What an amazing and historic landmark! I would recommend anyone tour through the Library. The…read morearchitecture is beautiful and the rare manuscripts and artifacts they house are incredible. They are having a special display of one of Shakespeare's plays, one of the oldest New Testaments, even artifacts from King Nebuchadnezzar's palace. They will all be on display which will be quite amazing to see. This is a must see in Manchester! Truly amazing how it has stood the test of time.

Love spending time in libraries while on holiday (vacation) Stunning late-Victorian neo-Gothic…read morelibrary , John Rylands Library opened at the turn of the 20th century and is a gorgeous remnant of Manchester. Potter-heads would appreciate the look and feel inside the library is inspired the design for Hogwarts. I'm not sure if the Factory Records exhibit is still on display, but I'm a huge fan of Factory Records bands (ie. New Order, Joy Division, Happy Mondays etc.) and bands that came out of Manchester, the Smiths, James, Buzzcocks, The Fall to name few. It was an experience seeing original handwritten lyrics, instruments played, old punk zines, photos and badges on display.

I've genuinely never left a bad review in my life, but the experience I had at Manchester Central…read morewas beyond disappointing. I came in to print a few pages and was incredibly polite the entire time--even when things kept going wrong. The papers kept coming out incorrectly, but I stayed calm and asked nicely if they could be reprinted. At no point was I rude or demanding. Eventually, the price on the screen didn't match what it should've been, but I even said I'd just pay the higher price to avoid causing trouble. After paying, one of my documents printed completely wrong--an A3 image came out as A2 on an A3 paper, with no visible writing. I pointed it out and explained that I wouldn't pay again for a print that was clearly incorrect. This clearly upset the ginger receptionist at the bottom front desk, who suddenly told me (in a very rude and dismissive tone) to not come to her anymore and that I should take out cash and print everything myself. Even then, I told her it was fine--I actually felt bad for making her print something I didn't pay for, even though it was their machine's error. But on my way back to my seat, I overheard her talking about me to another receptionist, and when I showed the incorrect printout again, another staff member (with shorter hair) said it was my fault. I've never been treated with such disrespect by people in a public service role. You'd expect librarians to be kind, helpful, and professional--but what I experienced was the opposite. I walked out feeling embarrassed and uncomfortable, despite being nothing but polite and patient throughout. Absolutely shameful service.

If you're a Manchester resident, whether that be from one of the boroughs of the city, like me who…read moremight have their own unaffiliated library chain, the Manchester Central Library certainly makes it worthwhile to be apart of Manchester City Council's Library programme, which is by far the best library service overall in the Greater Manchester region by availability of the newest books and even individual library locations, like this one. Manchester Central Library is a huge, stunning old building which was recently renovated in 2014 in Manchester city centre, it is just off Deansgate via Peter Street in St Peter's Square meaning it is also close to John Ryland's Library (which has actually been reviewed more on Yelp!) The location basically opposite a branch of Starbucks as well as The Midland Hotel and the Radisson Blu Edwardian, the latter is part of the exclusive few places to actually have warranted a perfect five-star rating from me (and the only accredited 5* hotel in the city centre) The City Library is on the lower floor, but that doesn't mean the rest of the building is left empty - the ground floor features a Cafe which is reasonably priced as well as a cool archive space, which although to the back of the library could be laid out better, it still is a rather nice exhibit. There are some tables and computers making it a decent place to work, obviously with the benefit, you don't have to buy a drink with it being a library building. It was actually built in 1930 here, taking four years to complete and that same length of time was spent on the renovations between 2010 and 2014 and part of the design is based from the Pantheon, Rome, meaning walking into it, it feels like a fancy old building, it reminds me of a typical Apple Store which in large cities are often located in these big, impressive, historic buildings - think of London, Berlin etc. A pretty cool place to spend time without looking to spend too much in the city - although there are some areas of improvement such as the layout and how welcoming certain parts are (certain parts appear derelict), more charging points and helpful staff is always a bonus! 4*

It's the big lunch at 'The Place ' Fallowfield Library, this was a really relaxed event…read morecelebrating the UK's Big Lunch, which brings people together to share food, and chat Everyone brings a contribution of food to share with others. There was curry, chili, Greek salad , sausages, cheeses pie, rice a selection of salads. Home made cakes. Smoothie making for the children , and cherries galore . This was a social event bringing people in the community together. A couple of years ago the Library was on the government closure list . Now with the hard work of Lill Lockham and a Hughe group of volunteers they have managed to keep it open. The venue brings the local Community together. With a 10 p book sale on Saturdays, after school Club twice a week. They run an art class which is open to everyone, lots of personal help and advice sessions. All in all a great place to spend a Saturday afternoon with the kids or just pop along for a coffee maybe but a book or two, if you have any books you know longer want then why not donate them.

