Everyone is welcome
Kingston Library Service is here for all residents of the borough to use and enjoy. Everyone is welcome to come in and use the library space without being a member of the library. In order to attend events and borrow items please join the library.
Joining the library
It is free to join Kingston Libraries. You can get an instant temporary membership by joining online here. Alternatively, please visit one of our branches with a document that shows your name and address such as your driving licence, or bill or bank statement dated within the last three months. In order to join children under aged 16 we need to see a parent or guardian’s proof of name and address.
Borrowing items
Once you have library membership you can borrow up to 20 physical items at one time. We have books and spoken word CDs to borrow in all our branches. It is free to borrow books but there is a small charge to borrow spoken word CDs. Books are issued for three weeks and can be renewed if no other person is waiting. There are fines for overdue items, please see here.
In addition to the physical items you can borrow, library membership gives you free access to our digital resources including online encyclopedias, newspapers, magazines, eBooks and eAudiobooks. More information on these resources can be found here.
Community Library Service
In addition to our seven branches, we also have a Community Library Service which delivers books and audio books to our most vulnerable residents and is currently expanding. Stock is being delivered, monthly, by library staff and volunteers. If you or someone you know is housebound and unable to reach a Library please get in touch with our Community Library Service here
Library computers and WiFi
Having a library card means you can also book and use the library computers free for up to an hour each day. All our branches have WiFi you can use.
The Libraries Consortium - further access to books
Kingston Library Service is part of The Libraries Consortium, a growing group of local authority libraries. Your Kingston library card also gives you access to the items in any library in this group, currently:
Items borrowed from any participating library can be returned to any other library in the consortium.