Bank Holiday Library closures
All of our libraries will be closed on Monday 6 May for the Early May Bank Holiday
If you can’t find a specific book or audiobook in our libraries, you might be able to borrow it from a library outside Brighton & Hove.
We’re part of a group of libraries in South East England called the South East Library Management System, or SELMS.
You can find out more about the participating libraries on the SELMS website.
You can reserve books or audiobooks from any library in the SELMS group, and collect them from any Brighton & Hove library. There is a fee of £3 per item for this service, which can be paid by phoning us on 01273 290 800 or visiting us in person.
To reserve an item complete the following steps:
When the item is ready to collect we will send you an email with the latest collection date. Items reserved from our partner libraries will take longer to arrive at our libraries than standard reservations.
You can also visit any library in the SELMS group, and use your library card to borrow their items directly.
If you can’t find the item you’re looking for at any library in the SELMS group, we may be able to get it from another British library. We call this an Inter-Library Loan (ILL).
When we arrange an ILL, we search the British Library's stock, as well as the stock held by various other academic and public libraries.
There is a charge of £10 per item for this service. This is payable whether we can obtain the item or not.
To request an ILL complete the following steps:
You can also ask a staff member at any of our libraries to place an Inter-Library Loan request for you or send an email to ILL@brighton-hove.gov.uk.