Get started
You can borrow up to 20 items at any one time, and it’s possible to renew items up to 20 times each, if they haven’t been reserved by someone else.
Books
All our libraries stock a range of fiction and information books, both in hardback and paperback. Our collection includes a variety of genres such as romance, fantasy, sci-fi, Manga and graphic novels.
Whatever your reading preferences, we’re sure to have something to satisfy. All libraries also stock a variety of large print titles.
You can normally borrow a book for 21 days before you need to return or renew it.
Some libraries have small collections of books in other languages. A selection of these books can be sent to your local library free of charge. Speak to library staff – who will complete a request form with you detailing information like the genre preferred, reading level and author preferences. If your request can’t be satisfied from our existing stock we’ll consider purchasing new titles, depending on the likely wider demand
Audiobooks
All our libraries hold a stock of audiobooks on CD, and some also stock them in Playaway, MP3 and cassette format. Browse the selection on the shelves or request titles from the LibrariesWest website. The normal loan period is 21 days.
There are charges made to borrow or request items, unless you are eligible for the free service.
For more information on our concessions please see our ‘Accessible services and health and wellbeing collections‘ page.
e-books and e-audiobooks
Borrow e-books and e-audio books using your library membership number and PIN.
These collections are accessible on the internet and by using apps for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire, and the service is completely free.
Visit Cloud Library to choose from over 15,000 e-books. You can check out up to 10 titles at a time. The loan period is 21 days. You can also reserve up to 5 e-books at a time. There are no late fees, as the books will automatically expire if you don’t renew.
Download the Cloud Library app, or visit the website
Access over 3000 e-audiobooks at BorrowBox. You can check out up to 5 books at a time, for a 14 day loan period. You can reserve up to 5 titles as part of your loan entitlement if they are on loan to another customer. There are no late fees, as the audiobooks will automatically expire if you don’t renew the loan.
Download the BorrowBox app or visit the website.
DVDs
Films, World Cinema, TV series, general interest and DVDs for children are all available for you to borrow from your library, either directly from the shelves or by request from another library.
The normal hire period is 7 days, although during the Covid-19 pandemic it is extended to 14 days. You can renew a DVD, providing it has not been requested. A further loan fee will be charged for renewals.
You can request a DVD that is in stock, which incurs a request fee. If the DVD is not stocked you can write your suggestion on a comments form and it will be considered for purchase.
Most new release DVD titles are marked as Premium titles and are issued at the Premium price. The loan period for the Premium titles is 7 days, although during the Covid-19 pandemic it is extended to 14 days. Premium DVDs are not available for requests for 7 weeks after being added to stock.
Newspapers and magazines
Most of our libraries stock a range of newspapers for you to read on site.
You can access a great range of e-magazines on the public computers or on your own device through your library membership. There is no charge and no late fees, and up to a year of back issues to browse. There is also no limit on the number of magazine downloads you can have.
Visit the RBDigital website or download the app and create an account.
Reference books
Our libraries stock a range of reference books for use on site. They are clearly marked as reference only items, and you won’t be able to check them out with the self-service kiosks. We also provide access to a great range of online reference tools, which you can access in the library or from your own devices.