The Bodleian Library is the main library for Oxford University. It is the second largest libray in…read moreEngland - second only to the British Library. Unfortunately it is is closed on Sunday which was our only day in Oxford. Consequently we weren't able to see the inside or take a tour of the library and got to see the exterior only. The architecture is magnificant and even the exterior is worth seeing.

What an amazing experience! We had a tour of the Bodleian Libraries, and it was by far the…read morehighlight of our trip to Oxford. The rich history of the library was captivating, and the stunning architecture of the buildings was not to miss. Natasha, our tour guide, was an absolute gem! She guided us through the majestic halls and took us behind the scenes, explaining the lavish history along the way, always with a warm smile. Her enthusiasm for the library was palpable, and her extensive knowledge made the tour even more fascinating. One of the highlights was seeing the Duke Humfrey's library. Such a beautiful and historic building with crests of the University of Oxford covering the ceiling, and Kings, Queens, and Bishops along the aisles. The Radcliffe Camera and The Divinity Schools were not to miss as well. I highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Oxford.

A good, well stocked central library. Has a reference section with many current UK and…read moreInternational newspapers and journals, all up to date. Has a number of drop-in 15minute computers as well as about 8, 1 hour internet access computers that you have to sit and wait for until someone finishes. If your in Oxford and need internet access its worth popping in. The usual array of books, photocopying, fax,audio/video and reference materials that youd expect from main city library.

This was my childhood haunt and now I am back 20 years later and it's almost exactly the same (the…read morechildren's library has shrunk though, surely? or am I just taller?). Friendly and efficient reception staff got me registered and carded in a flash and off I was browsing the shelves. Fiction is good, and the music library rivals the Westminster Music Library (the UK gold standard I think) but not a massive number of non-fiction books in each category. Still, if you're after a specialist subject you'll probably be going to a specialist library, won't you?

A private club, so be prepared to find a member to gain entry…read more The Union is an icon in British culture. A center of debate and public discourse, you should really try to catch a debate if you are in Oxford during term. The member's bar is an excellent perk and serves a sparse, but nice lunch during weekdays. I'm writing this review from the free wireless service, which is another nice feature (though it works better from the libraries than the bar.) Snooker tables upstairs add a nice bonus to the typical bar scene in Oxford. The Union has become my haven when I am in the busy streets of downtown Oxford. The leather seats in the bar and the relatively quiet atmosphere during the day make it a great place to relax and get work done, or bring others for a discussion or meeting. You will find yourself surrounded mostly by undergraduates, followed by a healthy mix of post-grads and faculty. The debates are similar demographics, and tend to feature diametrically opposed parties. These are not always the best debates as they often pitch opposing ideologies and simply bash assumptions against each other rather than focus on the logical systems each side is using. The student debates before the formal debates tend to hold more fine points of discussion and a bit of humor. Both are worth going to, however, and some are more compelling than others. All in all, I think the Oxford Union deserves its iconic status, and if you can, you really should make an effort to experience it. Members can bring guests for a £3 entry fee. If you are affiliated with the university, and eligible for membership, you can only be a guest 3 times before you are asked to buy your own membership.

The world-famous Oxford Union is rightly proud of its library. Of course, Oxford is full of…read morelibraries crammed with rare copies, beautiful interiors and terrifyingly intelligent academics. This fits the mould, but is a healthy mixtures of generally artsy books. In keeping with the general theme of the union, it's well-loved by law and politics students, although there's something for most subjects. It's one of the biggest libraries where you can borrow books (as opposed to sit in there and read them) in Oxford, but its use is limited to members of the Union, for which it is necessary to pay over £100. There's also a decent collection of fiction, which can be a bit lacking in college libraries. It's got books written in the past few years. The travel guides are particularly useful, although quickly outdated, as are the magazines and newspapers. They're generally quite serious magazines (although FHM has been known to make an appearancE) - more the Economist and New Scientist than Heat or Hello, and much cheaper than buying one which you'll read once. If you're not a member of the Union or the Union Society, you can still visit the library for £1.50 and it's well worth doing so to see the Pre-Raphaelite murals (1857-9) painted by Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and William Morris. They're all quite dramatic and mostly related to the legends of King Arthur. Don't forget to look up at the ceiling!

