I have to agree with the other reviewer. We attend this library every week now as my daughter goes…read moreto their 'Rhyme Time' music and play session. Absolutely beautiful library, set in a great location and the friendliest, most welcoming staff I have met in a very long time. My daughter has become most fond of Claire who runs the Rhyme time group :)

This is my favourite library in the city! It was refurbished about a year or so ago and is now a…read morereally relaxing, welcoming place to go and read a book and choose your next selection of books. Its well placed too, there is a bus stop right outside which takes you into the centre of Cardiff or alternatively up to Llanishen. They have sections on fiction and non -fiction, DIY, cookery, biography and of course, my favourite, crime fiction. If a book which you would like to read has not come into the library yet, you can order it and it only takes a matter of days to arrive. Please support your local library - they cannot survive without our support.

I have been a member of Newport library for a number of years and highly recommend people…read morejoining,not only is it free to join but you can rent out the usual books as well as DVDs and Cd's.They have several computers upstairs and you can use these for free,you sometimes have to wait but you can pre book in advance then stay online for up to two hours. The library staff are very nice and will kindly help with anything you need,including finding books,joining,late fees etc. There are some really comfortable sofas in the library which you can sit down and relax whilst reading the newspaper or a good book. In today's hard times joining a library is a good way to save money and Newport is one of the best.

This Carnegie library, housed in a prominent historic Grade 2 Listed building, sits grandly on the…read morejunction of Cathays Terrace, Fairoak Road, Whitchurch Road, and Crwys Road, alongside Cathays Cemetery. In total, Scotsman Andrew Carnegie - industrialist, businessman, entrepreneur and a major philanthropist - funded some 3,000 public libraries in the US, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies, and Fiji. Cathays Library is one of them. Apart from its architectural value, the library offers a pretty good range of community library services including free WiFi, a children's area, 15 public PCs (book in advance as they're in high demand) and a 'Rhymetime' kids' session (held every Tuesday morning at 10.30am) including stories, crafts and rhymes for under 5s. You can, however, obviously find a far greater selection of books at Cardiff's main library. Local councillors also hold regular surgeries in the library on Saturday mornings from 11-12, for which you don't need an appointment - you can just turn up and quiz them on local issues.

God bless this library…read more For the student population of the Roath and Cathays areas of Cardiff, time is of the essence. Especially since you've spent the entire term drinking when you should've been studying, and now you have to five hours before your exam starts and you need to get several books. Sure, you could walk into town, but like I said, time is of the essence. Those extra twenty minutes could be the difference between a fail, and a slightly higher fail! This is why we love Cathays library. Roll out of bed, and roll through the door. Check out your books and be home in ten minutes time. I've seen students there in their pyjamas before. It is just the pinnacle of convenience. Granted, the selection isn't as impressive as the five storey book Mecca that's currently occupying a good couple of acres in the city centre, but that is a place that'd make an Alexandrian librarian whistle through his teeth and say "well, that sure is a lot of books", so I don't think I can take off points for that. After all, it's not really possible for two places to have all the books in the world ever, each.

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.

O.K. Lets be honest Llanrumney may not be the most salubrious of areas and a library is never going…read moreto be a social hotspot but I think Llanrumney's library is pretty fab as libraries go. It only opened in the early part of 2008 so the building is shiny new and doesn't look like a 1970s comprehensive school that is about to fall down. The furniture is also terribly trendy but suprisingly it is also really comfortable, pleasant to sit and read in and designed for people with a stack of books (giant circular arms make excellent book stands - you'll know what i mean if you go there). The staff are really friendly and helpful and don't stand ignoring you (as I have run into at some of the bigger libraries) but have a chat, remember what you've been reading and smile at you like they mean it. One quick tip: the doors have no handles and you have to press the giant silver buttons to open them. These are carefully hidden on the inside of two posts by the doors at about hip-height for maximum invisibility (they're very disabled friendly so i'm totally for them but i did spend a good five minutes looking like a goon trying to get in!)

This library us great. they have baby group every month and the kids love it…read more they have a great selection of books and computers tou use too.

What a little gem this place is it even hires out small selection of dvd's/video's. I went there…read morelooking for a book from my past and they were fantastic. Took my number as they didn't have it in stock phoned me a little while later and not only did they manage to locate one from another area,a special book I had been trying to find they had bought! yes actually bought so that I and others could read. They are so so helpful and very polite. There are internet facilities free and also printing facilities (ideal if you have no pc) and the charge for a print out is minimal. There is a lovely section for children and has a play corner. they also have story tellers in so young children can be entertained and listen to wonderful tales sometimes even siging. Exellent

Okay, well I actually really like Penylan library. Whichever library you go to, however big or…read morevaried the collection of books, Cardiff libraries have an online book ordering service so you can just look up the book you want, order it, then when they call you can just pop in and collect it. As it is, Penylan's book collection isn't bad at all. In fact it's pretty good, given its size. Everything is in clearly marked sections and, as I said, if you can't find what you're looking for, you can ask one of the many helpful staff, or order it from home. The children's section is especially lovely, with bright coloured seats and pictures. I have often seen mothers sat reading books with their children here, which is a sight to warm any heart. The community centre offers a family friendly gym with Teen Fit courses for 14-16 year olds aiming to teach teenagers how to use the fitness suite "safely and effectively" (according to the brochure). There is also a wide variety of activities offered for people of all ages, from a Soccer School for 5-11 year olds to adult yoga classes, Soft Play for the under 5s to activities for the over 50s. There are also women only classes for any ladies who are a little self-conscious about wearing a leotard in front of the opposite sex. Penylan Library and Community Centre has so much to offer and no doubt will soon be offering even more. If you have any queries, the guys on reception are more than willing to discuss classes and courses with you.

A new and improved library? I'm actually not so sure about this place. I remember it in the old…read moredays and very much prefer it that way. Why can't things stay the same forever? Why does there always have to be change? Progress, progress, progress... is what they call it. I suppose they have to call it something, the world seems to have to name everything these days. Now the library has a sports complex attached to it; classes and courses to attend, computers to use and books to borrow. It only has so many books there and I find even less than last time, and I found the library's organisational system of books was tricky for me to understand. I found it took me ages to get into the right room in the library as to where the books where at all, and as to where the books that I wanted were difficult to find. However, in the end I did and so I know where to go in future. Others may find that they prefer the place this way. It is right by Penylan park and is near to Albany Rd and Wellfield RD.

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.

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.