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Cardiff Council

www.cardiff.gov.uk

Library services

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​As a library member you can access our electronic resources as well as a range of other library services.


Cardiff libraries offer a number of services including:

Free WiFi is available at all of our libraries, except Tongwynlais.

You can use a public computer for free at these locations.

Our computers offer:

  • internet access, and
  • Microsoft Office applications.

You can book a computer up to 8 days in advance. You will need to log in with your library card number and PIN.

You can also use our public printers. Please see our fines and charges for costs per sheet.

WiFi printing is also available. Using the 'print a document' function on our booking system, you can send a document to a library printer from anywhere.

If you are a member of Cardiff libraries you can borrow eBooks and eAudiobooks from the comfort of your own home using our 24 hour book service

Spoken word materials are available to borrow from all our libraries on CD.

If we do not have the title you want at your local library, you may be able to reserve it from another library and have it sent to your local branch for collection. 

Reserving spoken word material is free. To find out what titles we have and how to reserve them, visit our online catalogue or visit your local branch.

Please see our library fines and charges for details on charges. If you have a visual disability you can borrow spoken word materials free of charge.

You can also access:

  • Ebooks, 
  • eAudiobooks, 
  • newspapers,
  • and magazines.

You can borrow eBooks and eAudiobooks, newspapers and magazines from:







You can use these services on most devices, however Amazon kindle is not compatible. 

To browse, borrow and reserve you will need your library card number and PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN please contact us. 

Please include your library card number if you know it.

BorrowBox​​

BorrowBox makes it easy to browse, borrow and read the library's eBooks and eAudiobooks.

You can reserve or download up to 10 eBooks and eAudiobooks for free using BorrowBox. You can borrow books for up to 14 days. 

If you are using a smart phone or tablet, you can download the BorrowBox app from the Apple App store or Google Play store.

If you are using a PC or laptop you can visit the BorrowBox website to download eBooks and eAudiobooks to your device. To read eBooks you will need Adobe Digital Editions. eAudiobooks can be imported to iTunes or Windows Media Player and transferred to an MP3 player or eReader.

Libby, by OverDrive​​

Libby, by OverDrive is a free app that lets you borrow eBooks, eAudiobooks, comics and magazines from the library.

You can reserve or download up to 16 eBooks, eAudiobooks and magazines using Libby. You can borrow books for up to 21 days. 

If you are using a smart phone or tablet, you can download the Libby, by OverDrive app from the Apple App store or Google Play store.

If you are using a PC or laptop you can visit the Ov​erDrive website.  You can read magazines and eBooks in your browser. You can also download eBooks in EPUB format using Adobe Digital Editions. You can listen to eAudiobooks in your browser, or you can download them as an MP3 file.

PressReader​​

You can access digital newspapers and magazines using PressReader. 

If you are using a smart phone or tablet, you can download the PressReader app from the Apple App Store or Google Play store.

If you are using a PC or laptop you can visit the PressReader website.

You can also access PressReader newspapers using the ‘extras’ tab on the Libby, by OverDrive app. PressReader magazines are not available using the Libby app. 

 eReference ​

​eReference materials available include:

  • IELTS
  • ​Historical newspapers via Gale Primary Resources and British Newspaper Archive
  • The Times Digital Newspaper Archive
  • Life In The UK: The British Way of Life​





If you are accessing these from home or using your own computer you may need to log in using your Library Card number and PIN. 

The following resources are only accessible from a PC within the Hubs and Libraries:

  • ​Find My Past
  • Ancestry.com – Library Edition
You can find information on the hubs website ​about your local library or hub, and look for community rooms and meeting facilities available for hire.
We love having class visits and are happy to talk to teachers or other school staff to make arrangements. Please contact your local Hub or library directly.

Borrowing books


If you are a teacher, we can set up a special library account for you to borrow a larger number of books for your class. 

Multiple titles of certain books for younger readers are also available as part of our reading group collections. Please contact us for more information.​
If you belong to a reading group, are looking for one in your area, or are even thinking of setting one up, here's what we can do for you:

  • help you find a reading group that meets at a time and place convenient for you
  • advertise your group to new members
  • recommend great books for you to read
  • provide you with up to 15 copies of the same book, which you can keep for up to 6 weeks
  • offer many activities throughout the year
 
For more details ask at your local hub or library.

Our mobile library service is temporarily unavailable, but our home delivery service is still running.

If you are unable to access Library Services, please contact the Outreach Library Home Delivery Service on 02920 871 333 or by emailing OutreachLibrary@cardiff.gov.uk​ ​


The mobile library takes a full library service out into the Cardiff community by visiting: 
  
  • areas without easy access to a local library,
  • people who might otherwise struggle to reach their nearest library, for example due to mobility issues, and  
  • day care centres, residential homes, care homes and schools.​
  
Our mobile library ​has a wide selection of stock, and library staff will use their knowledge to secure the best reads for you.
 
We can order stock from our libraries across the city and will make every effort to secure the item you want by our next visit. 

Residents can request books via any of our hubs and libraries. 
 

Home delivery service  

 ​We run a service that brings the library to your doorstep if you are incapacitated through:
  
  • illness,
  • infirmity,
  • disability,
  • post-operative recovery, or
  • ​long-term isolation,








and can no longer travel to your local library independently or carry books home.

We call every 3​​ weeks, delivering and collecting ordinary or large print books, and audiobooks.​

Our staff will contact you in the first instance to discuss your needs and reading tastes. After that, you may either give the driver a list of books that you would like to read, or have the books chosen for you by our experienced and knowledgeable library staff.

You can also reserve your favourite books online, and have them delivered as soon as they become available.

This service is entirely free and covers the whole of Cardiff. However, please be aware that resources are limited and there is sometimes a waiting list.


You can​​​ contact our mobile and home delivery service on 029 2087 1333 or by emailing OutreachLibrary@cardiff.gov.uk​.​
The National Library of Wales offers a wide range of subscribed electronic resources from scholarly journals to encyclopaedias and newspapers.
 
You can register to:

  • Get a readers' ticket before visiting the National Library of Wales, and
  • Get remote access to the Library's electronic resources as long as you live in Wales.




As this service is funded by the Welsh Government, you will not be able to register unless you have a home address in Wales.​














Contact us

If you have any questions about library services, or if you have forgotten your PIN, you can contact us using this form. 

Please include your library card number if you know it.
Contact us
© 2022 Cardiff Council