State Library of Western Australia

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Posted 2014-05-09 by MonkeyBoy ⇒ follow

The State Library of Westen Australia is excellent, with a world class music section.

The large five storey building has a huge variety of books and more, including an extensive music section on the second floor. An area is dedicated to children's learning on the first floor. As well as music, you can find poetry, art, theatre, theology and the like on the second floor. The third floor contains documents and specific information relevant to Western Australia, with no bags allowed on this floor. All in all, the State Library is packed full of interesting books from biology and medicine to science fiction, biography and horror. Basically, the library has everything you would expect from a library but so much more, including free film screenings on certain days and times of the week (currently Wednesdays at 1.30pm).

Electronic information points and computers for library item searches are dispersed throughout the building, and the friendly staff are always there to guide you if need be.

There is plenty of privately partitioned seating for studying and more open seating for quiet discussions or group reading, with tables, lots of space and excellent natural lighting. The temperature of the library seems to be comfortable and appropriate for study all year round, and there is always somewhere nice and quiet to sit and read.

A large area on the ground floor is dedicated to providing free internet access to members of the public, and there are areas set aside specifically for regularly changing exhibitions of art, history and other topics. There are also sofas to relax on, with tables and magazines, or you can just grab a book from a shelf and read.

If you need a break from being a bookworm, you can simply look up and out of the window. There is a lot of window seating from which you can watch the world pass by and the views from inside include the city and the cultural centre.

Alternatively you can take a bigger break; and wander downstairs, or get the nearly Willy Wonka style glass lift, for get a breath of fresh air. A Big Screen is also situated directly outside, between the library and the Perth Institute of Contemporary Art (PICA) for your viewing pleasure. Pretty good.

Air

Walking around the library can be just as rewarding as entering the building itself, not least for the architecture and the inspirational quotes that you might come across.

All this talk of the present and the prize makes me want to go and buy someone a gift.

The library shop is stocked with decent material, and sometimes they lay out tables near the library entrance, filled with second hand books and cheap old music scores.

Limits to the library include a minimum of eight books, and you can renew books once. The library is clean and tidy with good facilities, including toilets, water fountains and even a cafe on the ground floor. Paintings are dispersed through the library and there are various glass encased items that provide historical insights.

After visiting the library, there is a lot to choose from in the surrounding Cultural Area, including art galleries, museums and even a musical playground round the corner. Alternatively, if you want to head elsewhere, bus and train stations are nearby, and an underground car park directly beneath the library means that it is perfectly positioned for good access by all, including lift access to all floors.

All in all, a top notch library worthy, and one of my own personal favourite places to go to in Perth.