The internet was only just beginning to be used as a resource when I graduated, and so I don't think I could have imagined what a diverse place a public library could be.

Peterborough Central Library does not just offer books but also free internet use including Wi-Fi, local studies information, a comprehensive book ordering service, spoken words books, CDs, DVDs and Playstation games, children's story time, a Learning Zone for online courses and also an extensive range of services for young people through the branch of Connexions which is housed there.

It is a veritable one-stop shop for information.

Deputy library managerPete Aldridge admits that in the face of competition from the availability of cheap books and the internet, modern libraries have had to make some changes.

But not all the effects of the internet and discount book stores have been negative.

He said: "It has changed, but on the other hand because there are so many outlets selling books at reasonable prices and with the Harry Potter factor, there are more people talking about books than at any time I can remember.

"Certainly there is a lot more interest in reading and books than there has been for a considerable time.

"What it has meant for us is that we're in a very competitive market, not just in terms of books but in terms of how people use their leisure time.

"We really do respond, and people do expect as part of their lifestyle leisure choices to be able to use the internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week."

With this in mind, as well as providing a range of facilities in the library itself, Peterborough Library Service has a comprehensive and modern approach to its web presence.

Through its website, members of the public can apply to join the service and once members can access book searches online.

Using a barcode code and PIN, members can also access information from Ancestry.com, the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford Reference Online Premium, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Encyclopaedia Britannica, a range of online journals and even the Contemporary Fashion E-Book.

But with all this new-fangled information available, the library service still has one eye on its more traditional services, and Pete Aldridge believes it does it very well.

"What you'll find on the shelves of an average bookshop doesn't represent anywhere near the breadth and depth of what you can access through the library service," he said.

But even good old books are changing, or at least the range of them on offer is.

Due to Peterborough's diverse population, the library service now stocks books in around 40 languages, including Albanian, Arabic, Chinese, Polish, Serbo Croat, Somali, Urdu, Farsi, French and German.