As a Sheffield Libraries member you can borrow the following items from the library. All items are loaned for an initial 3-week period.
- books
- audio books
- eBooks
- eAudiobooks
- eMagazines
- eComics
- DVDs – charged at £1
- CDs (Central Library only) – charged at 50p
- board games (Central Library only)
Renewing and Reserving
You can renew your books, films, or music for a further 3 weeks if nobody else has already reserved them. Items may be renewed up to 3 times.
You can also reserve items, free of charge, for collection at a library of your choice. Once your reserved item is available you will be notified by post or by email.
Renew and reserve items in person, over the phone, online, or using the library app.
To renew online or in the app, you will need:
- your library card number
- your library PIN (Personal Identification Number)
No fines, no worries
Sheffield Libraries is now fine free. We want to encourage more people to join and use our libraries, especially those who may be worried about late returns and building up fines.
Historic fees for late returns are also being removed, so if you have a book from before the pandemic, and were worried about paying old fines, just return it to a member of staff, and they will waive any fees that previously built up.
Sheffield Libraries have an important role to play in helping communities recover from the pandemic. Access to books, learning, and opportunities to engage with culture, and each other are vital to individual well-being, and to the future success of the city. For these reasons, we need our libraries to be accessible and welcoming for everyone. Abolishing fines on overdue books is one way we can remove the barriers that prevent people from using their library.
Lost items
We still encourage library materials to be brought back on time or renewed. If you keep items for more than 60 days beyond the due date, we consider them lost. We still charge a replacement fee for lost items, but we’ll give you reminders to bring them back, and not charge you when you do.
Our priority is simply to get the library materials back so the next person can enjoy them. If you’re worried about lost items, please speak to a member of staff.
Number of items you can borrow
Adults with ID
- up to 15 books including audiobooks
- up to 5 items of recorded music, for example CDs
- up to 5 DVDs
- use of a library computer
- access to our 24/7 online packages
- full access to the eLibrary
Adults without ID
- up to 2 books including audiobooks
- one item of recorded music
- one DVD
- use of the People's Network computers at any library
- access to our 24/7 online packages
- full access to the eLibrary
Young people aged 16 or 17
- up to 15 books free of charge, including audiobooks
- up to 5 music CDs - a charge is made for these
- up to 5 DVDs (excluding DVDs rated 18) - a charge is made for these
- use of the People's Network computers in any library
- access to our 24/7 online packages
- full access to the eLibrary
Children
- up to 15 books free of charge, including audiobooks
- up to 5 music CDs - a charge is made for these
- use of the People's Network computers in any library
- access to our 24/7 online packages
- full access to the eLibrary – parental supervision is advised
Requesting books not on the catalogue
If you need a book that is not listed on our catalogue, speak to a member of staff in the library or call us. We will pass your request onto the buying team. A decision will be made to either buy a copy or try to obtain a copy from another library service. If the latter, we will contact you before placing the order as there is a non-refundable charge of £7 for this service.
We try our best to find the items you require but cannot guarantee that we will satisfy all requests.
Suggest new library books, music, or film
Our buying teams are always interested to hear your suggestions for books that might be added to the collections.
Although all suggestions will be considered, we are unable to buy everything that is published:
First check our library catalogue to see if we already have it. If we don't have it, email with your suggestion, or speak to a member of staff. Whilst we genuinely value customer suggestions, we are unable to respond to every suggestion.