Libraries

Library and Heritage Services

The prime purpose of Islington Library and Heritage Services is to enable people to realise their full potential by providing them with full and equal access - appropriate to their various needs - to information, ideas, knowledge and creative works.

There are ten public libraries in Islington, providing a mixture of materials and services for customers of all ages. Two Learning Centres and the Local History Centre are based in libraries, and the new Islington Museum is situated beneath our Finsbury Library.

Click the links on the left side of this page to view further details about all our services

 

Become an Ambassador for Reading in 2012

Professionals working with families and members of the public are being recruited across the capital to become London Literacy Ambassadors to introduce families they know to reading activities such as story and rhyme times in libraries.

The idea, the brainchild of the National Literacy Trust and supported by the Mayor of London, is to get more parents involved in their child’s reading and learning and recognises that the best way to get families to read more is by getting people they know to nominate them.

If you’re interested in doing this in Islington, you can apply either at www.literacytrust.org.uk/volunteer or by contacting: geoff.james@islington.gov.uk  If you wish to publicise and promote this, there is a poster below under Downloadable Documents.

Outcomes from the libraries consultation 2011

Islington Council has pledged not to close any libraries. But we do need to save money, so there will be changes to library services in Islington in the future.

The council consulted residents and library users on their views in June and July 2011, and the final report, which makes recommendations about the library service was passed by the council’s Executive in October 2011.

You can find the final report here:

http://www.islington.gov.uk/Democracy/meetings/executivemeetingdetail.asp?MeetingID=2832

Key recommendations from the report include:

• All ten libraries in Islington will be kept open, though opening hours will be reduced in all libraries except Central and Finsbury. Reducing the opening hours will save £200k between 2011-2014. 73% of respondents to the consultation supported reducing opening hours to save money.
• We are not reducing what we spend on books
• Automated terminals for checking out books will be introduced in all libraries , saving £250k between 2011-14
• Voluntary redundancies and back-office reductions will save £140k between 2011-14
• We will share our Home Library Service with Camden saving £30k between 2011-14
• We will increase fines and review CD and DVD hire services saving £30k between 2011-13

We will keep you updated as any further decisions are made about the future of Islington's library services

Join any library in England and Wales...

Millions of book lovers can now borrow items from a public library regardless of where they live, under a new scheme.

More than 4,000 libraries in England, Wales and Northern Ireland are in the Society of Chief Librarians initiative. Existing membership cards or a proof of address will allow people to join and use any library in the scheme, although books have to be returned to the same area.

This means little change for Islington library users as we already made it easier to join our libraries, but it does make it easier for you to use libraries in other parts of the country. Just remember to take your Islington library card with you. 

Contacts

For borrower services, call us on 020 7527 6900 or email library.informationunit@islington.gov.uk.

For general enquiries about Islington Library and Heritage Services, please contact Rosemary Doyle, Head of Islington Library and Heritage Services:
Email: hlcs@islington.gov.uk
Tel: 020 7527 6905

Library Services and PIN numbers

You now need a PIN (as well as your library card number) to access the online services available through the My Account section of the Library Catalogue. These include renewing or reserving items, or checking for outstanding charges. You also need your PIN to book a computer when in the library.

If you do not have a PIN number, or have forgotten it, just bring your current library card or proof of ID to your nearest Islington library and a member of staff will give you one. You can easily change it to your own choice afterwards. 

What You'll Find at Your Library

• books and graphic novels, music and DVDs, story CDs, and PlayStation games
• newspapers and magazines
• free internet access - surf the web, send e-mails, word-process 
• local and family history- research Islington and its people, or do genealogy
• lifelong learning - free self-help, computer-based training or from our two Learning Centres
• free quality online resources - for research and study
• online catalogue - search what we have, request items, check your loans etc
• reading groups - have fun discussing books and Graphic Novels
• e-books
• children's services - books, music, games and toys; under-fives and baby and toddler sessions; computer clubs, homework clubs
• home library service - library services for people who cannot get to their local library
• blind and visually impaired services - large-print books, spoken word CDs, optical character reader (OCR) which converts text into speech, internet with magnified screen and sound
• hearing impaired services - subtitled DVDs for loan
• reference and Information services
• study spaces
• experienced staff, welcoming enquiries by phone, fax, in person or by e-mail (please see the link to Libraries, Opening Hours, and Contacts on the left)
• and much much more