One Friday night a month 40 + teenagers take over the library to dance to the in-house DJ, enjoy…read moreexclusive use of the Wii and Computers and eat pizza. Lalor is no ordinary library folks, it is the hub of the Lalor community and appeals to every age demographic. Drop by the large and colourful space any day of the week and something will be happening. Yes the library has the usual selection of books, magazines, DVDs and Cd's but it also has Italian, Greek, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese collections. Annie the Children's librarian hosts energetic story times, sometimes to an audience of a hundred kids. Noisy? Yes. This is not the library to enjoy silent study, head to near by Mill Park for that! The range of adult activities and events appeals to the multicultural community of Lalor, think seniors club, cooking demo's, book club, language cafe to name just a few. If you want to learn how to use computers, Facebook or itunes visit the information desk and book into a computer class or just ask for IT extraordinaire Natasha. Life long friends meet up a chat over the daily papers, teens relax on the couches and families visit the toy library. Lalor library is for everyone. The staff are awesome and clearly have fun. Why not join in?

The largest of the Darebin Council libraries is Preston. The sixties era building lacks character…read morebut the benches and garden make the most of a dull exterior. The word that springs to mind when here is 'functional.' The young adult section is larger then most and bucking the latest library trend, the majority of the library is filled with books. Shocking I know! The reason I visit this branch is because they have long benches with multiple power outlets. Perfect for laptop users, the wifi isn't the fastest, but it works well and its a rare library that has so much space dedicated to laptops, which means your chances of finding a spot to park are pretty high. Parking is restrictive. Catch a tram. The good news is that the cheap cafes and shops of high street and Preston Market make the perfect lunch break escape and are minutes away.

Quite an OK collection of books - and newspapers and magazines, too, for that matter - and there…read moreare quite OK collections in community languages, at least from what I can see. Lots of space to work on a laptop, but there are also small tables for conversations, and it all seems to work pretty well. Most irritating aspect: the procedure for getting a wifi password. Probably devised way back in the 20th century, it's a long and arduous procedure which probably breaks every rule in the accessibility book - too bad if you are old and have failing eyesight, or you come from an NESB background or you have certain kinds if disability. The good news - everyone ends up with exactly the same password anyway! So just look over the shoulder of someone when they're getting their password on one of the public computers - it comes onto the screen in a very large font Or ask someone who's using a laptop and looks friendly. I personally would like to talk to the library staff member who carefully pastes the library's sticker over the date on my favourite magazine - passive aggressiveness taken to new highs! Toilets - it's obvious that the staff never have to use the toilets provided for the public because if they did, there would be a major OH&S issue that would be fixed in a flash. As it is, the urinals in the mens toilets always stink - what you'd expect from the cheapest possible fittings Overall, though, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the library they work in is a good community resource.

Northcote Library is a large building across from Northcote Plaza on Seperation Street. As one of…read morefour Darebin libraries it has a wide range of books, DVDs, magazines and Cd's. There is a charge to request a hold ($1) which is more then some libraries charge but less then others. Considering all the amazing lending you receive free a hold change is nothing to complain about is it? Northcote Library itself is well set out. On the ground level you will find the fiction area, information desk and public computers, on the upper level is the nonfiction, a large and colourful junior area, a Italian language area, audio visual and event room. This library is missing a large area for laptop and wifi users although there are study corrals with power points for this use. Staff are friendly and helpful and provide a wide range of free events, classes and storytimes! Northcote Li bray is a great community hub. If your planning to spend the day here keep in mind that a 3 hour parking limit applies at Northcote Plaza and there is limited all day parking in the near by area. Perhaps catch the tram!

I do adore my local biblioteca, the Northcote Library. I'm a student at UniMelb but live in this…read moreneck of the woods so I do come here a lot to study. The Internet is free (and pretty reliable) with a library card and they do have computer stations if you are sans-lappytop. Print stations are also there if you need to print off some sweet recipes or your underwater basket weaving thesis. I haven't ever had trouble finding a quiet table to study with a power port nearby to plug in. The book section isn't massive, but there is enough there that you should be able to find at least one or a few books you have been wanting to read but never got around to because of all those 30 Rock DVDs you bought. You can also check out the online catalog and order books from other Darebin library locations to be sent to you for hold at Northcote. There is a small DVD section that could honestly use a bit more options but the music selection seems to be pretty good. For the news junkies in the house, there are plenty of newspapers and mags to keep you winning the current events round at trivia. It's a welcome space for whatever you're looking for out of a library and you'd be simply mad to not utilize this awesome resource.

