Wow. From the first moment I stepped into Manchester Central Library I was impressed. I visited another English city’s central library recently and they said, with a wistful look in their eyes: “If only we could become like Manchester Central Library”. Now I know why.

The beauty of libraries – like all UK online centres – is their diversity; the frustration is … their diversity. However, that long list of things that some libraries want to be or that some libraries want do, Manchester Central Library ticks them all.

• An impressive space, well used. ü

• A blend of old, heritage spaces and modern services enabled and enhanced by technology. ü

• A virtual archive wall, designed for co-use by young and old people together. ü

• A bustling cafe embedded amongst the digital archives. (Including all maps now digitised.) ü

• A business library and support service for businesses. ü

• A music library where you’re encouraged to be noisy. ü

• 3D printing facilities. ü

• Lots and lots of people using it. ü(5 million people a day)

• A media lab with a weekly session for teenagers to learn coding. ü
• Drop in support for basic digital skills. ü
• Human beings smiling and helping. ü

Our Digital Libraries Hub (#digilibraries) is becoming the virtual place to go to talk about digital inclusion and libraries. And later next month I’ll be talking about the role of community assets – such as public libraries and the community centres in the UK online centres network – in deploying digital to tackle social challenges.

In the meanwhile, if you find yourself in Manchester, do pop into the Central Library, as I think you’ll say “wow!”