This central library is very popular within the community. It is located in an excellent position…read moreat the Top Ryde Shopping Centre. There are a huge range of good quality books, in paper form or for the technology whiz through Ebooks . The staff run courses on how to use Ebooks and how to sign onto the services. There are large print books and many Talking Books...which I love during travelling. I drive my friends crazy with putting on the latest Mills and Boons talking book on. There are numerous DVDs for hire and a good selection of CDs. Come here during the day or later in the evening. Avoid this place straight after school as the local school's students come here in droves instead of going home. The library is over run by young students from 3.15pm until about 5pm. There are withdrawal rooms for group meetings or for a study group. This is an excellent library but pick your time to visit. There is also wheelchair / pram access via the lift.

Ryde Library recently opened in Top Ryde Shopping centre. I love being a member of Ryde libraries…read more Each branch has town merits. Eastwood is located just outside the train station, Gladesville is easily accessible from Victoria Road, and Ryde is conveniently located inside the shopping centre. You can borrow books from any of the 5 libraries and return it to another branch easily. Because the council boasts of 5 different libraries, the collection of books is pretty good and the waiting periods for popular books is short. Top Ryde Library is the newest library and it is definitely contemporary in style and design. Clean, open spaces with comfortable couches and lounges to browse through books or magazines, makes this library my favourite. Membership is free and you can borrow unto 25 items for 3 weeks. Although DVD's magazines and Fast Reads can be borrowed for a week only. Their self-service check-out counter makes borrowing items easy and quick. The JP service is available on Mondays 10 am - 12pm and Wednesdays 10am - 12pm.

They have clean toilets. Lockers. Free wifi. Comfy couches and sitting nooks with plug areas for…read morelaptops and all your other gadgets. And they have books. Granted, it's a library that doesn't stock Terry Prachett (or maybe there wasn't any on the shelves, let's go with that shall we instead of my poor broken heart!) - and a library without Terry Prachett, to be honest, is no library to me. On the plus side, they have a huge area for children's books and entertainment. On the other side of the library is a place for adults. It's hushed tones and book peace was soul soothing. The way the adult area is set out is that they have the shelves with books in a U shape with the tables in the centre with power points and couches around the outside with small tables. Half of the U is dedicated to Fiction. The other half to Biology, Travel, Self Help, etc. The difference in this library is that they don't have different areas for different genres of books. And to be honest, I was expecting more books than what was on the shelf. Instead they have a fiction area that runs from A-Z and then they have wee stickers on the bottom of the spines of books to let you know if it's fantasy (dragon), romance (love heart), hot romance (love heart with horns), comedy (smiley face), family (family of 4 sticker), crime (Sherlock Holmes style hat and magnifier), horror (horror written in blood dripping writing) and more. And they don't mind you grabbing a book and kicking your shoes off to snuggle up in a couch to read a book you never thought you'd read in your life.

They have a good selection of books, magazines, CDs and DVDs, and they can get books that are not…read morecurrently available at West Ryde from the other Ryde libraries for you if you reserve them online. You can also extend your loans online, provided there are no reservations for the item. There are plenty of desks with power points and LAN outlets to allow you to plug in your laptop and do your work. There is also free wifi available but there is a limit of 500mb and I've found the speed to be slow, slower than my 4g connection on my mobile. There is a section for kids on one side of the library. They also have a volunteer JP service, not too sure of the date though, but this information can be easily found on their website. Patrons here are generally quiet though some talk on their phone.

Strathfield library at Homebush is a new architecturally designed building with glass windows and…read morehigh ceilings. Strathfield being an old suburb, I didn't expect the library to be modern. Clearly the council has recognised libraries being an important part of culture and have upgraded the place to the latest standards. The collection is quite extensive. They offer books, audiobooks (my favourite to take on long drives) movie dvd's, magazines, newspapers, and so much more. They offer books in other foreign languages too, to cater to the growing asian population in Sydney. Justice of Peace (JP) services are also offered in the library on wednesdays. The library offers various community incentives to use and take home. They provided a Car Accident Checksheet long back and more recently are offering a Home Power usage metre to borrow.

A bookworm could easily find a book or two to burrow into here. Space for studious students and…read morerooms for discussion groups, shelves full of books in all sizes. There is a great number of large print books and audiobooks. I love that new modern libraries have got on the technological band wagon and have ebooks and eAudiobooks and even emagazines. The staff are ready to help and train the non technologically minded. There are numerous leaflets on the resources available for the library. This library really extends itself within the community. Lane Cove Library delivers books, DVDs, audiobooks etc to people who are disabled, or frail and live in the area. There is not a problem in organising this service. The library is located in the middle of the village of Lane Cove. A short arcade of shops is alongside the library. So have a bite to eat before a relaxing time in the library. There is very easy access to people who have mobility issues. And....the library is quiet!

Huge library with lots of study desks basking in natural light around the perimeter. Find free two…read morehour public parking in the side street adjacent to the library. There is a secret garden behind, the historical society and a youth centre within the same building. The free unwired internet is great for laptop users. There is a Justice of the Peace service at Gordon Library, with JPs available on the first Tuesday of every month from 10am-1pm. They are also available in the library meeting room on alternate Thursdays from 11am-12pm.

Located on the Pacific Highway in Gordan, the library attracts many HSC students studying for their…read morefinal exams. Most of the time, every table and chair is taken. Unless you get there earlier in the morning you will have to wait for a desk to become available. While the library isn't the biggest in terms of space and amount of books, it's still pretty decent for a local library. A major plus is the free wireless internet. I would often bring my laptop to Gordan library while studying for my university exams. There are computers available if you forgot your laptop or don't have a computer and are free of charge- you just need to sign in when you get there. Book drop points are located outside the library which are open when the remainder of the library is closed. There is plenty of parking at the back of Gordan shops, otherwise the train station is close by.