West End Library

One of the most beautiful local libraries in Brisbane. There are a few hostels in the area so there is no shortage of youngsters hanging out on the front steps using wifi.
It really is a very pretty building and it is not far from the centre of West End. If you are a tourist, it is a lovely spot to appreciate some of Brisbane’s older architecture.
With the typical West End local, you will be sure to find a much broader and interesting range of books just returned here.

After a year of traipsing to the chermside
or CBD libraries I groaned with extreme annoyance
when I discovered the West End Library.
(As anyone would when they’ve had to carry art tomes
from West End to over the Victoria Bridge.)
I mostly escape to this library
to indulge in the air conditioning,
listen to some of the hilarious banter from the locals
or to return some woefully overdue book.
Asides from the Aspley Hypermarket bookmobile
I don’t think I have ever come across a library space so small,
But what they lack in size they do make up for in spirit.
Being housed in the Kurilpa building has created a charming space
and the librarians are forever friendly, winsome and able
recommend a book in a jiffy.
Stuffed with some great titles,
You’ll most likely find me there on any given weekend.

I’ve come to expect with Brisbane City Council libraries that you’re probably not going to find a book on shelf in your local branch and will have to order it in from a another library. So it doesn’t bother me too much that West End library is so small. If looking for a particular book, I always go online first and if it needs to be ordered in, I place the hold and the book is brought to your branch of choice within the space of a week or two.
Not open Sunday through Tuesday, I find the West End branch a little difficult to get to sometimes. But, the beauty of the Brisbane City Council libraries is that loans last a month, so once you’ve collected the book, you’ve got it for a decent stint.
Aside from being a bit small and not being open as much as it could be, the West End Library is in a beautiful little building and is a pretty nice space in which to hang out if you’ve got time to kill.

I love books, reading and the concept of libraries. I also think it’s extremely important to keep the concept alive in this dangerous age of downloading books and reading them on iPads or Kindles. Very handy I’m sure, but there’s something lost when you choose to do that over curling up with a book that actually requires page turning. So it pains me to say that this is a rather underwhelming little library, little being the key word.
I really like how it’s situated in an old building that was clearly not originally built with the intention of becoming a library however it is extremely small once you get inside. It’s really only one room, and while the shelves have been carefully arranged so as much as possible can fit inside, there’s no denying it is a sad comparison to pretty much every other library I’ve ever been to. Still, it would take a while to read your way through, their selection is good and I love the setting.

West End library is on the smaller side of the city council libraries, but it has a deceptively large range of books, especially when it comes to fiction, magazines and young adult fiction. Although the building itself is quite old, the borrowing system is sophisticated.
The library staff are also very helpful and won’t raise an eyebrow if you’ve spent a while in there browsing titles and can’t make a choice. There’s also a large selection of local street press outside if you’re strapped for reading material, though I don’t know how you could be.
The last time I borrowed from West End library I left with a bundle of books and CDs, all in fine condition, to last me for the holiday season.

I use the West End library quite frequently. Well, everyday actually, to some extent. I time my coffee breaks by the clock tower at the top of the Kurilpa building.
Outside of that, I hire out 10 cds at a time, because I like their off beat collection, and I can. I use their photocopier and printer because I don’t have one at home, and it’s cheap to use. I research new obsessions there. They don’t have a large collection of books by any means, but you’d be suprised by what you can find. When I decided earlier this summer to become a baker, I went straight to the library and found some very illuminating reading material on the subject of wheat. I also like visiting the library best when I don’t have any idea of what I want to read next.
Watch out for the grating noise of the check out machine. It can make ones hair stand on end if you’re not in the best of moods. It’s just a noise that completely destroys the idea of libraries being quiet, tranquil places.
It can also be hard to find a place to curl up and read a book. The library is very small, and so I feel that it’s best to leave the book worms to their browsing, and take your finds home with you.