Well over a year ago poor Dickens Heath Library lost a fair chunk of its roof in a storm. This was…read morequite a shock as the building was relatively new. Luckily no one was hurt and this tiny set back didn't close the service for very long. This is the newest of Solihull's branch libraries and was created when the new toy town had enough of a population to warrant the service. I'm being harsh really but I'm not a fan of this area. However, their library is wonderful. It's housed in a classy new building that is spacious, bright and creates a peaceful environment for browsing their stock. And you might want to go and browse their stock as it is all brand new and bang up to date. This includes a good selection of DVDs for hire.

From the owner: Solihull libraries offer a warm welcome to all customers…read more You can join the library and borrow up to 10 items for 3 weeks, with no fines charged and free reservations for items on order or in Solihull libraries. All libraries have PCs with access up to 3 hours per day for members, with free wifi for anyone without membership Regular events for children (rhymetimes and storytimes) and adults are held All libraries have photocopying and scanning facilities. Some libraries also have study space. You can join online without visiting the library for eBooks, eAudiobooks, eMagazines and eNewspapers, as well as other resources

Every town has a library and Solihull Central Library is the flagship for the borough. Over the…read moreyears the library has expanded in a variety of ways; they even have a theatre! They have information on events (mostly local), council services, education and work, business information and various local and family history. Unlike many other libraries that are local to Solihull, here they have a large amount of computers and a host of books on different subjects. There is pretty much a book for any subject and if there isn't then it's pretty easy to find out where to get the information you want. You can also rent DVDs and CDs. Librarians can be a bit boring and come across negatively and here some of them are no different. However, some of them are very friendly. They are all very helpful though and knowledgeable on everything within the building. I've been to the library theatre a few times and have really enjoyed the shows put on here. Before a show, or in general, I like to go to their cafe where they have some hot and cold snacks. The food can be eaten in or taken away. As the library is in a courtyard you can also enjoy the lovely water feature outside. This is definitely one of the best libraries I've been to in Birmingham.

Solihull Library is modern, spacious, bright, light and a provides a lovely space to read or ponder…read morein. With most of the usual library trappings (you know books, CDs, DVDs, internet) and some extras thrown in. Their local and family history department deserves special merit. They have an excellent children's library. Upstairs is also a public gallery with collections changing on a regular basis. Sadly, Solihull Library isn't what it used to be. They still have a fairly good stock of books and some CDs but the music library isn't what it used to be. There are plenty of DVDs but often they are just the modern rom-coms and nothing much else of note. Finding a member of staff to help you might be your biggest problem. If you are happy to stumble along without any assistance and use a self serve machine to issue and return your own books then this is probably the library for you.

Olton library is a real gem. It is very small but the stock is in excellent condition and the…read morestaff are always friendly and helpful. They have a good collection of fiction paperbacks, non fiction work and an excellent children's range. As always as a library they have computers and offer limited free Internet access per day. They even loan jigsaws for some reason although I'm not sure how they check if you've returned it all! Upstairs are several meeting rooms that can be hired and the local councillors hold their advice surgeries there once a month.

I am a fan of libraries and visit them at least once a week, I have 4 libraries that I use Olton…read morelibrary being one of them. However, as helpful as the staff are and although it is quite a small library it does offer a good selection of books, my only problem with this library is the parking and lack there of. I have often gone to use this library but ended up going to the Hobs Moat library a few minutes away as it is usually easier to park on the road at the side. They have a story session for under 5s on a thursday at 2.30 for half an hour

This is an extremely friendly and homely library that offers a warm welcome to everyone that steps…read moreinside. The adult section is well stocked with both fiction, non fiction and reference books, there are also free newspapers to read. For adults they offer a family history group, job club and hold regular councillor surgeries. The children's library is a real find and one of the best in the areas. They have a huge amount of stock for the under 5s, school children and even a dedicated teenage fiction area. There are plenty of computers some dedicated for children's use only. They provide great story time sessions for ore school children and an amazing homework club for those a little bit older. And then there are the staff. They are all so friendly and helpful!

A nicely ran library where you can use the internet free of charge - they have one pc that you can…read moreuse whenever if it is free or you can book up sessions, all you need is the number on your library card. They have some dvds for rental at £2 a week, £1 for kids dvds. They also have a toy library on every other Tuesday which you can join for a small fee and borrow some toys for the two weeks. Good selection of books, they will also order in anything that is in a different library, they usually charge £1 for this.

Tucked away up one of the side streets that connect Stirchley and Bournville, Stirchley library is…read morefairly small, with a not-that-massive selection of books and a few internet ready computers. One of the only points of novelty I can find about it is that it seems to have exactly the same frontage as the Selly Oak library (now closed) a few miles up the road. There's not a grand deal to talk about, but here's a couple of points about it that may be of interest to you. A fairly large segment of the books seem to be large print, and the children's section definitely looks like the sort of place that would interest little kids. There's probably not a lot of reason to visit this library if you don't actually live in Stirchley. This is probably down to budgeting issues. However, if you do live in the area, I'm sure this library will forefill your expectations of a local library.

