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Public libraries

Last updated
18 Nov 2020

Public libraries reopening after coronavirus (COVID-19) closures

Check with your local council which public libraries will open and when. Opening times may be different to before they had to close.

Services your local library provides

Your local library provides a range of services, including:

  • free computer and internet access
  • free book loans
  • CD, DVD and audio book loans
  • events, activities and training
  • volunteering opportunities

Your library membership gives you access to online resources and services too.

Find your nearest library

Aberdeen City Council Aberdeenshire Council Angus Council Argyll & Bute Council Clackmannanshire Council Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (Western Isles Council) Dumfries & Galloway Council Dundee Council East Ayrshire Council East Dunbartonshire Council East Lothian Council East Renfrewshire Council Edinburgh Council Falkirk Council Fife Council Glasgow Council Highland Council Inverclyde Council Midlothian Council Moray Council North Ayrshire Council North Lanarkshire Council Orkney Council Perth & Kinross Council Renfrewshire Council Scottish Borders Council Shetland Islands Council South Ayrshire Council South Lanarkshire Council Stirling Council West Dunbartonshire Council West Lothian Council

Other library resources

As well as your local library, you may also want to use other types of libraries, for example national and university libraries. These tend to be for more specialist research and may have restrictions about who can use them.

The following organisations can help you find out what is available:

The Scottish Library and Information Council website has a map of public libraries.

The National Library of Scotland is a major European research library. It offers:

You can visit the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Scottish Confederation of University and Research Libraries's (SCURL) membership is made up of Scotland's university and research libraries.

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