One Friday night a month 40 + teenagers take over the library to dance to the in-house DJ, enjoy…read moreexclusive use of the Wii and Computers and eat pizza. Lalor is no ordinary library folks, it is the hub of the Lalor community and appeals to every age demographic. Drop by the large and colourful space any day of the week and something will be happening. Yes the library has the usual selection of books, magazines, DVDs and Cd's but it also has Italian, Greek, Spanish, Vietnamese and Chinese collections. Annie the Children's librarian hosts energetic story times, sometimes to an audience of a hundred kids. Noisy? Yes. This is not the library to enjoy silent study, head to near by Mill Park for that! The range of adult activities and events appeals to the multicultural community of Lalor, think seniors club, cooking demo's, book club, language cafe to name just a few. If you want to learn how to use computers, Facebook or itunes visit the information desk and book into a computer class or just ask for IT extraordinaire Natasha. Life long friends meet up a chat over the daily papers, teens relax on the couches and families visit the toy library. Lalor library is for everyone. The staff are awesome and clearly have fun. Why not join in?

If your heading down Plenty Road towards South Morang and you see the giant space ship looking…read morebuilding, don't despair. This is not an alien invasion taking place on the outskirts of Melbourne suburbs, rather it's Mill Park library! This huge building is a purpose built library with more space then Star Trek. This building is seriously huge. As well as ample space you will find a fantastic range of books, magazines, DVDs and Cd's from the Yarra Plenty Regional Library collection. You will also find a quiet study room with sound proof glass and plenty of tables, a multimedia room and a genealogy room! The varied free events program makes the most of the space. The large children's area is host to many story times and school holiday events. Jack the Community Liaison runs all kind of programs from classes and workshops to sci-fi clubs and cooking demonstrations. The staff are happy to show you around and help you with all your technology and literary needs. Trust me, no question is too random for library staff!

The Good As part of…read morethe Darebin library service borrowers have access to free DVDs, magazines, Cd's, and you know even those strange creatures called books. Reservoir library also hosts a range of free events so if you want to learn about Facebook or listen to an author then keep an eye on the events program. The library is located behind the Reservoir shopping precinct and has plenty of parking as well as public transport options. The Bad If your heading to the library to take advantage of free wifi and quiet study area then think again. The tables provided for both are squashed into a small area and are limited. The library lends (pause to appreciate that library joke folks) an atmosphere more suited to a 1970's horror movie. It is the type of environment where no matter how new the stock is, it looks old and shabby and out of date. The staff clearly try their best, but in reality, you can only work with what you have. The Ugly This library is a giant brick box filled with bad lighting and old furnishings.

Great library! Good workspaces, great selection of books and movies, and the staff are really…read morefriendly and helpful!

Did you know there is a place where you can read the latest magazines, borrow DVDs and Cd's, get…read morenew release books and use computers and ipads...for FREE? I'm here today as an ex-librarian to share with you a secret. Your local library is not just a musty old room filled with old books and a cranky spinster telling you to "Be quiet!" Libraries are loud, fun and colourful and offer more services and entertainment then you thought! Rosanna Library is the smallest of the eight branches under the Yarra Plenty Regional Library Service umbrella. It also happens to be my local. Despite the small size, the library works with what it has. I'm a fan of the large and colourful children's area that invites junior borrowers to play and read. The computer area that renders the Mac versus PC debate a non-issue or BYO laptop or ipad and use the free Wifi! Find a couch and stay a while or run in and out was quickly as possible with the self issue borrowing that lets you move on faster. Need help? Confused? Daunted? The staff will go out of their way to answer your questions and get you the information you need. They have heard it all so no question is too strange or obvious! They are also happy to have a chat or show you how to download the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy to your ipad. Yarra Plenty branches also host free events. Story times, morning tea, computer classes, cooking demonstrations just to name a few of the regular events you will find when you visit. Don't want to leave home, the YPRL website will keep you busy! You can thank me later!

Opposite the Watsonia Shopping precinct lies a hidden gem in wait. An unsuspecting building that…read morelocals pass on the way down to Watsonia Train Station. What lies within? You guessed it (or maybe the review title gave it away) it is the Watsonia Library! This modern and spacious library is the perfect antidote to musty old libraries of the past. This public space has free computer use, free wifi, free events, free borrowing. Just bring some ID with your current address and you have the facilities of 8 Yarra Plenty Regional Libraries at your fingertips. Awesome yes? Watsonia has space to relax, study or read in. The young adult area has funky seats, magazines, books, graphic novels and DVDs. The aisles a wide enough to comfortably browse the fiction, non-fiction and large print collections. They also have an outdoor reading area for those sunny days where being outside is the only option. The library has lots of places to enjoy the events program or to read a magazine and a room that is available for hire. Just ask the staff at the desk. The self check out system is fast and easy to use, and the friendly staff here are happy to show you how to use it and answer any questions you have. Wastonia Library is modern, spacious and innovative. If you like you libraries musty and old school then head elsewhere!

