Liverpool Central Library

An absolutely stunning mix of modern technology with classic design, the Liverpool Central Library was an absolute joy to visit. I have worked in libraries for over 25 years. I have worked for the New York Public Library, the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library, the Public Library of Cincinnati & Hamilton County & others. I have visited Boston Public Library, Trinity College Library, & many more. National Libraries, college & university libraries, public libraries & special libraries.
The Liverpool Central Library offers not only an eye catching exterior that blends perfectly with the surrounding area, in the heart of this thriving city. Its traditional reading room is well appointed & sufficiently separated from the hustle & bustle of the more active spaces, giving researchers ample quiet space. It’s children’s space is an absolute revelation, utilizing space, mixed with whimsy & it’s circulating area makes great use of current user-​friendly technologies such as self service checkout & return.
The layout of the building makes sense from a user experience perspective & the rooftop patio affords a magnificent view of the city. Liverpool residents are quite fortunate to have this resource at their disposal.

This building has always been a huge part of my life, love its exterior architecture and spent a lot of time bunking off school here, (liked learning, hated school), so was a little nervous when I’d heard about it’s refurb. I neednt have worried. The design is a triumph. I dont even go for the books anymore… mostly for the view from the roof top, the lovely round library and the smaller galleries (with a priceless big book of birds which has a page turned over every so often… its famous but I’ve forgotten who did it…) but I did miss the pop up books of my childhood on my last visit… my 9 year old neice failed to find me any when I was baby sitting in the pretty cool kids library.
Needs pop up books.

I’ve always loved this building ever since I moved to Liverpool in 1999 but since it’s renovation frequenting this place has become even more of a pleasure.
It’s main central section (which is on four floors), bathed with light from the magnificent domed, glass roof above, is beautifully laid out and draws one in to look closer at the stacks and special displays. But the real delight (in my opinion) is to the right as you walk into the building, namely the Hornby Library, Oak Room (housing the famous and incredibly valuable Audubon’s 19^th ‘Birds of America’ illustrated book — well worth a look along with several other precious items in this area) and Picton Reading Room which is without doubt one of the most beautiful spaces in Liverpool. The children’s library, housed underneath the Picton Reading Rooms, is also wonderful — a really great place to take your little ones for some cerebral stimulation.
The icing on the cake of this stunning building however is the roof terrace on the fourth floor, accessible to everyone. The views are simply breathtaking, particularly on a sunny day.
And the added bonus? There’s a nice, spacious Costa coffee area to the left on the ground floor and a delightful outdoor terrace looking out over William Brown Street and St John’s Garden’s where you can read your chosen book and sip a very pleasant latte or cup of tea in the sunshine.
Liverpool at its best? Without doubt.

Boasting excellent wifi, lots of natural light, a very good (albeit somewhat dated) collection, a handy café, gorgeous reading room, and a central, easily accessible location, clean and plentiful toilet facilities, convenient and reasonably priced printing facilities (in a city with a pronounced shortage of these), an extensive mansucripts and archives collection, and even a rooftop patio, the Liverpool Central Library is undoubtedly one of the nicest places in the city to work.
This kind of excellence has its own shortcomings, however. It is often too busy to find seating, particularly on weekends, and while there are often plenty of empty seats in the café, they are for café customers only. Hopefully the library will adjust and rearrange their interior to accommodate more working spaces. Or perhaps the café will relent and allow non-​customers to eat their own food there during off-​peak hours.
Otherwise, this place is truly a civic gem. Well done!

very impressive building, architecture is lovely, nice layout, there is a roof terrace which i should imagine is lovely on a summers day it has seating, there is a café and computers

There’s books somewhere in my house that I borrowed back when the President was a white Democrat. I’ve yet to find them, let alone give them back, which goes a long way in explaining why I’m blacklisted from every library on the surface of the planet. I should probably sort that out at some point, hopefully before my dying moments.
Because of this testament to apathy, I’ve yet to experience any library to its full, instead leeching off my dad’s card. This is a shame because I’ve got into reading more than I ever did during my English degree and buying a new book all the time plays havoc with my frugality.
Central Library is grand old building whose interior veers from oddly tacky to stunning Victorian architecture at the drop of a dust jacket. A lot of the books, having passed through so many hands, are shabby to say the best although I suppose they’re the ones you want to read. Peer pressure and all that.

My family has a history with this library spanning over one hundred years, literally; my great great grandfather worked here for most of his life, and, as part of the World Heritage site, the building itself oozes history. The Picton reading room is stunning and compliments the beautiful exterior well, however the majority of the library, that is, the parts most accessed are not quite so attractive. Unfortunately the stock of books is often quite poor. To be fair, I think this is because books are on loan rather than simply not stocked and it’s worth checking the catalogue online prior to searching as books can be ordered in from other libraries in the area or requested for return.
The IT facilities are good and there is a huge section of DVDs available for loan. The local hisory resources are quite impressive and staff are knowledgeable and very helpful.
The library is undergoing renovation and hopefully investment will be made in books and resources, and not just aesthetic improvements

The stock of Liverpool’s Central Library is probably not as impressive as the building in which it is situated, being one of the collection that line William Brown St under the shadow of St Gorge’s Hall. However it does a fairly up to date selection of books and internet access free to visitors.
Its most impressive element is the Picton Reading Room, a round hall with lavish gold details but along with the Hornby Library and Oak Room seem hard to access or are hidden away under restoration. As libraries are already under used more needs to be done to bring out the vast collections of first editions and rare books that this place holds.

Liverpool Central Library is conveniently located next door to Liverpool’s main museum and is easy to get to for University students nearby.
The library has full access to over a hundred PC’s with internet available without any charge. There is a cost for printing needs. It also hosts a huge range of books from many genres and it’s likely you will bump into the book you’re looking for. If you’re struggling to find a certain book, the receptionist will look it up for you at the desk however the workers don’t look as though they are so willing at times.
In addition, there is a CD/​DVD section where you can loan films and music or any other material such as educational ones with a small fee allowing you to borrow for up to 2 weeks.
In general, a fine place to rest and study independently if the roommates are causing havoc!