Reference and Information

One of the important roles the library plays is that of an information service. If you need the answer to any question or problem, the library is often the best place to start. All our libraries have:

• reference books
• newspapers and magazines
• tourist information
• maps and street plans
• travel timetable

The largest and most comprehensive collection of these is at Central Library. This is the main information service in the borough. Enquiries on any subject are welcome, in person, by phone, fax (there is a charge for faxed replies) or email. There are two addresses you can email your queries to:

• General enquiries: centralref.library@islington.gov.uk
• Local History enquiries: local.history@islington.gov.uk

At Central Library you will find a wide range of information sources, covering such subjects as:

• Law - including Acts of Parliament, Statutory Instruments, and All England Law Reports
• Government and official publications - including White Papers and Parliamentary Reports
• Directories and Yearbooks - including those for business
• Phone books - a complete set of White and Yellow Pages directories for the UK
• Statistics - local, national, and international, on many themes
• Education - course guides, college prospectuses, details of local classes and groups
• Encyclopaedias
• European information - as a designated European Public Information Centre, (EPIC), we have a special collection of official and background materials on the European Union, a wide range of give-away leaflets, and can refer you to other European information providers if necessary. Click the link on the right, under Useful Websites, to access the Europa European Union website.
• Community information - advice and information for local citizens on many topics, including health, education, housing, and employment
• Newspapers and magazines - we carry about two dozen national and international newspaper titles, and nearly two hundred other magazines and periodicals, with back files available
• Tourist information - maps and guides to places of interest, where to stay and places to eat at home and abroad, and so on. We also have books and leaflets packed with ideas and things to do, groups to join and places to go in Islington, London and the UK
• Maps and street plans - for both Great Britain and abroad. These include road atlases, complete sets of Ordnance Survey Landranger and Outdoor Leisure maps, and A-Zs for most UK towns
• Timetables - for buses and coaches all over Britain, trains in London, England and abroad, British ferries, and air travel
• Local History - books, maps, prints, and postcards for sale, as well as a range of open access material to browse
• Leaflets - we hold many free-to-take-away leaflets on several topics, including benefits, tax, and council information
• Visual impairment aids - internet access and optical character recognition (OCR) software that can turn text into speech for visually impaired people. Please call to make an appointment
• Internet - over 15 PCs giving free internet access. Please call or email to book
• CD-Roms and online databases - an increasing range of information is now available in these electronic formats

For more information, click the link on the left to view online resources or  the link below for a copy of our Online Resources leaflet.

Click on the link to the right, under Related Information, for the contact details of your local library.

You can also download the documents below, for further local information.