We offer free WiFi at all our libraries, except Tongwynlais.
You can also use our free public computers 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 the full list of library fees and charges for cost per sheet.
We also offer WiFi printing at all of our libraries, except Tongwynlais. 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 the library, you can borrow digital eBooks and eAudiobooks from the comfort of your own home, 24 hours a day. You can find more details under 'Electronic resources'.
You can also borrow spoken word materials on CD from all our libraries. 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 library.
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. This also applies for those with print disabilities, such as dyslexia.
You can borrow eBooks, eAudiobooks, newspapers and magazines from:
- BorrowBox,
- Libby by OverDrive, and
- PressReader.
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. BorrowBox ePress now also offers a wide selection of UK newspapers, including popular titles local to Wales.
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 OverDrive website. You can:
- read magazines and eBooks in your browser,
- download eBooks in EPUB format using Adobe Digital Editions,
- listen to eAudiobooks in your browser, or
- 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.
You can also access PressReader newspapers using the ‘extras’ tab on the Libby app by OverDrive. PressReader magazines are not available using the Libby app.
eReference
You can access a range of online reference resources through our library catalogue.
eReference materials available include:
- IELTS,
- Historical newspapers via Gale Primary Resources and British Newspaper Archive,
- The Times Digital Newspaper Archive, and
- 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 our 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 welcome 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, we can:
- 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, and
- offer many activities throughout the year.
For more details, ask at your local Hub or library.
We run a service that brings the library to your doorstep if you can no longer travel to your local library or carry books home, and are incapacitated through:
- illness,
- infirmity,
- disability,
- post-operative recovery, or
- long-term isolation.
We call every 4 weeks, delivering and collecting ordinary or large print books, and audiobooks.
We will get in touch with you to discuss your needs and reading tastes. After that, you can either:
- give the driver a list of books you would like to read, or
- have us carefully select books for you.
If you have internet access, you can also reserve your favourite books online, and have them delivered as soon as they are available.
This service is free and covers the whole of Cardiff.
Please note that resources are limited and there is sometimes a waiting list.
If you are unable to access Library Services in person, please contact the Outreach Library Home Delivery Service.
Tel: 029 2087 1333
Email: 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.