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!

Part of the Whitehorse-Manningham collection of libraries, the Pines library is unique in that it…read moreis located as part of The Pines shopping complex. The magazine area in this branch is fabulous, light filled space with big tables and well spaced magazine displays perfect to wile away hours catching up on the latest fashion and home décor trends. The rest of the library could do with a face lift. The busy space is a little...tired. There is a small children's area to one side and the quiet study area is facilitated by one, yes one power outlet for laptops. The wifi is fast though! There is plenty of parking and a great bus link. A comfortable library and the perfect place to break up your shopping trip!

You'll need to reserve any popular book club type books waaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyy in advance…read more The people of Port Phillip are a literary lot and often you will notice that there are 20+ people on the reserve waiting list ahead of you. A quiet library with all of the usual services. I have never had to line up and staff are efficient, albeit not overly cheery. It's disappointing that the library is closed on Sundays. Two handy services are: 1. The book recycling bins - where your pre loved books can be donated to benefit others 2. Battery disposal units - dispose of your used batteries in the enviro friendly way

This library is part of Yarra Plenty Regional Library which means once you join you will have…read moreaccess to 8 libraries worth of cataloge! Yes, get excited! You will have access to all the free events the library likes to organize which is also an awesome reason to join up. Thomastown is a much smaller and quieter sister library to nearby Lalor, so if you want a bit of shhhh head on over. Thomastown also have a computer lab which means your more likely to get a turn on the public computers. The staff are great and happy to help you with any questions from where is the nearest bottle-shop to what is the meaning of quantum physics. Give this place a miss on weekends. For one, its only open for three hours on Saturday and secondly the car park and surrounding area will be buzzing with Saturday sport activities. Lots of parking and a location next to the new Thomastown Leisure Centre makes it a handy place to stop of to satisfy your library craving.

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!

I strongly believe the Maribyrnong Library is the best because they have enjoyable books and nice…read morestories. It's also quiet and it's really nice and has all kinds of books . Lastly the staff are really wonderful because they have good service and they help you when you need help. You should definitely visit Maribyrnong Library. Written by FI - aged 8

This library is situated right next to the Mt Waverley Train station, making it extremely…read moreaccessible and easy to get to. I enjoy coming to this library, there is a good selection of books on offer- and they are usually where they're supposed to be. This library is has a relatively open plan layout in comparison to other libraries I've been to. The study area is visible from the second you walk inside, desks are placed side by side to maximize space and private study rooms may be booked (2 people per room). There are a few computers here that can also be booked, but these tend to get pretty busy during afterschool hours. This is a simple library that is quiet most of the time, I tend to avoid 3:30-5:00pm as there are usually kids who run about making loud noises. Overall this is a good simple library, nothing extravagantly good or bad about the place. Just your basic local library.

Mount Waverley Library has updated a little in the last 10 years. A coat of paint, newer computers,…read moreand leather-look seats. Very nice. The library is small, but often full of people coming in to read the paper, use the computers, or even just relax on their lunch break. It's very friendly and peaceful, far more so, I think, than it's partner Glen Waverley. This is the one to go for for the children's section. The junior books section (ranging from learning to read to teenage novels) takes up half the library. Mount Waverley also boasts a very good audiobook section for those of you who like to "read" while driving.

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!