Offering a quiet, pleasantly spacious environment and a much broader range of books than its…read moreBoldmere, Kingstanding and Perry Common equivalents, this friendly public library is, in my opinion, one of the best in North Birmingham. The atmosphere inside is very relaxed, the staff are very helpful and the library's children's section is impressively large. A wide selection of large-print books and CDs are available (you don't see this often in a library!) and the genre-categorised aisles are wide and easy to browse. IT facilities aren't exactly brilliant and you're likely to have to wait around a while to gain access to one of the few computers dotted around, but state-of-the-art self-service machines cut down queues a s staff are very friendly.

I have always been able to go to the library and get both help and information whenever it was…read moreneeded the staff are so helpful and friendly and always do their very best to help and advise. Erdington would be a much deprived place without the library.

Such a refreshing change, a local library that really is part of the community. Different areas…read morewith different things on offer including computers, children's library (including play area), cafe, even comfortable sofas for relaxing with friends or a good book. The upper floor offers a large community room that can be hired even out of library hours. The staff go out of their way to be friendly and helpful. Oh yes, and it's all housed in a unique building. Must be visited. =^..^=

A crashed computer sent me over to this public library for the first time since my school days…read more Without access to the internet, and feeling a bit lost, the staff here were brilliant in explaining how the system works. You'll need to be a registered member of Birmingham Libraries first, but once you are, the staff can set you up with access details and then it's as easy as 1,2,3. Be warned - there are time limits to your browsing, but if you just want to check your emails or do a little bit of research then this is perfect. Situated by a huge car park, the convenience is second to none. It's also perfectly accessible from Four Oaks train station. The library also houses an impressive selection of books, audio-books and DVDs to hire. There are also plenty of chairs dotted round in case you just can't wait to start reading your book before you get it home. They also have a small section of books for sale for those reads that are just too good to give back!

In comparison to Kingstanding and Perry Common Library, both of which are just 10 minutes or so…read moreaway by car, this limited local Library is small and a dated, with a somewhat disappointing selection of books. Only a handful of computers are available inside for public use and the shelves, tables and chairs all look as if they've seen better days. The staff are friendly enough and always willing to help when prompted, but queues build up very quickly and the library can feel remarkably claustrophobic once it gets busy. Parking is very limited on the street outside an on the inside, there's a strange smell which renders the whole atmosphere oddly unpleasant. All in all, this friendly local library is handy to have in your local vicinty, but if you're after computer hire or a rare or unusual book, you'd be better off to taking a trip to Kingstanding or Perry Common.

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.

I used to visit this library often during my years at secondary school but have visited less…read morefrequently since. The childrens section is really nice and welcoming with a massive variety of books to choose from. There are also computer facilities available for the children to use for homework etc. In comparison, the adult section is rather dull with row upon row of books.

The library is useful for its diverse educational resources and them at no cost at all to use,…read moreincluding cds, films, dvds, books etc There is a section of computers by the entrance isle which run for 15 minutes before becoming vacant to be used by others but there are other computers round the corner from them that can be used for longer usage.

Castle Vale is the area of Birmingham that, when mentioned, causes most Birmingham residents no…read moresmall amount of dismay. For years, it was a slum filled with council houses and chavy types, haven of drug crime, murder and seemingly without a hope. But about 5 years ago, the government targeted it as a place that definitely needed renovation and help before it got even worse. They poured millions of pounds into it for development and rebuilding. And, if you were to walk along a street in Castle Vale now, you would never know of its scarred past. Castle Vale Library, located along the 200 yard stretch of Castle Vale's "High Street", is part of that redevelopment and improvement. It is a very small library, with limited resources (Castle Vale is one small district in a very large city), but the librarians have done their best with those resources. Spitfire House, in which the library occupies the ground floor, is a clean, modern building made of metal and glass and with a nice, spacious open plan. Their collection of books isn't great, but for such a small library, it's vaster than expected, with a few surprising finds. The librarians are a bit frosty, and seem a bit condescending, which is why I've given the place three stars. The service could be much better. Yes, I understand you're government employees, and we are not paying customers as such, but pleases and thank yous go a long way to providing service that echoes the lovely, bright architecture.

A bright, spacious local library on Weoley Castle Square, Weoley Castle library offers books, DVD's…read moreand CD's to listen to and hire, plus a good range of local history and more. Based across two floors, the library offers a dozen or so Internet connected workstations for use by the public, but sadly doesn't offer Wi-Fi. Never the less, I find upstairs in the library a good place to sit quietly and get on with research and other work on my laptop. The staff are friendly and helpful, and there is often themed displays drawing attention to specific books. For instance, when The Hobbit movie was released the library had a section on JRR Tolkien including a collage of facts and artwork. As local libraries go, Weoley Castle Library is bright and modern and a welcome place to visit on Weoley Castle Square!

Weoley Castle Library doesn't provide much facilities in the areas that I am interested in but the…read moredo however provide books and access to information and novels of various genres and topics which I will happily get myself lost in. If they don't provide what you are looking for you can always ask and enquire with a member of staff about the books and items that are in your search criteria and they will pleasantly assist you with ordering the books from other libraries across Birmingham and they will notify and let you know when you can expect the arrival of your item and when to pick it up. The librarians, volunteer workers and members of staff are all very helpful, warming and inviting and they don't hesitate in any way to assist you and your local library experience.