Hove Central Library

Hove Library has to be one of the most grand and simultaneously comfortable seats of knowledge that I have ever had the pleasure of bettering myself in. With its’ huge frontage and borderline Latin carved lettering this place has the immediate air of a high church of written information. Once within its’ walls there is little to dissuade you from the opinion you may have formed before crossing the threshold from dirty street into the confines of Steven Fry’s literary mind.
I went through a stage of using this place as a destination for winter reflection indulging in such tomes as «Dombey and Son» or ascending the vast helical staircase into the archive room and discovering great volumes on the history of Sussex amongst the masses of foreign students. This place is, in my opinion, quite special. Not like the average council library with 1970s concrete box architecture, but a brilliant balance between Victorian authority and modern day information.

Brighton does pretty well for libraries, with the huge Jubilee Library offering what most residents need in the centre of town, and the Hove and Moulsecoomb branches offering more intimate services for residents looking for that particular book or magazine. The Hove Library, in particular, is excellent, with much of what I needed when living in the area: where the Jubilee seems to have more general fiction, the Hove Library had some of the more obscure texts I needed for a play I was working on. Brilliantly useful, and free! What more could you want?
Where the Jubilee Library is a modern behemoth of glass and metal, the Hove Library is housed in a beautiful old Edwardian building, fitting much better into Hove’s more old-​fashioned aesthetic. Inside, the metal and glass theme returns, but more tastefully than the Jubilee’s oppressive modernity: in this case, it is restricted to the lift/​stairs combo in the middle of the house.
The book selection here also seems to be a little more select. Instead of a random selection of some more pulpy fiction, the collections here seem to be more specialised, focusing on more arty books and dense and foreign fiction. Since this is exactly what I go for in books, this appealed more to me than the Jubilee’s focus on kids and new media. That being said, books do seem to often get lost between all of the different libraries around town: more often than not, a book I’ve wanted was somewhere, and is now somewhere else… I normally just gave up and bought it on Amazon.
I still think it’s amazing that the government provides its people with free books, and that’s more than enough for me. I sometimes wish that the libraries were slightly better organised, and Brighton and Hove is no exception, with plenty of books catalogued but not around. Still, better loads of free books than that one particular one you want.

Much cosier than the Jubilee, Hove Central Library is a great place for students who need somewhere quiet to study. With a couple of dedicated study rooms there’s hardly any noise and the atmosphere is tranquil. It offers a large selection of specialist books and magazines along with free internet access and a range of regular reading and writing groups. The large collection of Lesbian, Gay, bi-​sexual and transgender books means no minority is left out. It’s smaller than the Jubilee but what it lacks in size it makes up for in character.

Hove Central Library is probably Brighton’s second best library, outdone only the Jubilee. Whilst it’s not as expensive as its superior Hove library has a more studious atmosphere, providing a suitable place for those wishing to read in a warm, cosy environment. With a large selection of specialist books, magazines, free Internet access and a variety of weekly reading and writing groups it offers a diverse set of facilities that’ll appeal to a wide range of people. There are a number of kids groups, which will take some of the pressure off tired parents. Also, their Lesbian, gay, bi-​sexual and transgender collections provide a welcome divergence from the straight-​and-​narrow. Finally, the dedicated study rooms make it perfect for students or those doing research.

Another library, another place to get books. But, Hove library has a good selection, an IT suite and electronic search facility to speed up the process of finding what you are looking for, or seeing when it is next available. There is also a great archive room where you can read about the history of Brighton and Hove and see original documentation. The building is old and rather grand and thence feels like a library, plus the kids’ library is a nice touch to give this place a family-​friendly feeling. It is encouraging (but also frustrating) to see the computers fully booked, showing Hove to be a technologically aware community. Not as flash as Jubilee, but at its core, a good place to get connected, or lose yourself.