I have a strange, or maybe not so strange, perhaps you can help me with this. I have a tendency to…read morewant to own a book that I read. To keep it on my shelf once I've read it as a trophy of my fierce encounter with those literary pages so thoroughly steeped in ink. Every now and again I'll read a book think 'trash' and palm it off to a friend or relative for them to do with it what they will, but most of the time I like the collection on my bookshelf to read like a list of knowledge that I have sucked from the pages and sewn into my brain. The severed heads of the books I have read on the pinewood shelves as a warning to all books that enter my house. I will read you! With that said, I have from time to time utilised the library situated just up the road in the Italian Forum; for books, magazines and for CD's. While they don't have a gigantic range, I have not failed to find a book that I was after. I put that to good purchasing on the libraries part, but also to savvy book finding skills on my part. Fiction, fact, musical CD's all catalogued as you would expect from a library, and that said, can we assume that it is rare for a library to break the mould and wreak of independent thought and renegade cataloguing? Yes it is rare, and not apparent here. It's a library, it lends books and it provides work space for people to do research and learn. There are author talks and book clubs and even a space that showcases local art. I'm going to give it a four because it is a good library albeit not a very original one.

Love this library - they have a great selection of books, especially nonfiction. The library is…read moremuch bigger than it looks - you could spend hours in there!

Excellent space for children to pick up a book or for a read. Lovely and useful librarians who…read morehelped answer our questions and were keeping tidy.

I recently moved to Marrickville and decided to check out the local library. I was looking forward…read moreto gathering an armful of books, plonking them down on the counter and getting myself a library card. I entered the library and immediately felt some small concern. There was a massive amount of floorspace but very few bookshelves and what bookshelves were present were only five feet high. There was a children's section behind the main desk and an unutilised series of large steps with coloured cushions on the right. There were brightly lit study rooms along the sides and small tables and chairs lining the wall. Lots of people staring at laptops, no one reading books. I headed up the stairs to my right and entered the ground floor to be welcomed by the clanging and banging of a cafe in operation. Traditionally libraries were places of quiet solitude, not places of clanking dishes accompanied by the sound of diesel engines coming from outside. I began perusing what I assumed to be the history section. A bland collection of books on Anzac history in both the first and second world war. I continued walking the aisles looking for anything of interest. There appeared to be no other history books present other than Australia's involvement in war along with some colonial history. I did notice a large section dedicated to cook books though; always important in an age where one can type in what ingredients one has available and have google spit out an endless list of recipes. I perused about half the bookshelves on the ground floor before heading upstairs in dismay. Things were no better up there. The most sorry collection of middle of the road pap one might expect to see being sold out the front of a strip mall newsagency for half price. Plenty of study rooms and a solid collection of foreign language books though. As I walked around I heard someone sharing with their companion that someone thought they were hot. Where was the bespectacled librarian, come to hush these talkative twenty somethings? I headed to the top level to witness an entire floor dedicated to cover displayed art books. Thoroughly uninspiring. By this point I was feeling pretty disgusted with the book selection of this library as well as the racket of the cafe. I headed back to the ground floor and began perusing the shelves on the cafe side. As I drew nearer the cafe, insult was added to injury as I had my ears poisoned by some awful commercial radio oozing out some laboured lyrics of heartbreak and hurt feels. As I was eyeballing the books directly adjacent to the service counter of the cafe I moved around a middle aged couple sitting at a table. The male delivered a sentence to his partner about Foxtel that was met with no reply. Shortly thereafter the couple got up and left. Their visit to the library having done nothing to enliven their stale relationship. As I neared the end of my search for any books of interest I was thinking to myself of everything this library was missing. I had seen no classic literature. No philosophy. Nothing juicy in the science section. Nothing to tickle the mind at all. Nothing but the most bland uninspired dross and badly organised at that. If your idea of a valuable community library is a noisy cafe where one can drink coffee in front of screens whilst chatting to people with no better options than to spend time in your company then this might be the place for you. If on the other hand your idea of a valuable community library is a tranquil sanctuary of knowledge where one can have their mind stimulated to a lust of learning by the finest minds and writers of history; then Marrickville Library can only be described as a paragon of the decay of the western mind and its vision of the future. The head librarian for this 2021 interpretation of an internet cafe should hang their head in shame and ask themselves the question, what is the purpose of a community library?