If your heading down Plenty Road towards South Morang and you see the giant space ship looking…read morebuilding, don't despair. This is not an alien invasion taking place on the outskirts of Melbourne suburbs, rather it's Mill Park library! This huge building is a purpose built library with more space then Star Trek. This building is seriously huge. As well as ample space you will find a fantastic range of books, magazines, DVDs and Cd's from the Yarra Plenty Regional Library collection. You will also find a quiet study room with sound proof glass and plenty of tables, a multimedia room and a genealogy room! The varied free events program makes the most of the space. The large children's area is host to many story times and school holiday events. Jack the Community Liaison runs all kind of programs from classes and workshops to sci-fi clubs and cooking demonstrations. The staff are happy to show you around and help you with all your technology and literary needs. Trust me, no question is too random for library staff!

Did you know there is a place where you can read the latest magazines, borrow DVDs and Cd's, get…read morenew release books and use computers and ipads...for FREE? I'm here today as an ex-librarian to share with you a secret. Your local library is not just a musty old room filled with old books and a cranky spinster telling you to "Be quiet!" Libraries are loud, fun and colourful and offer more services and entertainment then you thought! Rosanna Library is the smallest of the eight branches under the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service umbrella. It also happens to be my local. Despite the small size, the library works with what it has. I'm a fan of the large and colourful children's area that invites junior borrowers to play and read. The computer area that renders the Mac versus PC debate a non-issue or BYO laptop or ipad and use the free Wifi! Find a couch and stay a while or run in and out was quickly as possible with the self issue borrowing that lets you move on faster. Need help? Confused? Daunted? The staff will go out of their way to answer your questions and get you the information you need. They have heard it all so no question is too strange or obvious! They are also happy to have a chat or show you how to download the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy to your ipad. Yarra Plenty branches also host free events. Story times, morning tea, computer classes, cooking demonstrations just to name a few of the regular events you will find when you visit. Don't want to leave home, the YPRL website will keep you busy! You can thank me later!

Next to The Centre Ivanhoe is a large three story 1960's style building, home to the Ivanhoe…read moreLibrary. As part of the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service Ivanhoe Library has an amazing range of books, DVDs, cds and magazines. Ivanhoe Library hosts a wide range of events and has all the services you expect from your local library plus all the extras that are available at a YPRL branch. The ground floor is home to the information desk while the first floor has a Wii room and Genealogy area, the top floor is a space for events and study. From the third floor the view of Melbourne's CBD is stunning, a total distraction from your study. Free wifi and CBD views. What more could you want? On a balmy summers evening my favourite way to take a study break is grabbing an ice cream from Cosi Duci and spend time catching up with friends at the courtyard outside the library. It may not be the most modern building or innovative space, but as far as a traditional library atmosphere, Ivanhoe has it!

This is my local library and I have been using it regularly since I moved to this suburb two…read moredecades ago. The library has a pretty good selection of books, magazines, DVDs and CDs to borrow. As this is Coburg there are a large selection of books in languages other than English - Greek, Turkish, Italian, Spanish, Serbian, Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, French and Hindi. It also has meeting rooms, photocopiers, computers with public Internet access and a few quite study rooms. However, the library is a converted supermarket and this presents two problems: it has flooded in the past with heavy rain (although a new extensive drainage system at the front door might stop this in the future) and, although it carpeted, it is still a large supermarket-like space. This means that the children's part of the library is not separated from the rest of the space and the noise of the children carries everywhere. I look at the display of new books, the magazines and the DVDs; then borrow a copy of Art & Australia magazine and a DVD the old ABC comedy series Frontline. Outside of the library, along the north window, there is a long row of benches that are very popular with Coburg's locals.

Everyone that works here has been super friendly and helpful. I love that they give you free login…read morepassword for the WiFi. You can print black and white papers for $0.20. There always seems to be a long line for the women's bathroom..

This tiny library is located behind Bulleen Plaza which makes it a handy location to drop by after…read moreyour shopping. Apart from its convenient location, the space itself is too small for the stock and I'm afraid I am spoiled when it comes to libraries, so I expect space and light and technology. Bulleen falls short in each of these area's. As a member of the Whitehorse-Manningham Library service of which Bulleen is part of, you will have access to a great collection of books, magazines, DVDs and Cd's at no charge. Unless you return your loans late you cheeky devil. So obviously a library service is still a fantastic thing to have access too, however if your want a library to luxuriate in all morning then perhaps head to a larger branch. There are few desks for laptop users and newspaper readers which to me is a downfall. The staff here are friendly and helpful and there is plenty of parking nearby. The library does it's best with the little space it has and it does fit in with the atmosphere at Bulleen Plaza.