Borrow, renew and reserve library items

What you can borrow from Brighton & Hove Libraries

You can borrow the following for free:

books
graphic novels
music scores
books in other languages
e-books, e-audiobooks and e-magazines
toys (from Whitehawk Library)

You can borrow the following for a small charge:

DVDs
audiobooks
language courses

Learn more about fees for our library items and services.

How to find library items

Once you're a member, you can:

search our online library catalogue
borrow items from any of our Brighton & Hove Libraries

How many items you can borrow

You can borrow all these items at the same time:

30 books
8 audiobooks, CDs, or DVDs
2 toys from Whitehawk Library or Coldean Library

How long you can borrow items for

You can borrow:

books and audiobooks for up to 3 weeks
language courses for up to 3 weeks
DVDs for up to 1 week
toys for up to 3 weeks

How to renew books and other items

If someone else hasn't reserved an item, you can renew it up to 4 times. If you renew an item we charge for, you’ll have to pay a fee every time you renew it.

You can renew by:

renew library items online - you’ll need your membership number and PIN
phone us during staffed opening hours on 01273 290 800
phone our auto-renewal telephone line on 0303 123 0035
visit your local library to renew items in person - bring your membership card

What happens if your items are overdue

If you borrow an item and don’t return it on time, you’ll have to pay a fee. These fees are different depending on the item and how long it's overdue.

Learn more about our fees for overdue items.

How to reserve items

The reservation service is available for anyone looking to reserve a specific book or item. Go to our library catalogue, search for the title you want and then click ‘place reservation’.

You'll need your membership number and PIN to do this.  

How to suggest a title

To suggest a title, go to our library catalogue and click the ‘suggest a title’ link on the right-hand side and complete the form.