Borrowing, charges and fees

Effective as of 1 April 2025.

Borrowing items

You may borrow up to 20 physical items from your local library. This may include:

Books and audiobooks

Most items are loaned for three weeks.

Renewing items

Items on loan can be easily renewed (if they are not reserved by another borrower). You can renew items in the following ways.

Renew items online

You can also renew by email, phone or visiting a library. You can find details for your local library below.

Find a library

Books	No charge
Audiobooks and language courses	Adult titles: £1.80 per three weeks Children's titles: 90p per three weeks Concessionary: 90p per three weeks

Library members who have difficulty reading print or handling books will not be charged for the loan or reservation of audiobooks, language courses or large print books.

Late return charges

To encourage library members to return items on time, the following late charges will be applied:

Books loaned on an adult ticket	22p per item per day to a maximum of £9.70 per item Concessionary ticket, 11p per item per day to a maximum of £4.85 per item
Books loaned on a child ticket	12 years and under, no charge Over 12 years, 6p per item per day to a maximum of £1.30 per item Children's books/audiobooks borrowed on an adult ticket are subject to the adult charge rate
Audiobooks loaned on an adult ticket	40p per item per day up to £9.20 per item Concessionary ticket, 20p per day up to a maximum of £4.60 per item
Audiobooks loaned on a child ticket	12 years and under, no charge 13 - 17 years, 20p per day per item up to £2.20 per item

Charges for overdue items

If you have an email address, you can opt to receive a free notice email when items are due for return or renewal. However, this is a courtesy service and the prompt return or renewal of loans remains the responsibility of the library member, therefore, in the event of non-delivery of the advance email any overdue charges cannot be waived.

Reserving an item

You can reserve or place a hold on items online. You will need your library card number and PIN.

Reserve items online

Reserving items within Cheshire Libraries

Reserve items for adults (18 and over) within Cheshire: £1.20
Concessionary ticket: 60p

A hold fee will be applied when you collect your item. The appropriate charge will also be applied if you do not collect your hold. Your hold can be cancelled by contacting your local library or by contacting our general enquiries.

Reserve items for children from within Cheshire: free of charge

Reserving items outside of Cheshire Libraries

Reserve items from a UK library outside Cheshire: £4
Books from the British Library (and libraries which charge British Library rates): £18.85
Please note: replacement costs for lost/damaged British Library books can be substantial
British Library renewal: £6.25

Ordering journal articles from the British Library

Journal article sent to personal email: £6.70
Journal article printed and sent to Library Shared Services: £13.20
Electronic scan to email from print: £11.70

Charges for using a library computer, printing documents and making copies

Personal computer use for library members	One hour per day: free of charge £2.30 per hour or part of an hour thereafter £1.15 for concessionary £1.15 for children
Personal computer use for visitors	£2.30 per hour or part of an hour
Printing (per page) black and white	20p for adult 10p for concessionary 10p for children
Printing (per page) colour	80p for adult 40p for concessionary 40p for children
Photocopies black and white	20p per A4 sheet 30p per A3 sheet
Photocopies colour	80p per A4 sheet £1.60 per A3 sheet (where available)

Charges for lost library tickets or lost or damaged items

Lost library tickets

For computerised libraries, including mobile libraries, the replacement charge for a library ticket is as follows:

£1.90 for adult
95p for concessionary
95p for children

Lost and damaged items

Charges for lost and damaged items are calculated in the following ways:

All items	Charges
Up to two years old Two to four years old Four to six years old Six years and over	Full purchase price 75 per cent of purchase price 50 per cent of purchase price 25 per cent of purchase price

The minimum charge for any lost or damaged item is £3. An administration charge of £3 will be deducted from any refund, if a lost item is found.

Reading Group Collection

Our libraries offer reading groups a subscription to The Reading Group Collection.

Books can be borrowed by registered groups for a six week loan period, and are delivered to your local library for collection. Subscription charge for the service is £92 per year. To register for the scheme, please contact the Reading Group Administrator.

Email: reading.groups@cheshiresharedservices.gov.uk
Phone: 01244 976021

Reading group collection list