Whilst there are many things about Glebe Library than don't quite compare to the new and swanky…read moreSurry Hills Library, Glebe's older book house has a lot of redeeming factors that mean it still ranks pretty highly. The Glebe Library grounds are beautiful. Grassy and surrounded by big leafy trees, it's the perfect place to lie with a newly borrowed book. Inside the building however, things aren't quite as cheery, as the computer area is a tad depressing, and the carpet throughout the building gives it a musty feel. Sadly there is no free wifi unless you're a member of the library. This membership however also includes membership to all ten of the City of Sydney libraries, including Customs House, Surry Hills, Newtown and Town Hall. Internet/computer usage for non members is $3 per half hour. The library also offers information services relating to local history and are happy to help with most general enquiries (literary, historically or locally related). Glebe library has also jumped on the Green Team, offering the loan of Bike Repair Kits (also selling patches) for their cycling customers and you can borrow 'Power-Mates' which measure the amount of electricity each of your appliances uses on the basis of spreading awareness of electricity output. My favourite feature of the Glebe Library is, by far, their kids area. A fun layout including a Thomas the Tank Engine filled with books, this section makes me want to grab a pillow and snuggle up with a picture book before borrowing from their awesome toy library. The library also offers school holidays and HSC workshops, and my dream job, Rock'n Rhymetime and Storytime for ages 0 - 5. I'm looking forward to borrowing a toddler and falling asleep to the animated voices of the librarian.

Glebe's library is the exact opposite of the new Surry Hills library, both inside and out. The…read moreGlebe Library looks like an old Victorian mansion. The grounds are maintained well and the gardens are a therapeutic and relaxing. This library loans not only books, music, and movies, but also acts as a center of enquiry for neighbourhood. This includes things like parking permits, questions about waste and recycling, and graffiti removal. It's easy to become a member to the library. I did in on their website by filling out my contact information. As a member, you can borrow up to 20 items for up to three weeks. A membership also gets you access to free Wi-Fi in the library. This makes it a perfect place to study in a quiet environment. Its selection of books is okay and has available many classic novels. There are also many magazine titles and audio CDs to choose from. I've borrowed some audiobooks to download to my computer if I'm about to go on a trip.

Free WiFi is a hit. Thank you to the City of Sydney consortiums of libraries for making this…read morepossible. You just need to arrive early enough if you're planning on doing some work or study. Bring your own tablet or laptop device too. Well organised library. A great way to touch base and find out on what is happening in the community. Great kids corner, with a dedicated junior fiction area. So convenient too. In the hub of it all. I am so looking forward to attending an art workshop that goes for three hours next month, as at the time of writing this. You only pay $5 and this covers all materials. Held every Wednesday (with the exception of school and public holidays) and all materials are included. Held at this library, and class is run by the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre. Plus you do not need to be a Surry Hills local or resident in order to enjoy. Nice one :)

First off, the Surry Hills library is a beautiful building. It's architectural design fascinates me…read moreand who doesn't love a wall made entirely of glass? (Armando Pamperdine, that's who, but who cares what that glass hating freak likes.) It's a large library and an air conditioned one, whether you're going there to rent out a book, do a bit of study or simply escape the heat and use the free wifi, it's a modern and attractive work space. Situated in the middle of Surry Hills, the library stands like a beacon of knowledge along Crown Street. With a wide selection and multiple levels. It is, without a doubt, a library.

I'm a huge fan of libraries - they're like black holes to me, where I can go in and possibly never…read moreemerge. Unlike a bookshop where you know that any book that takes your fancy will hit pretty hard on your wallet, in a library you can sneak into just about anything knowing that if it turns out you really didn't want to know any more about the lifespan of a dung beetle or the moral values of 19th century American presidents, you're really no less well off. Mosman Library is A-OK. It has a reasonable collection of books, though I would like to see them a little more up-to-date, and I just can't help feeling a little miffed that I know in Victoria is it possible to put a request in for a book and have them order it for specially for you - not just from another branch of the library, but new from the publisher. Can we get that happening here?

Isn't it amazing that we have resources such as this. That we can just walk into a library and…read morepick-up hundreds of dollars worth of books and then just walk out. With books in Australia so ridiculously expensive and with an eye to conserving energy whilst still supporting the writing community, it should be mandatory to have a library card. It's perhaps no surprise then that my family and I are big fans of this space. It's an essential all weather venue for kids. Great when it's raining but crisply air-conditioned when it's baking hot. The children's section is brightly decorated and bubbles with an appropriate amount of energy and discipline for the surrounding. The children's library run great story sessions for babies and pre-schoolers, as well as activities during school holidays. Check out the website for specific times: http://www.mosman.nsw.gov.au/library/children The adults are well catered for too with a wide selection of texts and accommodating staff to help with enquires. They often have authors come to showcase their publications and it's well worth popping in to see what is up-coming. A new self, service check-out system is very easy to use and you can even renew online. So no late fees. Perfect.

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.

Walked by this building several times without knowing it was the state library. Impressed with the…read morediverse the collection. Part, museum, and multiple changing galleries. They also have a modern wing. Welcoming atmosphere, at the historical building with a warm hearty greeting. Close to the Royal botanic Gardens,

Quality/Quantity - Well if you are following, we visit all…read morethe local libraries during our travels. Great place to take a break. It is clean, has AC, bathrooms, wifi, etc. Atmosphere - Open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm. The lobby hours differ, see picture. 5 stories, 6 if you count the lobby, see picture of directory. Cool lobby decor, especially the glass floors of Sydney Harbor. Some history and art are also in the lobby. Plenty of comfortable seating throughout. Cool garden, exhibit, etc. A cafe on the 5th floor, but I think it was closed today. Not sure what time we arrived. I'm told they used to have a bar here. Service - Self service. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Thank you for such a good public service.

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.

Glebe Library is housed in a gorgeous house and it has a lovely welcoming vibe reflecting a warm,…read morecreative, inner city community of Sydney's Glebe. The grounds have big beautiful trees and lawns providing a peaceful sanctuary-like experience. Entering into the building you'll be greeted by the friendliest library staff that don't fit into the the stereotypical librarians I'm used to dealing with my local library - North Sydney's Stanton Library. You may have met some of these icy cold librarians with their 'please don't disturb' body language and they have a knack of making you feel like a pest for turning up at their counter and asking a question or wanting to borrow a book. What is it about most librarians in public libraries? I think the only reason these people work in libraries is that they love reading and let's face it - those who love reading certainly detest being interrupted and having to deal with bothersome customers wanting to be served. And this is the thing - they are there to 'serve' us - they are public servants. I'll stop now cos this is starting to sound like a rant - but really there are a lot of librarians who need to be more 'customer service' focused and less on their 'whatever librarians do when they're serving at the counter'. So anyway, back to the lovely friendly librarians at Glebe Library who truly get it - understand the essence of good customer service and make the customer feel good about being there. The both times I've visited the Glebe library was when I was invited to perform in the childrens program. (AKA Ukulele Baby Music www.ukulelebabymusic.com) an interactive childrens ukulele and singalong show The lovely Glebe staff give a warm cheery welcome - not just to me but to the little kids and their parents - and they seem to really relish being interrupted. What a pleasant surprise. And the programs at this library and others in the City of Sydney's library are awesome with book readings and music, face painting and circus and other cool stuff. Glebe Library is awesome and has real vision and passion for community building.

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.