I am sure we all have had one of those blah days which suddenly get very exciting with a new…read morediscovery...I had one of those days last week when I dropped my very close friend at the train station (was a little sad, emotional cow that I am) and then met a friend who was walking home with me just to point out this incredible library. Its located right above the pub Bank (I used to call it 'The Old Man's Pub') which is very close to Piccadilly Gardens. The minute he pointed out I wanted to go in and see what it is like. The most interesting entrance ever, because we had to ring the door bell (very old English style bell) to enter. Very Cool and Very British. The moment I walked in I felt like I am in a Sherlock Holmes movie.. yeah its Grand and so mysterious. This is a 19th century library, with books from the late 18th century (whoa) and a little fun fact the librarian told us ... John Dalton wanted a membership here which he could not afford so he was asked to clean the grand clock (which btw was made by the same chap who made the clock for Big Ben) instead of paying the membership fee! How awesome is that? This used to be the hub for the rich and the famous once upon a time but sadly not many people know about it now and barely a few visit. *sigh*. The space inside is incredible and perfect for art exhibitions and guess what they actually do have quite a few of those. There are book reading sessions here too, so next time you complain about not finding a good place to do such cultural stuff, you know where to go! The membership fee here is as low as 175 pounds for the whole year and you get to access every book and much more... Verdict : *Phew* I am totally bowled and sold! Can't wait to go back again!

This place is my little escape from the city, a step back to times of tail coats and top hats…read more. perhaps even a monocle or two! The library sits on top of the bank pub (once upon a time the entire building was a library but the library now rent the downstairs out to the pub to help fund the restoration of the antique books they house upstairs). Anyone can visit the library, there's a little black door around the side, you need to ring the buzzer and wait to be let in. There's an art gallery and café that is open to the general public but only members can actually read/borrow the books and there's a members lounge at the back that is AMAZING, please see attached picture. The interior is stunning, ask the staff to give you a free guided tour and they'll explain all the features, the wind dial and various coats of arms to you. I find this place so comforting. I love tucking up in one of the huge leather armchairs reading one of the many glorious books, wondering who else much have cast their eyes over the same words in times gone by. Membership is around £110 (cheaper for concessions) a month and members can take their guests in to the members room. You can order lunch/drinks and enjoy them in the room too. FUN FACT: the oldest post box in Manchester, which happens to be Victorian is located just outside the bank pub, it's still in use and bears Queen Victoria's coat of arms.

This really is one of the prettiest buildings in Didsbury, and though it is less impressive than…read morethe Central Library, and less architecturally detailed than the old John Rylands Library on Deansgate, it is my favourite in all of Manchestershire! Back in my Didsbury days, I'd spend a lot of time in Art of Tea, reading. Of course I soon discovered that that was about as good for my pocket as, well, a not very good thing. At this point I decided to have library days in Didsbury Library. In that time I read Demons by Dostoevsky, and as I was a starving intellectual at the time (in that I ate beans from Aldi, and read Dostoevsky books in the library because the house I was squatting in was too cold, even in August) I found it all very romantic and whatnot. Anyway, digressions and questions about the validity of my intellectual aspirations aside, this library is great. Perhaps it's a Didsbury thing, but it's lovely and quiet in here. The little banks of computers are lined with bowed heads diligently beavering away on the job sites, and the staff don't talk above a whisper (unlike in Central Library, where one of them practically bellows!) The layout inside is lovely too, with books set out on loooooong shelf units that take into account the sweeping wide space of the interior. It is a truly lovely place to while away an afternoon, and they have several regular events too: - Coffee Morning, every second Friday 10-12noon - Councillor's Surgery, every second and fourth Saturday, 10:30-11am for East Didsbury Ward, and every first, third and fifth Saturday, 10:30-11am for West. - MP surgery, second Friday of the month 3:30pm-4:30pm - Reading Group, fourth Tuesday of the month, 10:30-12noon - Tiny Tots and Toddler Time, Mondays 2-2:30pm (term time only) - Bookstart Baby Club, every other Wednesday, call library for times of sessions. That's all folks, a lovely library that, as you can see, really takes its role in the community seriously.

