English Library Survey

Ting-Kai Chang

Winchester Discovery Centre

Contact DetailAddress: Jewry Street, Winchester SO23 8SB

Tel: 0845 603 5631

Box Office: 01962 873603

Opening TimesMonday to Friday 9am - 7pm

Saturday 9am - 5pm

Sunday 10am - 4pm

Winchester Discovery Centre new opened 2.5 years ago.

Natural light comes into indoor space from a huge skylight, it makes this small building more attractive.

As the former capital city in Britain, which is well-known for many historical architec-tures, particularly the Winchester Cathedral. Winchester was voted as the most suitable liv-ing environment in United Kingdom in 2006 while most residents here are approximately worthy and educated.

Winchester Discovery Centre promotes books from librarians’ recommendation. Each of them can express their own point of view for reading and researching.

Additionally they cooperate with many local group and community to attract people with vari-ous events, activities, lectures and workshops. Staffs here try to arrange as many as possible for free.

Two exhibition spaces offer various exhibi-tions in different ways here as well. City Space is the gallery on ground floor next to entry. It is based on Winchester City Council which pro-vides more fine art and local based works, such as painting, photograph and sculpture. The Gallery is on first floor which has modern and simplicity space for national, international objects. For instance, textile, garment, acces-sories and furniture.

We

say

‘YES‘

to

people

Winchester Discovery Centre is not only a re-new structure while its café space and lecture rooms are extended from the original building, but also a place welcome everybody with fresh attitude. Including its architecture, interior design, space arrangement and furniture, plenty of new hardware facilities are provided. On the other hand, drinking a cup of coffee, chat-ting with each other, discussing topics, play-ing desktop games…and so on, staffs here tend to say ‘Yes’ instead of ‘No’ to people’s needs.

Their fundamental concept is ‘open’ physi-cally, and psychologically.

‘We trust people.’

A library card is able to apply with very simple documents for using all equipments here. Personal ID, address and postcode are required, even a temporary address is acceptable. It means a tourist can use all of them for free after application.

Winchester Discovery Centre is proud of their railway collection. There is not only a particular room on first floor for thousand of books in this area, but also a basement for more materials. People can have a look by ap-pointment or invitation by librarians.

Although this small library still posses nearly as the same number as it opened. No doubt, most libraries tend to use connection between each other instead of a huge book stock. More books from other libraries in Hampshire library system are able to borrow via their link system.

People can use their catalogue system or website to search books they need and transfer it from other libraries by couple of days, if the book is not hold or on loan.

Although some people like it, others do not, I believe everyone can enjoy their leisure time in this relaxing place.

Southampton-Central Library

Southampton-Central Library

Contact DetailAddress: Civic Centre, Southampton, SO14 7LW

Tel: 023 8083 2462

Email: reference.library@southampton.gov.uk

Web: www.southampton.gov.uk/Libraries/

Opening TimesMonday to Friday: 9:30am - 7pm

Saturday: 9:30am - 4pm

Sunday: closed.

This building was established in 1930s’ and extended in 1990s’. Geographically Southampton is still one part o Hampshire, but after local governments restructured in 1999, Southamp-ton is no longer in Hampshire political system anymore while Southampton Central Library is not one member of Hampshire Library System.

As a well-known port in England, Southampton is the start of a fantastic voyage, the sailed port of the Titanic. Southampton Central Li-brary does not only have the biggest collec-tion of Titanic books, journals, presses and films, but also its building structure reflects the city’s history, its eastern interior space for multimedia looks like a ceilinged rotunda of a superliner.

Its main entrance of Southampton Central Library is not typical solemn style. Through a small door, a stair in the middle of this building leads into Southampton City Art Gal-lery upstairs, which is an exhibition with beautiful groin vault. Exhibitions and dis-plays are offered monthly while children often visit with their teachers.

A cafe is located on right side. Its bright space is full of relaxable atmosphere, flavour of coffee. The other side is a box-office of-fers plenty of theatre, musical , concert and ticket information. A regular exhibition about local environment is exhibited in ground floor too.

This place welcomes people in a colourful way, easily.

Plenty of windows introduce natural might into the space. Even in basement, daylight is still able to light up readers’ desks. More self-service machines probably let readers feel more casual than a traditional library only for reading and stocking books when using everything here.

Southampton Central Library is organised with a reflective attitude to local needs.

There is not a few multimedia and books in different languages can be found, such as Chi-nese, Asian languages and Polish.

Additionally, due to many people from other area are very common in Southampton, a tem-porary library card is available to request. Therefore when someone who needs to use all facilities in this library but only stay in short time, this sort of card is able to use without a formal application. This policy does not only for convenience, but also environment friendly.

On the other hand, the biggest number of mu-sic score collection in Hampshire is in this library as well.