Borrowing, renewals and reservations
You can use your library card at any library in Lancashire or log into your account to reserve and renew items online. Search our catalogue.
Borrowing
You can borrow up to 20 items at a time (any combination of books, CDs, DVDs or other items).
If you don't have time to browse the shelves or just want a member of staff to pick some recommended books use our Six of the Best service.
Books and audiobooks are issued for 3 weeks, DVDs and CDs are issued for 1 week.
There is a charge for spoken word recordings on CD or pre-loaded Playaway and language sets.
There is a charge for hiring DVDs and CDs , ask at your library for a loyalty card to borrow 5 DVDs and get the 6th free.
You can also download eBooks or eAudiobooks (Lancashire residents only).
There is a charge for items that are overdue.
Reservations
You can reserve a maximum of 20 items at any one time.
You can request items available for loan by logging into your library account (library card number and PIN required), in person at any library or by phone 0300 123 6703.
If you are looking for a book that is not available on the Lancashire Library catalogue, we may be able to obtain a copy for you to borrow from another library. Find out more about inter-library loans
There is a charge, per item, payable on collection. There is no charge to reserve audio/visual items. Some borrowers may be exempt from these charges and there is no charge for anyone aged under 18.
When a reservation has arrived at your library, we'll let you know by voicemail, text, email or post (depending on what you have nominated for your account). You can also log into your library account to check the status of your reservation - items show as "ready to collect" when available. Reserved items are kept for 2 weeks for you to collect.
Ask at your library for a loyalty card to reserve 5 books and get the 6th one free.
Renewals
You can renew your library items up to 10 times.
- Renew online
- In person at any Lancashire library
- Phone our 24 hour automated service 0300 123 6704 (library card number and PIN required) or our Customer Contact Centre 0300 123 6703 (Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm)
- Email your local library
- Using the Ask a Lancashire Librarian enquiry service
You will not be able to login to your account or use the automated phone service if you have outstanding charges of more than £6 on your account or charges which are more than a month old. Some items may not be renewed, and some audio visual items may be subject to loan charges on renewal. Any item that has been requested by another customer may not be renewed. You will be able to reserve a copy with no charge if you haven't finished reading the reserved book.
Returns
You can return Lancashire library books at any Lancashire County Council library, regardless of which library they were originally borrowed from. Take them to the counter or self-service machine.
Notifications
You can choose to receive notifications about reservations waiting collection and overdue items by email, text, voicemail or post. For details of how we use and store your information please see our privacy notice.
Register for the free Library Elf service to receive email reminders before items are due back.
Inter-library loans
If you are looking for a book that is not available on the Lancashire Library catalogue, we may be able to obtain a copy for you to borrow from another library.
Find out more about inter-library loans