In a book that comes out tomorrow (Saturday 4 February) on National Libraries Day, a local author tells of his frequent research visits to the University of Sussex Library.

Michael Brooks, who holds a PhD in quantum physics from Sussex, is an author, journalist and broadcaster. 

In his book Free Radicals, published in summer 2011, Michael asked: is science really as dull as most people seem to think? To find the answer to this question, he frequently made the short journey from his home in Lewes to the Sussex campus.

And, in his contribution to The Library Book, Michael describes the research process: “Researching Free Radicals involved many trips to a university library that I regularly use [Sussex]. 

“Those trips invariably resulted in a lot of 'wasted' time looking up and down the surrounding shelves, pulling out related books that looked interesting, and skimming through them.

“There is so much in libraries that deserves an airing. There is little that can compare with the joy and value of discovering a book that you could only have come across by being in the same physical space.”

Other contributors to the new book include playwright and screenwriter Alan Bennett; comedian and broadcaster Stephen Fry; journalists Lucy Mangan and Caitlin Moran; novelists Julian Barnes, Kate Mosse Julie Myerson and Lionel Shriver; and crime writer Val McDermid. 

All the contributors have signed over their royalties to The Reading Agency, a charity that helps libraries to connect with their communities and aims to inspire people to read more.

Michael says: “Every book I find via an internet search has something to say that I already know about. In a library, on the other hand, that book is only a starting point. That book is surrounded by books on a similar subject – books that I didn't know about. You pick them up, flick through them, and find treasures – and wisdom – you would never otherwise have found.”

Michael’s contribution can be read in full at the book review website, The Bookbag.