Surry Hills Library

Yes the employees are grumpy, especially if you don’t leave the library 30 minutes before they close, however, wifi is reliable, restrooms are clean and they have a very good magazine collection. The design of the building is very nice and the glass windows allows you to enjoy the neighborhood.

Free WiFi is a hit. Thank you to the City of Sydney consortiums of libraries for making this possible. You just need to arrive early enough if you’re planning on doing some work or study. Bring your own tablet or laptop device too. Well organised library. A great way to touch base and find out on what is happening in the community.
Great kids corner, with a dedicated junior fiction area. So convenient too. In the hub of it all.
I am so looking forward to attending an art workshop that goes for three hours next month, as at the time of writing this. You only pay $ 5 and this covers all materials. Held every Wednesday (with the exception of school and public holidays) and all materials are included. Held at this library, and class is run by the Surry Hills Neighbourhood Centre. Plus you do not need to be a Surry Hills local or resident in order to enjoy. Nice one :)

Library’s are amazing! I feel like in this day in age, the more recent generations will hardly step into a library, especially if it’s outside of uni. But hopefully places like Surry Hills Library will make it more appealing for everyone. The city has an abundance of resourceful information and places, including this public library which is also gorgeous to look at.
You can people watch from the glass windows sitting on the ground floor as people go about their business on Crown Street (and then be tempted to grab some Gelato Messina afterwards…).
SOME THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
1) Limited space: the library is a bit small and there aren’t too many places to sit so sometimes you’ll just need to sit on a little, comfy ottoman cube. Also, if you plan on working on your laptop and need a powerpoint, you’ll need to go downstairs where there aren’t any windows.
2) Strange people: I’ll be frank, a couple experiences here had me turned off. There are some odd characters that find themselves here but it’s part of the charm… unless they have no library etiquette. Take for example a lady rapidly turning her magazine pages loudly and then ignoring the girl who tried to ask her to be quiet. Or when a man leaves his seat and table, taking with him all his belongings, only to return 10 – 15 minutes later and telling me that he was sitting there.
Apart from that, they’ve got free Wi-​Fi you can easily connect to. But that’s not all, check out some books, DVDs, CDs, and their events they host. Oh! And they’re also opened late on Thursday nights (until 10:30pm!) which is great.

First off, the Surry Hills library is a beautiful building. It’s architectural design fascinates me and who doesn’t love a wall made entirely of glass? (Armando Pamperdine, that’s who, but who cares what that glass hating freak likes.)
It’s a large library and an air conditioned one, whether you’re going there to rent out a book, do a bit of study or simply escape the heat and use the free wifi, it’s a modern and attractive work space.
Situated in the middle of Surry Hills, the library stands like a beacon of knowledge along Crown Street. With a wide selection and multiple levels. It is, without a doubt, a library.

This is a great library it is designed in a glass establishment and looks ultra trendy. It is open to anyone and everyone feels welcome, you can hire out the internet terminals for free and find out about local arts and community events from the notice board. I really enjoy just sitting in the library and letting myself be influenced by the many books on the shelves. There is so much to be said about the local library but as you can imagine, Surry Hills has that touch of class which does make it a very comfortable and makes you appreciate just what we have available here.

Books, magazines, newspapers, DVDs, CDs — all available to borrow. Comfy seats, a quiet environment. Need I say more?

The Surry Hills Library and Community Centre is a fantastic new building thats popped up opposite the clock hotel on Crown street. Its a green friendly building too having several light, water, and energy saving features. Stepping inside you’ll first notice a solid selection of dvds and CDs available to loan, as well as large print books and audio books too. Make sure to head down the very cool spiral stair case to the lower level where there are study desks, internet and computer facilities as well as their main collection of books. I was happy to see a newer and more extensive selection of design, art, dance and music books than you’d normally see in most libraries. Definitely one of the best public libraries in Sydney.

Surry Hills library is infuriating! I walked through its overly fancy doors one afternoon expecting to easily be able to use their public computers and printing services. Boy was I disappointed. Without much help from the staff, I swirled down the spiral staircase, through the labyrinth of books and into the «computer lab.» This lab, however, was just a cramped row of machines jammed into the back of the library. In such a innovative space, you’d think they might have made a bit more room to house the popular modern device called the computer.
So I waited in an informal queue in order to get a chance on the computer. After about 15 minutes (or more), I was finally able to sit down. I pulled up the doc I needed to print, but do you think it was going to be so simple? Oh no. In order to purchase printing credits, I had to go back upstairs to reception and apply for a library computer card and then pay a set fee for printing capabilities. Once I had done this, I had to go back downstairs and wait in the queue AGAIN. Finally back at a computer, I resumed trying to print the documents I needed only to find that one of the printers was out of order. Guess what I had to do? I had to wait for another computer (this time one on the other side connected to the only functioning printer)!! In the end, I was able to get my printing done, but left Surry Hills Library with the biggest chip on my shoulder. Next time I will just go to the kebab shop /​computer lab on Cleveland St instead. It might be ghetto, but at least it’s simple.

