Central Library

Amazing Manchester landmark, I can't wait until the work is complete on the library and the surrounding areas! It will be like a brand new area for Manchester!

I think today young people do not read alot and I think this should chance. After all we have such a great library.

The building is magnificent, the library also. There are times that I just stay and watch at the building, I really admire this architecture.

Perhaps, one of the best things about the Central Library is that you cannot miss it. It sits in front of Television House, between Midlands Hotel and the Town Hall extension. Oh, and a tram stops just outside.

For a municipal library that is not academic the collection is rich in all sorts of books and documents. I started using the Central Library as an historian, and I knew a lot of people who used it for Local History research. And then I discovered rather good Languages, Literature, and Art History collections, so the last few years I've been mostly using those. There are many more resources for citizens and students.

Apparently, the Library also has a splendid Music Collection; I once followed their exhibition dedicated to Maria Callas. And their CD and DVD collections are also quite good, perhaps CD even more so, especially music recordings.

The staff is friendly, and there's a rather lovely cafe downstairs.

Central Library is gorgeous. It's like travelling back in time. While the general lending library on the ground floor was on the shabby side last time I lived in the city (limited selection, CDs often scratched, books with battered covers and pages missing) venture beyond the initial entrance foyer and all sorts of gloriously geeky delights await you.

The building itself is beautiful, with amazing old stone staircases, period light fittings and room upon room of wonderful original editions of books on every subject. A bibliophile's paradise, you spend hours and hours in here and still only see a small fraction of their collection.

For students, loiters, or anyone wanting to escape the hectic pace outside for some peace and quiet, there's reading rooms, internet access, plus all the usual facilities and other activities, like the cafe, clubs, talks and workshops.

Word to the wise, they also have loads of tucked-away rooms you'd never know about that are free to use - you just need to reserve them in advance. Handy for book groups, charities and other societies, especially because the location's so central.

Central Library is a cool and unusual building which still looks great today.

Fantastic building. You don't need me to tell you that though, it's so obvious.
The contents are pretty good too. I remember being very impressed by the selection of music scores that I was choosing from.

This is one of my favourite buildings in Manchester. It is a fantastic library with a thorough collection. I just love sitting quietly in the main section reading and listening to the echoing library sounds. The Arts section is great.

One of the loveliest buildings in the city, and probably what most people mark as the city centre if they're too embarrassed to admit that its actually the terribly ugly Piccadilly "Gardens".

Anyway it's the 21st century so libraries are completely obsolete but hopefully the wonderful building could still be put to good use somehow.

A fantastic landmark, and a beautiful library. If you ever visit the great city of Manchester, you should pop in here. It's on all the main bus routes from Oxford Road to town, and it's very round - you can't miss it.

The Local Studies section of Central Library is really useful if you are researching or interested in the history of the north west or family history. They have lots of books for the wider Lancashire area which are not available elsewhere - some are self-published and have found their way onto the shelves! I've never used the archives but have always found that staff bring materials up from the stacks really quickly when I've called up other items that are not on the shelves. The staff are really knowledgeable about both the local area and the material that the library holds.

The microfilm section is also very good, they have local, national and trade papers going back a couple of hundred years. The library's full collection is bigger than you'd think - there is a directory held at the counter in the centre of the Social Science library which gives you the full list. The only annoying thing about the microfilm at Central Library is that there are only two reader-printers.

The Fashion Library is also fantastic - they have a good range of books and some interesting magazines on microfiche. They have copies of Vogue going back to the First World War!

The building itself is beautiful too - you could easily waste a day wandering around looking at the architecture.

Central Library is great for researchers as well as readers, get in quickly though - the library begins to close down for restoration work at the end of February!

This library is so impressive you’ll literally lose days here!
There are several floors and plenty to look at. The family history section and archives are particually interesting. weekend are particulary busy and it can be difficuly to get onto a microfich machine. I would recommend going during the week. Staff are very helpful and are always willing to demonstrate anything you need. The building itself is impressive to walk round.

The library itself and the buildings around it are worth just for the architecture. But the library itself is of a very high standard.

There is a public library with the most popular everyday type books in, but there is also a literature libaray that has classic and contemporary literature alike. There are also a number of specialist libraries so it’s good for research.

It’s always quiet and is a great place to go and concentrate.

You can also borrow DVDs and Cds here and you can use the computers too.

The staff are really helpful so if you can’t find anything it’s worth asking.

An enormous library that is easy to get to and equally easy to get lost in! Located next to the Town Hall St Peter’s Square tram stop is just outside the front doors and buses traverse the Oxford Road/Peter Street route frequently. The staff are incredibly helpful and are happy to help you navigate your way around the massive collections. Certain areas offer wireless access and there are also designated quiet areas for reading. There is also a Library Theatre (quite popular for those of us on a limited budget) and periodic special events which are usually quite good.

The central library is absolutely huge, with two or three levels. They have a massive selection of books on almost any subject you could think of, which makes it a great resource for people undertaking extensive reseach projects in any field. The staff are very friendly and helpful, with a great knowledge of book locations, which is needed because it really is that big. There is also free internet access available, this can only be accessed if your a member of the library. In terms of architecture, the library is fantastic with high ceilings and huge scuplted pillars. Even architect Sir Norman Foster, of architecture fame himself, would be proud of this place. He freely admits he was an avid visitor to the library for resources in his youth!!

This library is magnificent architectually inside and out. you can smell the history as soon as you walk in the door. The layout is pretty good and self explanitory with easy access by elevator. There is also a cafe in the basement where you can unwind.

This is a really nice library and is apparently the largest municipal library in Britain.It was designed to look like the patheon in rome and at the entrance there is a stain glass window which is dedicated to william shakespeare.Like all librarys this is free to visit .

a very extensive library large number of spefic areas covered as well as general readers and childrens books. most of the popular books have a few copies or you can resserve them online, you can also renew online to avoid any charges. they also have a selection of videos cds and casettes that you can rent for a small charge often less than at other video stores.
there is quite a lot of seating if you wish to study there and also a nice little cafe in the basement that serve drinks and snack at a reasonable price. nice library with helpfull staff.

A stunning building, this is definately worth a visit. The inside is just as beautiful as the outside. It has a lovely feel to it and I like to go and jsut have a wander around. I do recommend a visit to the theatre which is in the basement of the building. They show some fantastic plays.

Manchester Central Library is a fantastic place to go for any Manchester resident. The building is a stunning work of architecture, like a mini Roman ampitheatre and is the hub of the central Manchester community. The facilities on offer are astounding, whether it is use of the internet (which is free), plotting your family history with its family archive centre of job hunting. On the ground floor is the general readers library where you can find general fiction and non-fiction books, dvds and music CDs. They have a wide range of authors and often have the latest DVDs on offer. The 1st floor is the Networks centre where you can use any of the 48 computers they have to study or browse the internet, the family archive centre or the literature section. The science and humanities section is very good and a very relaxing place to just sit and read. The second floor is a dedicated chinese centre and art library where you can browse books in chinese or take out opera or guitar books. They also have a huge on-line catologue where you can browse at your leisure. Also housed in the basement is the library theatre that often showcase new and emerging playrights, Shakespeare and modern plays and very good prices.
Even if you are not a big reader I would recommend you go there just to see the inside of this amazing building. A must see.