Good range of books, very modern building, also with wheelchair access and excellent parking.read more

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.

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.

Fantastic library based in the civic centre - easy to access from town. Is absolutely huge, with…read moreamazing selection of books, and I think around 50+ computers with internet access. Has reference library downstairs with rows and rows of desks surrounded by books, directories and so on. Also has wide range of magazines and trade directories that you can look through. Just next door is an art gallery and a cafe which does lovely food in a really attractive environment. It also has a small gift shop where you can buy artist's work from as well as stationery, cards etc.

A good library in town with many books, papers, magazines, cds and films. They have computers that…read moreyou can use to access the internet and there is normally a queue to use these. The library is located inside the civic centre and is quite big on three floors.

This is quite a large modern-looking library situated above the Podium shopping centre in Bath…read more The library is in an attractive Bath Stone Building with large plate glass windows. The library also hosts events, for example local authors visiting to talk about their latest novels.

I've been disappointed with the choice of books here on a number of occasions. The study area is…read moregood but it's used by so many loud students that it makes it difficult to work here. The staff deal with it, but the students keep up their behaviour. It's frustrating. Lots of space and not many books. I hope they get lots of funding! I really like the staff here. :D I love the online renewal system.

Salisbury Library is the hub of the City with all the information you could need under one roof…read more They have an information point run by the Council where you can make enquiry's. There is a large reference library with lots of room to study, an art gallery, a library full of Dvd's to rent and Cd's. One of the best Children's sections i have ever seen and lots of computers for you to use to surf the net too! You couldnt ask for more!

This is a fantastic library! It is incredibly (well from my experience of libraries) high tech, the…read morestaff are welcoming, and it has regular rhyme times (every first Tuesday of the month, then the next Wednesday, then Tuesday - it resets at the start of the month - er, see below) and story times. Today we went to a Sunday Funday, and it was great fun - fire engines, policemen, flower arranging, clay modelling, embroidery... My only negative would be: Why can't Rhyme Time just be every Tuesday (or Wednesday)? I've had a few texts from fellow mums saying Are you going to rhymetime tomorrow? on a Tuesday, when the Rhyme Time was on that Tuesday. Generally it is a fantastic library. PS They also lend books and DVDs and stuff!

I must admit I was a fan of the traditional old library based around a 10 minute walk away from…read morethis new, high tech, expensive new build but the lure of fiction has never stopped me exploring this new location. The staff within the library are reasonably well trained, some more than others, and they are welcoming and polite. I'm not a member of the library as I hate to return books I've throughly enjoyed but I do use the library for other research and entertainment purposes. Reasonably well stocked (as much as any library can be), books are displayed neatly and in order (well most of the time anyway!).

Bournemouth Library is the best library in Bournemouth to visit for choice! it has a huge range of…read morebooks on two floors. Upstairs is mostly musical books, good range of cds to hire out, there is even a piano you can play on with headphones. there is a lift for disabled access. Downstairs has a huge film section, along with a really nice kiddies section. There is plenty of books on all topics and plenty of space to study with many computers. It is also good that they have (very clean) toilets - so you can spend quite a while here without leaving. Its a shame they dont have a cafe, the cafe below has now closed which is a shame :( Generally everything is laid outwell and the windows give the place lots of light which is nice. The staff are polite and helpful. Rated 5/5

I love the new library, its very spacious, has so many books and resources and the kids part is…read moremassive and contains toys and things for your kids to do, I used to come for an hour or so and let my son play.

Woking Library is a large branch of Surrey County Libraries, and is a very spacious and pleasant…read moreplace to browse for books. The atmosphere is usually quiet and peaceful. There is a good selection of books; mostly fiction, but there is also a decent non fiction area, a section for teenage fiction and a children's area with child suitable comfy chairs and tables for reading. The computer facilities are also good, with many stations found around the library, some seated, some standing. All have access to the internet, and to the library catalogue. Library sales also often have some good bargains of books still in reasonable condition. The layout of the library can be be seen as quite confusing as the genres of books are grouped broadly, and then alphabetically within these sections, but if you are looking for a specific book this means it can take quite a long time to find if you're uncertain exactly which section it is in.

If you need to search newspapers,periodicals or browse free internet , th best place to do this is…read moreWoking Library. Lots of Computers are available to search the stock and accssing internet access They have kids Storey time sessisons on a weekly basis