The largest of the Darebin Council libraries is Preston. The sixties era building lacks character…read morebut the benches and garden make the most of a dull exterior. The word that springs to mind when here is 'functional.' The young adult section is larger then most and bucking the latest library trend, the majority of the library is filled with books. Shocking I know! The reason I visit this branch is because they have long benches with multiple power outlets. Perfect for laptop users, the wifi isn't the fastest, but it works well and its a rare library that has so much space dedicated to laptops, which means your chances of finding a spot to park are pretty high. Parking is restrictive. Catch a tram. The good news is that the cheap cafes and shops of high street and Preston Market make the perfect lunch break escape and are minutes away.

Quite an OK collection of books - and newspapers and magazines, too, for that matter - and there…read moreare quite OK collections in community languages, at least from what I can see. Lots of space to work on a laptop, but there are also small tables for conversations, and it all seems to work pretty well. Most irritating aspect: the procedure for getting a wifi password. Probably devised way back in the 20th century, it's a long and arduous procedure which probably breaks every rule in the accessibility book - too bad if you are old and have failing eyesight, or you come from an NESB background or you have certain kinds if disability. The good news - everyone ends up with exactly the same password anyway! So just look over the shoulder of someone when they're getting their password on one of the public computers - it comes onto the screen in a very large font Or ask someone who's using a laptop and looks friendly. I personally would like to talk to the library staff member who carefully pastes the library's sticker over the date on my favourite magazine - passive aggressiveness taken to new highs! Toilets - it's obvious that the staff never have to use the toilets provided for the public because if they did, there would be a major OH&S issue that would be fixed in a flash. As it is, the urinals in the mens toilets always stink - what you'd expect from the cheapest possible fittings Overall, though, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the library they work in is a good community resource.

This is my local library and I have been using it regularly since I moved to this suburb two…read moredecades ago. The library has a pretty good selection of books, magazines, DVDs and CDs to borrow. As this is Coburg there are a large selection of books in languages other than English - Greek, Turkish, Italian, Spanish, Serbian, Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, French and Hindi. It also has meeting rooms, photocopiers, computers with public Internet access and a few quite study rooms. However, the library is a converted supermarket and this presents two problems: it has flooded in the past with heavy rain (although a new extensive drainage system at the front door might stop this in the future) and, although it carpeted, it is still a large supermarket-like space. This means that the children's part of the library is not separated from the rest of the space and the noise of the children carries everywhere. I look at the display of new books, the magazines and the DVDs; then borrow a copy of Art & Australia magazine and a DVD the old ABC comedy series Frontline. Outside of the library, along the north window, there is a long row of benches that are very popular with Coburg's locals.

Everyone that works here has been super friendly and helpful. I love that they give you free login…read morepassword for the WiFi. You can print black and white papers for $0.20. There always seems to be a long line for the women's bathroom..

Since I was a child I've loved the sense of comfort public libraries give me; the smell of old…read moreleather and worn pages of the rows upon rows of books. The tranquility and peace, and above all the feeling that anything you could ever want to know is, quite literally, right at your fingertips. Glenroy Library gives me that same effect, but now as an adult I've got a greater reason to appreciate this public space; my two young children who are starting to enjoy a love of reading and literature. Coming across this library only 12 months ago when moving to the area; I am so impressed by the way they cater for everybody. I try to make it a weekly or at least fortnightly visit with my kids, from Nursery Rhyme Time for my baby boy, and Storytime for my five year old daughter. These programs are just sensational and have taught my children that above all, reading is fun and about imagination and creativity. And afterwards my daughter stocks up from the massive selection of kids books. Private, quiet seating areas, public lounge reading areas and a fantastic, welcoming kids corner for kids to sit and look at the variety of books available to them all add to the appeal. They've got all the categories you'd expect from a library, I love their collection of war stories from WWI and WWII and the great range of biographies and autobiographies available for loan. In fact, the only reason they don't get five stars is due to the sometimes disorganised referencing system. Check out the Glenroy Library section of the Moreland website for days and times of the kids programs. Open every day, and on Monday to Thursday until 8pm - there's no reason not to make it a weekly family date!