Welsh off the shelf and settled down. Four hours later I was suitably traumatised and getting gently ushered out of the library into the dark night. I dumped my load of pamphlets in the rubbish bin and decided to enrol in University. So it was a fortuitous moment to walk into Parnell, and it will always hold a certain place in my heart. There is a good supply of books here, and it seems to have resisted the call to completely transform into an internet cafe , with books, that so many other Auckland libraries has.

Since turning Libraries into 'Shared Spaces,' a few years ago, I find this library smelly, and was…read moretold by the clerk that the computer area is a 'volatile space ". Seems every patron is tarred with the same brush...treated as if we were last of the homeless, mentally ill, indigent population. And why are they being treated so badly there? Dreadful experiences in that Library. People in filthy clothes stretched out over several seats seemingly in a drunken stupor. Glares and glances and tight facial expressions from the library clerks. Dreadful. Libraries should have remained libraries. Not drop in centres

The Central City Library is one of the first places I went to when I arrived in Auckland, mainly to…read moreprint some documents and use the free (but limited to 20 minutes) computers. I have since joined and have been regular borrower of books, DVDs and magazines. It's the perfect place to go to when one feels like reading, learning or getting entertained... for cheap! I find the range of books really wide and varied... I even found a book that I know has been self-published, so I guess it cannot be found everywhere. I even attended a free little gig on the first floor on a Friday night, which was so unexpected but really good fun. I had not been a library rat for a few years but the Central City Library reconciliated me with my nerdy side!

Less helpful people working there now, but those still there are super helpful. Free wifi!…read moreVery nice study desk area's with power points for plugging in your laptop, and overlooking green areas outside. Very good thinking area. Lots of dvds still available for rent

This is my local library, has been ever since I moved up to Auckland, and will always hold a space…read morein my heart as the place I first racked up a 50 dollar fine. That's the problem with getting out a whole lot of books, it's easy to forget them - and at 30 cents a day, it can add up pretty fast. Roskill Library has changed quite a lot over the years, and, as seems to be a theme with Auckland Libraries, has a lot less books then it used to. They did a big renovation last year, and since then it seems like there are half as many book aisles - but three times as many computers. It's a good thing, offering free internet and computer time to those who need it, but I can't help but miss browsing through hundreds of books looking for one that interested me.

This has to be one of Auckland's most accessible libraries mostly because of the parking that is…read morearound. There's lots of street parks as well as a carpark just opposite which I always manage to find a park in . Even though it was opened in 2002 which seems like ages ago, it is the newest library in Auckland and it shows. It feels very modern and spacious without being a particularly large. There are helpful staff, like most libraries the people that work there are what make it special. There selection is great I have always found what I have needed here but they also can get anything transferred from other locations if they don't have what you are looking for. It's a wonderful place to come just to relax for a while and this may seem very obvious but it's gloriously quiet so it's the perfect study space!

The Auckland University Library will literally save your life if you are a student at UA!…read more This library holds any book your degree could possibly require, as well as a seemingly infinite number of resources for assignments and reports. I have spent countless hours burrowed in the library researching and can quite honestly say I would have been lost without it. I know the library may seem daunting if you're a new student or have never been shown how to use the system, but it's actually pretty simple and is totally worth asking the librarians for help - that is what they're there for and it will save you hours of painful researching! Tip: You don't have to be an Auckland Uni student to use this library. Anyone can walk in and look up books or use their desks as a quiet space to study, you just won't be able to hire anything.

This is the general library at the University and it's pretty good as far as university libraries…read morego. I always found the interloans staff (the ones who help you to get your hands on a specific obscure journal article that your whole year will end up being a failure without) a little brusque and intimidating, but the rest of the staff were generally quite approachable and very helpful. The staff on the issues desk where you check your books out often seem to be undergrads who are more asleep than awake, but hey, I guess it's not the most exciting job in the world. The best thing about the library is how easy it is to find a really quiet desk to study at, and the proximity of a stretch of lawn to recover on, and the food court just across the road.

This library is a busy one, situated as it is right next to St Lukes Mall. After school here is…read morecrazytown and I do wonder if perhaps some parents use it as free after-school babysitting. Anyway, avoid avoid and come during school hours or even at the weekend. Outings to the library are a bit of a family tradition for us and even the child that's not a big reader can find himself a graphic novel and a comfy seat. The staff here are so nice, especially considering how busy they get sometimes. It was here that I got my daughter her very own library card and the staff member who handled it was just lovely and made my girl feel very grown-up and special indeed. Auckland's libraries are fantastic and this one is no exception.

My review is about one thing, and it's not books. Apart from the limited armchairs, all we have to…read moresit on are plastic chairs that are the most stupidly designed chairs in the world. Watch people use them: they have to sit perched forward on the edge of the chair to read or work on the tables. If they sit back, it's uncomfortable and they can't reach the table. And if they lean forward, after 15 minutes their backs are screaming at them to give it up. How can a place like a library utterly fail in selecting something as simple as plastic chairs to sit in?? Whoever chose these chairs shouldn't have a job. It's not rocket science. I rarely take books out because I use my Kindle. And I NEVER work in the library because even something as basic as sitting at the tables is impossible. If there were decent chairs here, I'd be in every day to study. Sort your crap out.

As part of an ongoing annual series, from 4 April to 20 June 2013, the Central City Library hosts…read morefree lunchtime concerts. Funnily enough, they're on between twelve and one, and you can find them upstairs on the second floor (that means, go up the escalator twice!). The quality of the concerts in this series is really impressive and there's plenty of variety. From duets, trios, quartets, instrumentals and vocals, variety selections and tributes to particular composers, there's pretty much something for everyone who fancies a little classical music in their day. A nice way to escape the woes of work for an hour, and let your mind drift off to somewhere pleasant. Check the libraries website for all the details of each week's performance.