Sometimes Surry Hills gets a bit packed and it’s nice to chill out every now and then, so I head to the Surry Hills library. Ok, I do head there during work hours to escape work itself but for some reason it does clear my head. It might be because it’s so nice and peaceful in there.
If you’re not avoiding work like me and need to do some work there are about a dozen computers which you can use or you can take your lap top and use the free wi fi. If you are avoiding real work like me, I just browse through the array of books and magazines and enjoy the tranquillity!

Besides being an exhibition of architectural genius, the Surry Hills Library is one of the best places in the city to study or work in quiet. The first thing I noticed about the library is that it is clean and bright, much unlike other libraries that lack natural light (these kind of places make me feel like I’m held captive in a storage closet). This is because, as you can tell just from walking by, it is constructed of glass panels. And refreshingly so. I found myself less antsy and in need of distraction when I was getting some work done here. I’d have to say that it’s the lighting that makes this library extra special.
Furthermore, the professional staff of librarians here has always been friendly and open to assisting me with finding whatever I may need at the moment. I’ve always been handicapped at navigating libraries, but this one in Surry Hills is more accessible and user-​friendly.
Although this library has a very modern look to it, it is truly a community centre at its heart. There are people of all ages reading and working on their computers, children playing in their own little section, and numerous rooms that can be rented for conferences and meetings. In other words, it is a place that fosters knowledge.

Forget darkened rows of shelves and dusty piles of seldom read novels — Surry Hills Library makes a serious style statement in the oft daggy world of libraries. In the heart of café, bar and restaurant dense Crown Street sits the impressive timber and concrete façade (at the rear, covered entirely in glass sheets), a striking edifice that conjures up visions of architecturally challenging contemporary museums and institutions.
The vertical, tilted planks that encase the street-​facing side let just enough natural light pour into the building throughout the day, making for easy reading and little interference with troublesome laptop screens. The downstairs area is a great place for uni students and freelancers to settle in with readings and assignments, the atmosphere usually pretty peaceful and conducive to productive work. There is also free wi-​fi.
Thursday nights are reserved for late night lectures on everything from architecture to self-​improvement and craft workshops. I recently went along to a talk hosted by the authors of the SMH Good Food Shopping Guide, and left with some good insights into breaking into the world of food writing. The best bit is they’re free to attend and sometimes put on complimentary wine and cheese buffets for patrons.

Surry Hills Library is a brilliant spot to visit. Even if you have no interest in the books its a wonderful place to come and work. As a freelancer I love coming in, grabbing a table and working away in this beautiful open, light space.
The building has won a number of architect awards, I think the idea was to create a laidback sense of space both inside and out… at least that’s it what someone told me.
I love that there is only a thin piece of glass separating the world moving by outside and you working away on a table.
There’s also free wifi, super friendly staff and when you get hungry a feast of great restaurants and cafes all around you. What more could you ask for?

Surry Hills Library is a popular little joint, as I found out this morning, joining the crew of people waiting for its doors to open.
Once inside, everyone seemed quite familiar with their surroundings. Each of its study desks was filled with conscientious worker bees, and Mum’s with their kids flipped through picture books in the colourful kids reading area.
The building itself is pretty modern and makes for a pleasant working environment. Also, the open plan of the library helps to eliminate any musty book smell. This is a plus for me, but for those library fanatics that love the smell of dusty books in their nostrils then you might need to get right inside the books in order to find this. There’s free wifi, although it’s a bit temperamental downstairs, and the library has a distinct lack of power points, meaning that charging your laptop is a competitive endeavour.
The librarians here are helpful and clearly passionate about their jobs. I also like that they rock your typical librarian look — one guy is always wearing a different funny shirt, buttoned all the way to the neck. I was extra impressed when none of them frowned at me when I came in carrying a take-​away coffee.
All the books are in pretty good nick and everything seems to be nicely organised. What’s more, Surry Hills manages to make their library a touch unique — only here will you find gay and lesbian friendly books as part of the referencing system.

I love this building. It is an architectural beauty. From my understanding it is an eco-​sustainable building with the highest efficiency rating of any government building in Australia. It’s a beautiful modern structure that is partially surrounded by large panels of glass so it makes the most of natural lighting. On the street level you can see library patrons reading and working on their computers, kids playing in the children’s section and others looking at various media on the shelves. As you enter the building there is a lift and a staircase that will take you to various levels. On the middle floor you will find a series of community rooms and kitchens that are used for meeting, classes and events. The upper floor is a childcare centre and open air play area complete with a sandpit and soft ground play region. Even the floor directories are designed beautifully. It’s a civil architectural triumph. Oh, yeah, they also have books, videos, CD’s and free WiFi.

Located right next to the Surry Hills Library, this place does a bag wash for AUD 10.