Hello everyone,
I am a regular visitor to the Bristol Central Library. A historic building located right next to the cathedral of the city where I live, it is where I get a lot of my physical books.
The library is the largest and most visited in Bristol, containing the widest selection of books, both fiction and non-fiction. It is an ideal place for me to go, as it is just a few minutes away from where I work, so I visit about once every two weeks, almost always leaving with more books than I planned to take!
As you enter, there are long shelves of general fiction. The selection here is very wide, and most of the time I am able to find at least one of the books I am looking for. But it is not perfect – the most popular/well known books are almost always unavailable or reserved, and there are too many hardbacks for my liking!
There are large individual sections for crime and fantasy, while romance books are kept separately on twisting stands. The biggest problem with this library, however, is that it does not stock YA books – I have looked everywhere but cannot find them.
On the other side of the library, there are shelves of non-fiction books. These are more spaced out, and every subject seems to be covered! The rest of this space is taken up by desks, which students use as a quiet space for studying or light reading.
In the corner, there is a large section devoted to sheet music and recorded materials. As I only go there for the books, I have never properly explored them, but they add to the classical feel of the building.
Every time I visit the library, I only have a rough idea of what I am going to do, and how long I am going to spend there. There are normally a few books that I have in mind, but I almost always get sidetracked and end up leaving with some other, unexpected books!
If there was any library I would like to visit, it is the British Library. If I was to ever go there, I think I would find it difficult to leave!
Let’s Chat
Do you visit the library often? If so, how many books do you sign out? Let me know in the comments!
Happy reading :)
Stephen Reads Books 