A really nice local library. Plenty of stock, in a lovely old building. Childrens library section…read moreis a treat (if you have kids) as it has a wide range of books for all ages and is great to find new authors. Also the older ones can entertain themselves on the computers whilst you read to the younger ones. Good range of DVDs, and an eclectic non-fiction section which I love browsing. Really handy to pop into, and a great excuse to wander through lovely Bury Knowle Park.

Westcroft library is very small and so if you're looking for a specific thing, go to CMK library or…read moreorder it in. However if you're just looking for what ever takes your fancy, then it's a great place to go. It is nice and quiet plus they have some computers there, so it's an excellent place to work or study and you can pop to the Morrison's for some lunch. The staff are nice and friendly too. They have a photocopier there and they can reserve and order in books (for a small fee). It also a nice place to take your children and get them into reading.

Westcroft library used to be me and my sisters favourite place to go and visit when we were…read moreyounger, yes it is quite strange that this was our optional place to go but we really did love it. We would sit in there practically for hours on end reading books, we practically begged our mum to go down there with us so she could let us join the library, she eventually agreed. We would usually get the maximum amount of books out that we were allowed and weirdly enough read them all before the week was up. They have a little table where we would occasionally sit and do our home work. You could loan books, magazines, baby toys and video tapes (probably DVD's now as well). I remember the staff always being really friendly.

We were on a guided walking tour of Oxford. The city of Oxford is demonated by Oxford University…read morewhich is actually comprised of 41 separate colleges and it dates back to around 1096. Some of the buildings are open to the public - some are not. We were there on a Sunday and most were not. I was happy to be on a guided walking tour with a tour guide who was knowledgeable about the university. I would highly encourage a guided tour if you have the time. This is a beautiful campus/city and there is a wealth of history attached to both the city and the university. This was definitely worth the trip from London where we were staying.

Quality/Quantity - Wanted to take a break from all that tourist stuff, so we decided to visit…read moreOxford University. Did not realize that they had so many "schools" here. We tried to find the main campus, but struggled. Was it because we came on a Saturday? Or because we came after all the students already started summer break a few weeks ago. My wife was happy to come during the break; I prefer visiting during the school year to see the liveliness. Overall, we had a good time visiting as many of their schools, libraries, campuses, churches, etc. as possible. Was not surprised that this place was so touristy; schools make so much additional $$ giving paid tours and/or charging admissions to enter. Also, we were fortunate enough to have visited when the museum sponsored a free event for the kids, see pictures. Lastly, I took a nice local beer break in one of their libraries. So cool to be able to have a beer in a library, might be a first for me. Back in my college days, we had to go to the student union pub. Atmosphere - Beautiful, cool, and historic. Schools spread out over a few mile radius, so be prepared to walk if you want to visit. We grabbed a hop on hop off map as a guide of places to visit, see picture. Service - Good. Price - Depends on which schools tour and admission costs. A few, very few, campuses were free. Owner Comment - Great town to visit, nice break from London. I suggest visiting during the school year.

Very friendly staff helped me join the library, which I'm permitted to do because I have a local…read moreaddress and brought my water bill. Very nice selection of books and other materials. There's also a good sized children's area and they have a weekly "storytime" at this branch and others. The 'toy library' is an interesting idea I haven't seen at other libraries. Books are, of course, free. The library's selection of audiovisual materals, including videos and DVD's are not. For these, there is a lending charge of £1.60 for the former and £2.60 for the latter. The library offers quite a few activities and services for adults as well, including author events (a local 'action' author was being advertised while I was there), coffee mornings and a number of book groups. The library's computers are free to use and the welcome packet mentions that they can arrange free delivery for those who might be house-bound. I was able to quickly find two books that interested me - the Science Fiction section is medium size and the regular Fiction looks good too.

Reading central library is a great credit to Reading Borough Council…read more It offers so many services. I will list some of them here: Book loans, music loans,DVD loans, toy loans for children, internet access, newspapers and magazines (to read in the library), job searching, children and parents' sing-along sessions on Wednesdays and Thursdays in the morning. The library is always busy and has something for everyone. When you join Reading library you can have access to all libraries in the Reading area. Also, if you want to borrow an item that isn't in that branch, you can request it from another branch without having to travel to it. They will then email you when it's in stock.

