A little library, so doesnt always have the books in that you may need, but they are always happy…read moreto order books in and it normally only takes a few days. The audiobook section is very good,and the rental periods on these are very good, unlike some libraries where they seem to expect you can listen to a book quicker than you can read it! It is located right near to the main free car park in the town centre, and as the whole of sandbach is quite compact it means you can do your shopping and reading all within easy walking distance of your cars. The information point is also good, and better than some towns dedicated information centre!

Lovely, friendly local library. The place isn't massive but you can order in books, etc. and the…read morestaff are very helpful. Check out upstairs where they have a fabulous local history section that you could browse for hours. You can hire DVD's and story CD's too and the choice is excellent. The facilities are clean and welcoming and there are computers that can be hired for use including internet access. The opening hours are really good. They have late night opening and they are also open on a Saturday morning. The main town centre car park is right opposite and it's free so it's easy to get to. They also have a great selection of kids books and on the first Wednesday of every month they have a nursery rhyme and story session for the under 5s one of the staff members even gets his guitar out just lovely!

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 spent the majority of my degree inside these walls, (or so I'd have my tutors believe) and…read morealthough I loathed it, I did grow to feel affectionately towards it. So, the facts... It's been recently refurbished and had a good £20 million spent on it! There are seats for 600 readers and approx. 420 computers (not that you'd think it around exam time...good luck getting a PC unless you're early, that's all I'm saying!) They have loads of bookable private study rooms so that you won't be disturbed and a cafe downstairs to refuel and re-energise with a coffee. The staff are really friendly and exceptionally helpful. The special collections are amazing, have to use gloves to see the first editions and the have some real gems hidden away down there. The stacks down in the basement are rather scary I'm always scared that someone has followed me down and is going to wheel the shelves back together when I'm inside...luckily I'm still here! It's a great environment to study and they also have couches out in the more social and non-silent areas so that you can have group discussions or just a well-earned gossip with a mate! There must be more books than anyone can read in a lifetime in here, but so many great critical works. Get in on the best library for the Arts Ever.* *Possible exaggeration, but I love it! (Yes, I'm a bit of a geek.)

Having spent much of my degree time using the Harold Cohen Library, it was only in the last year or…read moreso, I began to use more of the Sydney Jones Library. Firstly, this was because the Sydney Jones wasn't suited for my subject course and secondly it was located further away from my department. Nevertheless, I preferred the Sydney Jones to the Harold Cohen as it was more spacious and more recently renovated and expanded, now even hosting a cafe. I liked their new computer suites in particular since there wasn't that crammed feel about it compared to the Harold Cohen. Plus, there are comfy sofas available to sit back and relax during a stressful day, usually with a friend or two. I miss it now! Full marks for Sydney Jones; the expansion of the library is really impressive.

I spent many a happy hour here as a child, being as I was, OBSESSED with reading 7 books a week…read more Not sure what happened to me. Probably because I only read boring economics tomes now I've been jaded. I must return and pay my fines sometime.

Widnes Library has a wide range of current, relevant books on offer. Seating is plentiful, and it…read morehas a café which sells cheap tea, coffee, fizzy drinks and food, overlooking an LCD TV. There are crêche facilities avaliable, and regular tuition groups in spanish, guitar and other skills. The childrens library is large, and it is designed specifically for children in mind, with a lots of books, toys and a relevant colour scheme. There are computers on the top and bottom floor, each with a relatively uncensored access to the internet.

Libraries are one of those things in life that tend to get over looked. Ok so its less of a…read moreshopping high than buying shoes for example, but I always get such a trill from a really good book. I can get lost in a book for days, if anybody tries to talk to me while I am reading all they will get out of me is a glare, I should wear a do not disturb sign. The fact that you have to give them back after you have read them doesn't matter as you just go and pick up a new one. Set in a lovely building it has that musty smell that all good libraries do, a mixture of dust and knowledge. I have been going here for months and there are still many titles that I am planning to read. They also have a great service where you can renew you books over the phone; you may never need to pay a fine again. Libraries are also the hub of any community and a really good start for getting involved with the people around you.

I completed my undergrad degree at Greenwich in London and was totally underwhelmed by the…read moreuniversity experience. I wasn't sure what to do next until my friend (and future housemate) asked me to drive him up to Staffordshire University so he could have a look around for his degree. We popped along for an open day and from that point on I never looked back. The reception I got on the open day from the student ambassadors was great. They were very talkative, very friendly and spoke highly of the university. Already, Staffs was one up on Greenwich. Campus wise I was impressed with the student union facilities. The LRV (main nightclub venue) was huge and the Ember Lounge (bar) was also very cozy and atmospheric. Once enrolled on my course I spent many a great night in these venues watching stand up comedy, music and even things like alternative jazz & poetry nights. Facility wise I was bowled over too! At Greenwich I had to put up with inferior media facilities but Staffs had the lot. Industry standard cameras and plenty of them, loads of edit suites so you would have no problem actually getting to use the equipment. If I was to progress in the industry I knew I had to study somewhere like this! I was able to use the equipment whenever I wanted and as a result I now have a really great attention grabbing show reel which has helped me get into the industry. Social wise there was a lot on offer too with nearly 70 different clubs to join. Everything from football/rugby to things like L.A.R.Ping and Ultimate Frisbee. As a result of this I made so many friends that even after my MA I stayed in Stoke to be around the university environment. What is remarkable is that before I came to Staffs I really lacked confidence but I found meeting new people so easy here. Other impressive attributes are the university's own cinema, a 24 hour library, a forensics crime scene house, a smoothie bar and a broadcast studio with TV cameras and radio broadcast rooms. Since finishing my MA here I have taken part in a university based scheme which gives graduates the chance to start thier own business and as of September I will be running my own production company. Living wise Stoke is one of the cheapest places in the country. You get far more for your money here and rent is very cheap. To get ahead in your chosen industry I would highly reccommend Staffs.

