Borrow from our library

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Library catalogue

Access the Library catalogue.

Become a member

To borrow from our Library you must be a member of a South Australian public library.

Membership is free and open to all ages.

Find out more about joining the Library.

Borrowing conditions

You can borrow up to 100 items.

View our Conditions of Use.

View the LibrariesSA Fair Use Policy.

What you can borrow

Our large range includes:

  • books / eBooks
  • books in large print
  • audiobooks / eAudiobooks / Playaways
  • DVDs / BluRays
  • Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 games
  • board games
  • home energy self audit kits
  • independent living aids
  • jigsaws
  • language kits
  • magazines / eMagazines
  • sporting equipment
  • toys / costumes
  • items in languages other than English.

Loan period and item limits

Item Loan period Item limit
Books / audiobooks / Playaways 4 weeks  
eBooks / eAudiobooks 3 weeks 10
Quick Reads 2 weeks 2
Quick Flicks 1 week 2
DVDs / BluRays 2 weeks 20
Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 5 games 2 weeks 4
Toys / costumes* 2 weeks 4
Jigsaws* 4 weeks 2
Board games* 2 weeks  2
Sporting equipment 2 weeks  4
Independent living collection 4 weeks 2
Magazines 2 weeks
VOX (audio enabled books) 4 weeks 8
Bake & Celebrate collection* 2 weeks  2
Popular titles: books / audiobooks 2 weeks  
Popular titles: DVDs / BluRays 1 week  

* Can be borrowed by Adult members only.

Extending loans

As of June 2021, your physical library loans will now be extended automatically if no-one else has placed a hold on your items. Please note, some collections are excluded: Quick Reads, Quick Flicks and Book Club sets cannot be extended. Loan periods will be extended twice for eligible items.

An email will be sent to your registered email address to advise of the new due date or you can log in to the catalogue or use the LibrariesSA app to confirm due dates. Click here for more information on Auto Renewals.

To access your account you need to know your library barcode number and PIN. If you have forgotten your PIN, or aren't sure of your library barcode number, you can reset your PIN / recover your barcode here (if you have an email address registered in your library account), or contact us on 8416 6228.

Search all libraries for your item

The LibrariesSA network includes items from all SA public libraries. When searching, using the catalogue or LibrariesSA app, please ensure you are searching across all public libraries (not just your local library).

Are you looking for an item which we don't have? We welcome suggestions for new titles. Submit your request here.

To request an inter-library loan from the State Library of South Australia (or an interstate library) contact the Library on 8416 6228.

Reserving items

You can reserve up to 30 items at any one time.

We will contact you by email, SMS or mail when the items are ready for collection.

Reserve a library item online, through the LibrariesSA app, contact us on 8416 6228, or ask at the Library and we will place holds on your behalf.

Please note some items aren't able to be reserved, for example: toys, board games, jigsaws, sporting equipment, Quick Reads, Quick Flicks and items in the Independent living collection and the Bake and Celebrate collection.

Returning library items

You can return library items to:

Please note that some of our collections, i.e. toys, costumes and sporting equipment, cannot be returned to another public library; they need to be returned to the Hamra Centre Library during opening hours.

External returns chute

Our external returns chute is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The chute is located on the southern side of the Hamra Centre Library near the car park.

To open the chute, hold a library item up to the chute front (where the instructions are) and then pull open the chute. Click here to see a YouTube video on how to use the chute.

Multiple items may be returned at the same time.

Please note that certain items i.e. toys, kits, costumes, sporting equipment and games (including jigsaws and board games) cannot be returned through the chute. They all need to be returned inside the Hamra Centre Library during opening hours.