For some reason when I have walked past this library before I have always thought it was closed. It…read morejust does not seem obviously open, unless it is just me being oblivious to the world around me! Anyway, after discovering it was in fact open, I decided to go in and take a look around as I am an avid reader and I like going into libraries as they are usually quiet and have a good selection of books. I noticed there they were a few computers inside, which is always handy if you are out and about but need to check something online or need to use a computer. The library itself is fairly small and they did not seem to have a great selection of books, there were not many staff or indeed members of the public inside, which was a bit sad. Overall, it was a fairly basic library.

I have been coming here since the days of yardley wood secondary school! I really like it not the…read morebiggest selection of books but a fantastic building and great staff

Often you search the Library catalogue to find that the book your after is neither held by your…read morelocal library or even in the central library and you are faced with the challenge of travelling further a field to find that source of reference or rare novel. With Acocks Green Library I was happy to find that although the Library building was from the grey era of Birminghams Architectural history there had been great efforts made to add some colour and decoration with some commissioned art and the work chosen was bright and enhanced both the exterior and interior of the building. Approaching the front desk the Library is split into two, with the childrens section on the left and the adult sectoion on the right, computers were located towords the front and there was a quiet hum of activity which was pleasant without being distracting. Acocks Green Library doesn't have the scope of the Central Library or the charm of some of Birminghams more antiquated public buildings but does take pride in it's appearance both inside and out and is a plea sure to partake in.

I love their selection of CDs! They have a wide variety of music and classics from metal such as…read morethe band Black Sabbath to movie soundtracks. I was a bit gutted to find there was a small price of a pound to pay and you can only hire them for about two weeks, but that's a bargin. They don't have a large study area and it was as if they put desks in between the book shelves as a substitute, but they had enough room for the children's section. In fact about a third of the library was taken up by the children's section, which I think is unfair. On the other hand I can't complain about their selection of books as they cover all the basic academic subjects and have a good selection of fictional books. They also provide old computers; you know the ones that look like they belong in the seventies? I guess these are useful though otherwise they wouldn't be there. So you could say Hall Green Library has everything you'd expect in a library.

This is what a real library should feel like, it's barely changed since I last visited as a kid…read moresome 20 years ago as a child - even the leaflets rack is in the same place and looks suspiciously like the same one! I love the large entrance as you walk in because it makes visiting the library feel like a proper special occasion, the check in/out counter is in keeping with the decor of the building and so is everything in the place. This has a lovely peaceful air inside, the acoustics of the building means it has a very hushed quality which takes me back to the days of the librarian who really would tell you to 'shhhhhhh!'. The selection of books is excellent, this library is bigger inside than it looks from the road and is literally crammed with bookshelves and racks. If I'm looking for a particular book I can usually find it, or if it's not available then reserving a copy is an easy process and they rarely take long to become available. I like the childrens area because it's fairly enclosed so I can safely leave my older girls' in there while I browse the adults books. Sometimes I'll let them watch the baby in there and show her some books, but she's a mummys girl and soon gets rid of the hushed atmosphere I was telling you about earlier when she notices I'm gone! The non fiction section is fantastic and I often find something to pique my interest; everything from books about American literature, a biography of Charles Darwin, introductions to knitting and cookery books are available. I find it a fascinating area of the library and if I happen to be in there without the kids then I'll pick something interesting and sit down to have a read - if it interests me then I'll book it out, if not it's five minutes wasted in a lovely environment.

Kings Norton Library is only a little library but facilitates a lot. They have a cute little…read morechildren's area with a wide variety of books for children to read, enjoy and learn from. The seating area within the children's space is fun, colourful and enticing for any child. The seats are really comfortable too! They also supply various computers for your use, a large mature reading section and a great supply of novels and informative reads for teenagers too. When Kings Norton Library was my local amenity, I would go here all the time to enjoy the peace and quiet they have to offer whist getting lost in a good novel. Come to think of it, I really miss going to Kings Norton Library and I will most likely go out of my way to venture there again soon.

For all its city council public service trimmings Acocks Green Library has become a little bit of a…read moresanctuary for me. I read a lot and have a self imposed ban on buying anymore books. So I visit my local library a lot. The staff are very friendly and helpful. I order a lot of items and everything my little book worm heart desires is usually tracked down quickly and with ease. The library is a Grade A category building and opened in 1932. It has a lovely spacious feel inside and you can easily find a quiet cranny to read in peace. Of course there is the usual computers and internet section but this is housed separately from the book stock. So you are free to browse quietly and enjoy the complete library experience.

My friend lives in the Acocks Green area, so one day while staying with her for a few days; we…read moredecided to visit the library and take a look. The building is a period listed building, so it still has all it's traditional features which makes it beautiful to look at. It's not one of the larger community libraries but it's still a nice place to go and have a read. The great thing about this library is that because it's not so huge; you are more likely to experience a much quieter and comfortable reading experience. I like that because in most libraries there's a little noise and it becomes irritating, one because you lose concentration and two, you become less inclined to stay in the library. However, this library is pretty good for noise levels; so it's a place to visit for a quiet read.