This is for the house, not the library, as unfortunately we did not have time to see the library…read moreduring this visit (but it is on the list of things to make time for on a future visit). This was our first time visiting a manor house, and it was amazing. From first walking to the end of the driveway/carriageway and seeing the house for the first time, I was enchanted. Everything is so well-preserved and/or restored so as to give a good sense of what it would have been like to have lived there in Jane Austen's time (they do recognize most of their visitors are Jane Austen fans, but really, if you have any interest in English country estates or manor houses, you can appreciate this house's history and beauty). The staff and volunteers are very passionate and knowledgeable, and they will share as little or as much as you want them to. The gardens are also peaceful to walk through, and worth the time. They also have The Old Kitchen Tearoom. We had not had a chance to eat that morning, so were pretty hungry by the time we finished the tour before walking through the gardens or down the road to Jane Austen's house. The tearoom was pleasant, with both indoor and outdoor seating available. It was a nice day, so we sat outside, and the small courtyard that makes up the outdoor seating was beautiful. We had the egg and bacon brioche sandwiches, which perfectly hit the spot and gave us the energy we needed for our future walks that day. In the future, I would just make sure to make Chawton a full day trip. Yes, it is a village and there is not a lot overall, but this house alone offers so much that you really need to give yourself the time to appreciate it. We were there for about 2 hours, but could have easily spent another 1-2 hours depending if we wanted to spend more time in the gardens, see the library, and/or see the church (which we did try to see, but was locked when we visited). Thank you to the Knight family for opening up your property for us to see, and to all those who have ensured over the years that this place is accessible to appreciate!

Just a short walk (five minutes) up a pretty country lane from Jane Austen's cottage in Chawton,…read moreyou will find a stately surprise in the form of a Tudor manor house, built in the 1500's. Chawton House and estate were owned by Jane's wealthy brother. She called it "The Great House". Today it is a working educational site (the Centre for the Study of Early Women's Writing, in partnership with the University of Southampton), yet is open to the public and a must-visit for Austen fans. Chawton House is one of the Knight estates inherited by Edward Austen, who was lucky enough to be adopted by rich relatives in need of an heir. He changed his surname from "Austen" to "Knight." The manor house interior has been beautifully restored. There is a church on the grounds (Jane's mother and sister are buried in the church yard) - and an attached farm. This grand house is probably where Jane spent a lot of time with family when she needed to get away from the cramped cottage. By the way, it's only recently that Chawton House been available for public tours; it has been a private facility for some 20 years. Happily we can now tour both the interior and the gardens. [Note: if you want to see one of the Pemberley-style estates Jane's brother inherited, go to the palatial Godmersham Park in Kent. Jane would have frequented this house, to visit her brother's family, as well. It's not quite Downton Abbey - but almost!] Finally, for Austenites, it's worth noting that Jane is buried inside Winchester Cathedral; and you can see the house where she died, not far from the Cathedral grounds. Winchester is only 15-20 miles from Chawton.

This library is in a lovely old building, next to the Museum and Alfred East Art gallery, both of…read morewhich are worth a visit in their own right. It is a shame it is at the old end of town, which does not get as much footfall as the newer part - I am sure more people would use it if it was in a busier location. Once inside, the library is well stocked and has a very good reference section. The staff are all pleasant, knowledgeable and have mainly been there a long time.

This Library is a biggish Library. Very small carpark outside which is often full but there are two…read morebigger carparks no more than 5 minutes away. Library is also very near to a bus stop,the tourist infomation and toilets. Shops are close by along with cafes and the local swimming pool. The Library has just gone self-service. It has helpfull staff. Along with books you can rent dvds,cds and videos.

this library is well equipped and in the local social history can be found a book called Daddy's…read moreLittle Spy -by isabella rose which gives a clear indication of how witchcraft thrived in Wellingborough during the second world war. Detailed in local newspapers at the time and noting that even Sir Winston Churchill asked the witches for help to prevent Hitler invading England. Despite it being illegal to belong to a pagan religion during wartime. Punishment was imprisonment.

I live in the town centre and use the library quite regularly. There is a fairly good selection of…read morefiction and reference books to find something that will interest you. In addition the staff are polite and helpfull is you need any assistance. The library has very good opening hours, staying open til 19.00 most week days. Only real negative is the internet is £3.00 an hour to use within the library which is not really competitive with other internet cafes locally.