"This is my idea of a library," sighed Salma Shah. Nursing a bad back, the 27-year-old is poring over a cookbook in the calm of Stroud Green library.

With its tidy shelves of books and immaculately kept silence, this little oasis in north London appears a perfectly traditional library. Its librarians brandish rubber stamps while pensioners shuffle across hard-wearing beige carpets to the large print books in the corner.

But the elegant Victorian building receives visitors you might not expect: busy young people, stressed-out parents and sharp-suited businesswomen.

"I'm supposed to be at work," said Ms Shah. "But my back is hurting so I came here to look at some back books. Now I've ended up looking at this Turkish cookbook.

"I work in mental health and for a lot of my clients the library is their sanctuary. It's somewhere they can feel safe. If you haven't got any money, they are quiet and comfortable and people leave you alone."

Three years ago, everyone left Stroud Green library alone. It opened its doors for two days a week. In 2001, the Audit Commission gave Haringey borough's libraries, including Stroud Green, a resounding nul points.

"When I first came here in 2001, this library was dark and ugly," said Diana Edmonds, the libraries manager in Haringey.

Now there are six new computers with free internet access, and DVD and video hire. There are graphic novels for childish grown-ups, while real children can romp in a play area with plastic dinosaurs. They also enjoy a basement full of toys - and biscuits - at Wednesday morning story sessions.

The library runs courses for "silver surfers" as well. Hunched over a computer in the corner is Nargis Rashid, 52, who comes in every day to read Bengali newspapers on the internet. "The computers have made my life happy," she said.

Since extending its opening hours to 7pm every working day, visitor numbers have soared. In April last year, Stroud Green received 3,511 visits; last month, it received 8,370. The Audit Commission now says Haringey's libraries are "good".

The librarians approve of the changes.

Counter assistant Lucy Guy said: "We wouldn't want the number of books to suffer to have computers but part of libraries is providing resources and we can do that with the internet."