We want your views about the Brighton & Hove library service to help shape the future of the service.
Whether you’re a regular at our libraries or are yet to discover the treasures on offer, we’d love to hear from you.
We’re after views on everything from our stock, activities and digital services, as well as your experience of using libraries in Brighton & Hove, both before and during the Covid pandemic.
We need your views to inform our new Libraries Strategy and our Libraries Stock Policy for the next few years.
To make sure we can capture the views of all ages, we have separate surveys for 13 to 19 year olds and children under 12.
To have your say, follow the links to our consultation portal…
- Go to the libraries survey for adults 20 and over
- Go to the libraries survey for young people 13 to 19
- Go to the libraries survey for children 12 and under
The consultation is open until Sunday 4 July.
Your feedback will shape a report on the library strategy and stock policy which will be discussed by councillors in the autumn.
Return of ‘Order & Collect’ and reservations service
While library buildings remain closed to the public until 12 April at the earliest - in line with the government guidelines - we can now start to restart some more services.
From today, we’re resuming our ‘Order & Collect’ service and reservation service for books that can be collected from the door of your local library.
The free Order & Collect service is available from most libraries. Library staff will choose a selection of books from the stock of your chosen library on the subject or genre you have indicated.
The reservation service will be available to anyone who'd like to request a specific title from our library stock, with usual reservation charges applying. Unfortunately, we're still not able to offer inter-library loans from outside Brighton & Hove.
If you need to stay at home due to a health condition or are caring for someone who does, our library service can help through the Home Delivery Service.
All books will be issued for six weeks instead of the nine weeks that was in place for most of the pandemic.
As throughout the pandemic, our digital library services are always available. There are many eBooks, eAudiobooks, eNewpapers, eMagazines, eComics and online activities for families you can enjoy for free.
Visit our information on library services available during Covid-19 for full details.
Or contact us with any enquiries - email libraries@brighton-hove.gov.uk or phone 01273 290 800.
Love our libraries!
Councillor Steph Powell, joint chair of the Tourism, Equalities, Communities & Culture committee, said: “We love and value our libraries. Your views will help shape library services in the city for the next five years, so please do let us know what you think.
“And if you don’t use our libraries at the moment, then let us know what might help you change your mind!
“We want to hear from you about your experience of the service in more usual times, and during the Covid pandemic so this is a perfect time to make those changes.
“We want to advance and improve our range of stock and our service options, so it is vital that you inform us of what you would like to see our libraries offer, and what is on its shelves.
“It has been a huge challenge for our libraries, having to make significant changes to services, and often at very short notice. It’s great to see services returning.
“I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of our library staff and volunteers for their extraordinary efforts over the past year, both in the library services and in supporting vital services elsewhere.”