Eastfield Public Library Handbook

Opening hours. The library is open from 9.00 am to 7.00 pm, Monday to Thursday, from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm on Fridays and from 10.00 am to 4.00 pm on Saturdays. It is closed on Sundays and on public holidays. The children's section closes one hour before the main library on weekdays. Joining. Anyone who lives, works or studies in the borough can join free of charge. You will need to bring one document showing your address, such as a utility bill or a bank statement, and one form of photographic identification. Children under 16 can join with the written permission of a parent or guardian. Your card will be ready within ten minutes and can be used straight away. If you lose your card, please report it as soon as possible so that it can be cancelled. A replacement costs 2 pounds. Borrowing. Members may borrow up to twelve items at a time. Books and audio books can be kept for three weeks and renewed twice online, unless another member has reserved them. DVDs can be kept for one week and cannot be renewed. Reserving an item costs 50 pence, but this charge is waived for members over 65 and for those under 16. Overdue books are charged at 15 pence per day, up to a maximum of 3 pounds per item. Children's books are never charged. Computers and study spaces. There are twenty public computers on the first floor, which can be booked for sessions of up to one hour, free of charge. Printing costs 10 pence per page in black and white. Silent study rooms can be booked up to two weeks in advance at the first-floor desk. Groups of more than four people are asked to use the meeting room instead. Events. Every Tuesday morning there is a story session for children under five, and on the first Thursday of each month the library hosts a talk on local history, starting at 6.30 pm. Talks are free, but seats should be booked at the desk, as the room holds only forty people. A note from the head librarian. Some people tell me that libraries are a thing of the past now that so much is available online. I could not disagree more. In my experience, the people who use us most are not those without a connection but those who want a quiet place to think, or someone to help them find what they did not know they were looking for. I would also argue that a library is one of the few public buildings where nobody is expected to spend money, and a town is poorer without that. We will keep our doors open for as long as you keep using them.