I live in Pelsall and when I decided to go to Staffordshire University but the Stoke-on-Trent…read morecampus I couldn't drive and with the commute on the train over an hour, the best choice was for me to go and live at university. Now to get onto the biology course I wanted to do I had to do a two week bridging course so lived at the university for the duration. I lived in the universities housing residence which I loved. There was room enough for five people and the people who I met were fantastic. We all got along apart from with one person who kept themselves to themselves and it was nice being only a few of us as we managed to bond quickly. When I applied to go to university the year later I wanted to stay in these houses as I loved the fact there would only be a few people and the bedrooms were quite big and the living area was lovely. Now I was shocked when I was told a week before I was due to start that I was going to be put in halls because they had made a mistake with my account and all of the houses were full. Like every person about to move into halls I was excited but terrified at the same time and asked myself all the familiar questions. What if they are all horrible? What if I don't get on with them at all? Will my food get stolen? Are they secure? Will it be with all girls or mixed? What floor will I be on? How many toilets will there be? How many showers will there be? Now I will tell all prospective students now just what the halls are like and exactly what to expect from your stay from my personal experiences. - What are they like? The halls of residence at Staffordshire University are pretty much like the majority of universities. They are split into floors and on each floor there is room for around twelve people to live. Everybody has their individual rooms and then there is a shared kitchen and bathroom. Some halls will have a separate living area but for us we just had the kitchen. The rooms on a floor are linked by a corridor and then doors to get outside. The halls that I stayed in had three floors and were colour coded. I stayed in the Royal Doulton halls yellow which was the middle floor. You had to have a key to get into the doors leading into the halls from the outside and then another key to get onto your floor. You then had an individual key to get into your own room. The halls I stayed at were extremely clean and the same goes for other halls I have visited. Remember before the new year of university starts and all of the freshers start, the cleaners will have been in the halls and tidied making sure everything is spick and span for when you move in so you don't have to worry about the cleanliness of the place. Now the one thing you do have to expect is that the rooms are sometimes very small. My room literally had enough room for a single bed, a very small desk and a small wardrobe and not much more room to move. Nevertheless don't worry as although it looks like you can't swing a cat in there, it is extremely liveable and we still managed to get about 6 people in there to watch a film, not exactly comfortably but we coped. The bathrooms were fine and were cleaned by the university cleaner every day. We had four toilets, three showers and a bath and every one of them had locks on the door so you didn't have to worry about anybody walking in on you. The kitchen area was where we spent the majority of our time. There were two ovens, a microwave, fridge, 2 fridge/freezers, a kettle, a toaster and then enough cupboards for everybody to have one each. The cupboards were made with the ability to padlock them so you could keep your food safe. In the middle of the kitchen was a large circular table with seats around it so that everybody could sit down and socialise. The kitchen was also cleaned daily by the cleaner but you do have to do your own washing up. - What is it like living with all of these people? Honestly it is scary at first but I can tell you that after a couple of days you will feel much better. I am not ashamed to say that I cried when my parents and sister left me at university and I had to go and meet all of these people but a few hours later and I was fine. When you first move into the halls it is freshers week so basically there are hundreds of people feeling just like you do and just want to make friends. Within my halls we had a warden for every coloured hall and luckily enough ours was living on our floor with us. It is there job as a warden to make sure everybody gets settled in as well as possible and usually they will have something organised for the first night when everybody gets there. We were there and we were told that for our first night at university we were going to be taken to the student union for the evening. Now going out drinking and dancing is the one of the best ways to loosen up and get to know people. We went there had a few drinks and by the time we had got back that evening we were all chatting and

derby local studies libary is a good place to go if you are having an exam or test as it has a lot…read moreof books and is quiet i know when i took my a levels at school this place was where i spend my time revising

Quite a large library for a small town…read more The downstairs is the actually library part (books, audiobooks etc, while upstairs is more the part for quiet study. There are about 7 tables, and each table has enough space for about 8 people to study on, so there is always space. The refernce books are also kept upstairs, along with a huge selection of telephone books! There is a seperate room in the upstairs where gallerys and exhibitions are often shown throughout out the year. They have quite a few machines which allow you to look at archived newspapers, although the staff, in my experience, appear yto be a little prejudiced in who they allow to use the machines.

A great big traditional library in the centre of town. The main room caters mostly for fiction…read morewhile there are smaller specialist rooms covering local history and social sciences. The staff are always courteous and helpful and nothing is too much trouble for them. One thing to note: there's an old ghost story about one of the lifts being haunted if you believe that sort of thing. I always take the stairs, just in case!

This is Sheffields main library, Its entrance doesn't do it justice as the entrance hall is grand…read morebut could do with some tender loving care. The main library is large and split into sections such as media is in a seperate room just off the main area. There is plenty of choice, with new best sellers being available for one week loan, with most books being three weeks. If its a certain book you are after you can register online and order the book in for collection and also online you can renew. The staff are friendly and helpful too. It does need a little bit of tlc as the interior is a bit dated but it kinda adds to the charm of the place. Also if have time go upstairs to the art gallery asits worth a ponder too.