As a university student, you’re hopefully familiar with at least a couple of the university libraries, but did you know that there are a whole host of other libraries across the city? These are run either by Sheffield City Council or by community and volunteer groups, and they are there to serve Sheffield’s entire population, including all of its students. Here, I will highlight my favourite libraries and also give you a few tips on how you can make the most out of what they offer!
Broomhill Library
Located on Taptonville Road, just up the hill from Morrisons, Broomhill Library is nearby for students living in university accommodation at Endcliffe or Ranmoor, and for those who live out in Crookes, Crookesmoor or Broomhill itself. It’s a great little community-run library that has a wide range of books available for you to borrow. There is even a children’s section upstairs, which makes it a great choice for students with young families. For me, the only downside to Broomhill Library is that it has fairly limited opening hours, however this is quite normal for libraries nowadays due to funding cuts.
Central Library
Sheffield Central Library is on Surrey Street in the city centre, just around the corner from the Sheffield Theatres complex and across the road from the Hallam campus. The main library is on the ground floor, and it has a large selection of books, CDs and DVDs. In the past, I have even been able to pick up a book to keep for free (and it was a brand-new book, not an old library copy!).
The Central Library also has a small reading room (with free Wi-Fi access) which is very quiet and is therefore a great place to go to get some work done. However, it is quite a small space so it can fill up very quickly. The reading room is also where you will find the Central Library’s foreign language section. Here, not only are there books that focus on language learning, but there are also sections for books fully in different languages (including French, Mandarin and German).
Like Broomhill Library, the Central Library also has a children’s section so it is a great choice for families, and an advantage of this library is that it has longer opening hours than lots of the smaller community libraries across the city.
Other Libraries
Although Broomhill Library and the Central Library are my favourite ones in Sheffield, there are lots more options across the city. These include council-run/-supported libraries in Walkley, Hillsborough, Woodseats and Ecclesall Road. You can find the full list of Sheffield’s libraries as well as information about their opening hours and contact details on the library section of the Council’s website.
So you’ve taken the leap to do go a new library, but how can you truly make the most of it? Here are my top tips for using Sheffield’s libraries effectively!
Tip #1 ~ Get a library card as soon as possible
Getting a Sheffield library card is a really easy process, and it is well worth it because it gives you access to loads of books and resources. You can either apply for your library card online on the Council’s website or you can go in person and join at any of the libraries in the city. Personally, I applied for my library card online and collected it from Broomhill Library. This was a really seamless process and the little effort it took was worth it because I have been able to borrow books that I want to read without having to fork out half my student loan.
Tip #2 ~ Download the Sheffield Libraries app
You can get the Sheffield Libraries app on both Apple and Android devices. It is there to help you manage your loans and reservations and you can also use it to browse their collection. This means that you can quickly and easily find out if they have the book you’re desperately looking for. Moreover, you can directly access eBooks, eMagazines, and audiobooks through the app which can save you a physical trip to the library if you are really stretched for time.
Tip #3 ~ Get the Libby app
This tip is less specific to Sheffield, but I think that Libby is a massively underrated app. It is a free app that gives you access to eBooks and audiobooks right there on your phone. What makes it different from the Sheffield Libraries app is that you can sign in using multiple library cards and then, when you search for a book, the app searches all of your library collections automatically which makes the process much easier for you. Personally, I really like using Libby to listen to audiobooks as this can be quite an expensive endeavour otherwise. It is also an amazing app for anyone who likes to have a book to read on the go as you don’t have to carry anything extra around with you.
Hopefully, this quick guide to Sheffield’s libraries has made you want to go out and support the multitude of libraries that the city is lucky to have. It is important to use them as, if we forget about them, they likely won’t be there for future generations.
