New Beginnings, Travel, and Public Libraries

I find myself experiencing two periods of fresh starts annually. We have just entered 2025 and are in a brand-new year. But, for me, autumn has always been a time that signals a new beginning.

In education, autumn is the start of a new school year; You get fresh exercise books which you promise yourself you’ll keep neat “this time”, and there are new subjects and modules to get excited about. Walks in the colder autumn air wakes up my brain while the shorter days give urgency to any tasks I want to complete. The leaves on the trees transforming from green to yellow, deep oranges and reds make it sunset all day long, a feast for the eyes. There is no better time of year to go on some adventures.

In autumn 2024 I ventured on a few trips to cities around the UK. Having time away and visiting these characterful places was wonderful. And in each place, I naturally made time to visit their public libraries… and made notes.

York

Experiencing York at the turn of the seasons was particularly magical. I arrived in early September in glorious sunshine and left on a greyer day with leaves beginning to fall from the trees. York is a very walkable city - you can walk the historic walls surrounding the city centre in less than two hours – which leaves time on a visit to travel out beyond the centre too. I strolled north following the river Ouse path a couple of times on my stay and highly recommend it. All round, my trip here was heavily featured green spaces and peaceful vibes.

The libraries around York are collectively known as Explore York. There are fifteen library branches, the main library and archives hub being in the city centre just a few minutes down the road from York station. This branch is called York Explore and this is the one I made a trip to.

Set back from the road and next to old abbey ruins and the beautiful botanical museum gardens, this library is very aesthetically pleasing. Within the building there is the public library and a café on the ground floor, and local history archives and a reading room up this gorgeous staircase on the floor above.

The library is open an impressive seven days a week! The space feels so homely with seating scattered between the bookshelves and the users of this library are encouraged to leave book reviews on slips in the books when they return them which I love.

If you end up visiting, you must head up the stairs to the viewing platform. Enjoy the grandness of this space, take a look at the artwork on the wall, and look down into the library’s entranceway.

Liverpool

I spent a good couple of hours in Liverpool’s Central Library before catching my train home on the final day of my trip here. It had been raining pretty much the whole time I spent exploring the city and finding somewhere dry and cozy to relax and read a book was just what I needed in that moment.

I love Liverpool. It’s another very walkable city and once again I was particularly attracted to the water – in this case the docks on the Mersey. Tired after walking the streets, visiting the News from Nowhere bookshop, and making the climb up to the top of the Liver Building, my spirits lifted when I entered the library to find much more than I was expecting.

To match the impression of Liverpool’s sights, the library has got to be one of the most striking public libraries I’ve visited. Blending both old and new, Liverpool Central Library has everything you’d expect to find spread across its five floors, plus a fairytale reading room, a gallery space, and a roof terrace looking out over the city!

Liverpool City Council run the Central Library as well as eighteen community libraries in the area. If I was a resident here, I would certainly be making use of these beautiful, well-equipped spaces. And if you’re visiting, I’d recommend heading straight to the top and making your way down making sure to pop into the Picton Reading Room on the first floor to feel the magic of the domed ceiling and spiral staircases.

Brighton

Chilly walks along a beach - winter coat and hat at the ready - are one of the underrated joys of life. Brighton has a pebble beach which I strolled along on this spontaneous trip down to the East Sussex coast before heading to the warmth of Jubilee Library, the main library run by Brighton and Hove council.

In a modern building away from the main road, the first thing you come across entering the library is a bookish gift shop. Walk through the shop and you’ll find yourself straight into the heart of the library set up which is across three floors including a mezzanine level. The first floor is home to non-fiction and has views down into the rest of the building. I am mostly okay with heights, but this was a little much for me, so be warned!

I can’t talk about this library without mentioning the toilets. Not the most conventional thing to notice, but head to the ground floor toilets and you’ll find those automated all-in-one sinks that dispenses soap, releases water and then has a dryer, all on a timed sequence. It has been an age since I came across these, and only in park public toilets before. It was a novelty that made me smile.

I also really liked their Books for Sale section. This is such a good idea and is placed right by the exit, perfectly placed to catch me on my way out. I spent longer in the library than planned browsing these additional shelves, but don’t worry(!), I did drag myself away in time to make my train.

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There are lessons I have taken from these libraries back to my own job as a library assistant. These trips also reminded me of how much I enjoy spending my free time in these spaces surrounded by books and feeling connected to a community.

I’m not usually one to make new year resolutions, but in 2025 I’ll be sure to make more trips to libraries on my days off and seeking these community connections.