Walked by this building several times without knowing it was the state library. Impressed with the…read morediverse the collection. Part, museum, and multiple changing galleries. They also have a modern wing. Welcoming atmosphere, at the historical building with a warm hearty greeting. Close to the Royal botanic Gardens,

Quality/Quantity - Well if you are following, we visit all…read morethe local libraries during our travels. Great place to take a break. It is clean, has AC, bathrooms, wifi, etc. Atmosphere - Open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm. The lobby hours differ, see picture. 5 stories, 6 if you count the lobby, see picture of directory. Cool lobby decor, especially the glass floors of Sydney Harbor. Some history and art are also in the lobby. Plenty of comfortable seating throughout. Cool garden, exhibit, etc. A cafe on the 5th floor, but I think it was closed today. Not sure what time we arrived. I'm told they used to have a bar here. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Thank you for such a good public service.

Strathfield library at Homebush is a new architecturally designed building with glass windows and…read morehigh ceilings. Strathfield being an old suburb, I didn't expect the library to be modern. Clearly the council has recognised libraries being an important part of culture and have upgraded the place to the latest standards. The collection is quite extensive. They offer books, audiobooks (my favourite to take on long drives) movie dvd's, magazines, newspapers, and so much more. They offer books in other foreign languages too, to cater to the growing asian population in Sydney. Justice of Peace (JP) services are also offered in the library on wednesdays. The library offers various community incentives to use and take home. They provided a Car Accident Checksheet long back and more recently are offering a Home Power usage metre to borrow.

Free wi-fi, couple quite study rooms. You can come and study or read in there as well. Have space…read morefor kids to play too.

Newtown library is a little gem, hidden away in a historic building on Brown street near the 7-11,…read moreit has a larger selection than you would expect. It's conveniently located as I work just around the corner at R&W Newtown Real Estate, so I often pop in to check out an investment or architecture book. There's a fair bit of fiction, a relatively small amount on investment and business (compared to some larger libraries such as Chatswood, Hurstville, etc), a surprisingly large amount on architecture and DIY homecare, and unsurprisingly (for Newtown) a lot of spirituality, philosophy, arts etc. There is also a seperate large looking 'Women's Library' which I haven't ventured into yet but which has different community events regularly.

Newtown library is one of the better local public libraries I've been to before. Unlike most…read morelibraries that have an outdated collection of books and a small, usually conservative range of topics to choose from, Newtown has a good sized collection of books on a wider range of contemporary issues and topics than most public libraries. I like going there to browse the books on music, spirituality and graphic novels as well as to hire DVDs. You can also hire a computer to use the net here too, which is handy and means you can save on all those dollars spent at the internet cafe.

I come here every three weeks because I can borrow Japanese books, magazines, comic books ( I…read moreborrow only Shigeru Mizuki's such as Gegege No Kitaro) and language text books/CDs. This library is in the great location. It's just in front of Circular Quay Station and Bus Terminals, plus very close to my work place. Free wifi Toilet locates in the 1st floor Very lovely and trendy restaurant

Is life in the Eastern Subbsies getting you down? The constant pressure to look good and feel great…read morebecoming more than you can bare? Maybe you're just sick of floppy felt hats and high-waisted jorts. Fret not, friend, for there is an oasis of calm within reach. Perched above secluded Redleaf beach (AKA Murray Rose Pool) like a wise and paternal owl is DB Library, a small, charming, and utterly delightful little place in an old heritage/style building with views over the gardens and the ocean, fast, free wi-fi, books and magazines, open, light-splashed group work areas, and nooks to hide yourself in. Frequented by everyone from octeganarians familiarising themselves with the internet to students working on uni projects to yummy mummies planning out their next blog post. My finest find this month.

Beautiful view of the public garden, bay, and tennis court. Plenty of lighting with…read morefloor-to-ceiling windows at the end of the library with adjustable curtains for when the sun is shining a little too directly into the library. Rather limited seating, as this place is surprisingly popular. Only two worktables and another small table with 4 public computers with internet for public use. Unprotected, free WiFi available. I also appreciate how they maintain a warm, comfortable temperature inside (especially during winter!). While there are decorative and inviting cushions scattered throughout the small library, there are no real comfy lounge chairs to enjoy a book. Best to come here to grab a book and do work, but not really to lounge. There is a separate children's library downstairs as well. Nice way to keep working/studying adults & children apart.