This is a great little library set back from the main road in its own (very small!) grounds…read more Although miniscule in size, the building - designed by Henry Price in 1915 - has lofty aspirations and looks more like a church than a place to pick up books. Considering the size of the place, Didsbury Library has lots to offer. And not just books! There's a pretty comprehensive DVD rental library, after-school homework clubs and computers offering free Internet access. The community noticeboard in the foyer is also good for finding out useful bits of information, from the dates and times of local MPs surgeries to knitting groups, guitar lessons and much more. Open every day until at least 5pm (apart from Wednesday and Sunday), Didsbury Library is always there when you need it. It provides a really important service to the whole community.

As part of the Manchester Histories Festival, Chetham's Library was open to the public for a day. I…read moretook the opportunity to sneak into this hidden gem and was overwhelmed at just how spectacular the library is. You feel like Harry Potter as you walk up the stairs into the half-timbered library space. It is dark, creaky and full of beautiful old wooden shelves. It is one of those spaces that takes your breath away, particularly as it is so beautifully hidden in Manchester city centre. It is worth organising to visit this wonderful space and to walk amongst the beautiful old books in the school's collection. Manchester is lucky to have a library like this - go and appreciate its beauty.

I love it in here. I'm a fan of the smell of old books no matter how much some people in here turn…read moretheir noses up and say it has the perfume of old people. It holds the feeling of how you'd imagine the restricted section of Hogwarts. Free to enter, check in with security, it has allotted times now where you can head in. As the oldest public library in the UK, and all those lovely beams- it's worth a look around.

The layout of this library is pretty similar to that of Chorlton Library and Didsbury Library - the…read moreonly thing that struck me about this library were the signs warning customers that thieves are in operation in the library. They were especially abundant in the wonderful little area where children can read and play. This upset me, as it was not something I had to worry about on my weekly trips to the library as a kid. So be careful. As it is a Manchester library, you can use the same library card as the Central Library and the other aforementioned libraries and expect the same facilities, eg one hour's free Internet use per day (although there are not as many PCs as in Chorlton Library so be prepared to wait). The library is generally quiet, but not silent, so it's a good place to work if you can no longer stand your housemates' music or you find yourself getting distracted by the Jeremy Kyle show, and you can't be bothered to trek to the University library or into town. In the entrance there is also a useful selection of leaflets about events and goings on at local theatres and museums, and a board which is generally used to advertise English/Spanish/guitar lessons.

I love the architecture of Withington Library alone never mind the mind altering contents…read more In fact this building was designed by Manchester's first city architect (Henry Price) who also designed Manchester's famous Victoria baths as well as Didsbury library a few miles down the road. I couldn't begin to describe it's true style, but it's frontage at least harks back to the classic Roman/Greek style (of course not on the scale of Manchester's main library). It has recently reopened after a 3 month refurbishment although, and perhaps rightly so, they haven't really done a great deal to it bar restore it's natural charm. If you look up as you enter the building you'll be treated to a wonderful glass dome above your head: in fact I've only just discovered this so whether it was 'reanimated' during it's recent clean up I'm not entirely sure. Inside they have an extensive section of computing; a large children's area; books available in many, many languages e.g. Arabic, Bengali, French, Gujarati, Persian, Polish, Chineseand others, easily creating for the area's large cross section of society. There is also a good computer suite (always busy!) for accessing the net and studying should you need to. I tend to hire my Murakami books here and if they don't stock the title you're after they'll take your details and order it in for you. As it happens a guy who works there is fellow Murakami fan so he's gotten most of his back catalogue for me. Alongside the books they have a fairly extensive music collection (mainly CD) and DVD & Video's again they'll order in anything you require (within reason : ) ). I found a bit of Philip Glass and Brain Dance electronica, next to the likes of Bach, Hip Hop and Sade (she always finds her way into libraries doesn't she?). I might even take up the offer of ordering in Lost which I gave up on Sky last yearif there's a cultural drought on I may just pop into the library and hire for a few weeks. Open till 8 most nights of the week but closes early afternoon on Thursday. There is a book reading group, a MP's surgery and various coffee mornings held there too.