City Hall Public Library

This place is my peaceful spot in a wild and crowded city. I love the reading area of the Basic Law Library. One can work with few distractions, also at the weekends. It is on the fifth floor and I would recommend taking the stairs, on the way up you can glance at and cheer for newlyweds (marriage registry on 2^nd floor). The library closes at 8pm on Saturdays and 5 pm on Sundays. It is clean and pretty and the staff is friendly. The adult library is on 4^th floor and from the staircase you have a great view over the pier. Everyone with a valid Hongkong ID is allowed to use the library and take out books. I am very grateful to have found a quiet place to mark papers.

Well organised library! Very easy to navigate and locate what you need. I was in and out within 5 minutes.
In the children’s books section, there’s a computer lab with desks their size.
This library has several floors. Adult books are on floor 3 (Chinese) and floor 4 (English). Floor 2 is kids books. Soooo many kids books! Plenty of seating for children and parents to spend some reading quality time. But it can get crowded.
That’s about it.

Smaller then it’s counterpart in CWB, and with a small stock of books, CDs, and DVDs, City Hall Library is a wonderful place to get some peace and quiet, especially if you need to get some work done.
What I like best about this library in particular, is the copious amounts of workspace. My recommendation would be to go to the 10^th floor and to use the creative resources annex. In there, you’ll find three large bench tables, where you can spread out all of your books, laptop, and other paraphernalia before getting on with a bit of work. There are also plenty of power points, and as with all Hong Kong libraries, there is the free government Wi-​Fi.
Again, as with all Hong Kong libraries, you do not need to be a member of the library, or a Hong Kong residence, to use the facilities here. This makes ideal for tourists and other travellers. Also, there is no booking system here for the workspace use. In other Hong Kong libraries, you are required to sign in and take a laminated card to reserve spot. In City Hall Library just make yourself comfortable.
As well as this very conducive work environment, and of course the books, the library also lends CDs. These are free of charge from the library they are located in, or chargeable (HKD25) if you need them delivered from another location, which you can do online. You can also just listen to these CDs in the library if you have your headphones.
If you do manage to get the creative resources annex, look out to the old chap in the corner who is always there, without fail. I still think he’s actually on the same page that I saw him reading six months ago.