Did you know? The average library user saves £500 per year*. Your Cornwall Libraries card gives you access to a wide range of resources, both online and in-person, free of charge. Take a look below for more information on everything you can benefit from.
eBooks and eAudiobooks
Borrow eBooks and eAudiobooks to read and listen to on your phone, tablet or computer. Get started with eBooks and eAudiobooks
eNewspapers, eMagazines and eComics
Access a wide range of newspapers, magazines comics and graphic novels to read on your phone, tablet or computer. Your Cornwall Libraries card gives you access to:
- PressReader
- Borrowbox
- Comics Plus
- The British Newspaper Archive
Times London Get started with eNewspapers, eMagazines and eComics
Driving Theory
Theory Test Pro
Learn online for your driving theory test with:
- Hazard perception videos
- Practice questions
- Mock tests
- Full access to the highway code
Music and Theatre
Performing Arts Library
Based at St Austell Library, the Performing Arts collection includes:
- Theatre scripts
- Music scores
- Books about the performing arts including:
- Dance
- Drama
- Theatre
- Film
- Music
You can browse the collection in person or reserve on our online catalogue to collect from your local library.
Learn a Language
Transparent Languages
Learn a language at your own pace on your phone, tablet or computer with over 100 language courses to choose from.
Get started with Transparent Languages
Cornish Language
Find out about Cornwall Council's Cornish Language resources including how to learn Cornish with Go Cornish.
LOTE4Kids
An online collection of more than 8500 digital children's books in over 100 languages, including Cornish. This allows children access to picture books that they can enjoy in LOTE - Languages Other Than English with both spoken and written word. You can also select 'bilingual' mode on your chosen book to hear the sentence repeated in a second language, which is perfect when learning a new language.
Genealogy
Find My Past
Start building your family tree, with access to a huge database of historical records. You'll need to access it from a library computer to browse the full database. Visit your local library to get started, or read more about it on the Find My Past website.
More Genealogy Resources
You can find links to more genealogy resources on our online reference library pages.
Computers
In Branch
Most of our libraries have computers and wi-fi that you can use for free. The majority also have printing facilities, which you may be charged for, and some offer scanning. Visit Your Local Library pages for information on what facilities your local library has to offer.
Find out more about computer facilities
Learn My Way
Learn My Way offers free courses to learn how to use a computer and make the most of the internet. The courses are short (20 to 40 minutes) and can be done at home or on a library computer. You will need to register on the website to take part in most courses - please us our Centre Number 3420931.
Online Reference Library
Our Online Reference Library offers a collection of trusted websites to help you find the information you need. This includes a range of topics, from money and consumer rights, to careers and online learning.
Visit the Online Reference Library
Go Citizen
Go Citizen is an online study resource for candidates preparing for the Life in the UK Test or British citizenship test.
The service includes:
- An online version of the latest official study materials licensed from the Home Office, the people who write the handbook.
- Hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test.
Access to GoCitizen.co.uk is completely free for members of Cornwall Library Service. You can access it using one of the public network computers at our libraries. You can also access GoCitizen.co.uk from outside the libraries using your library card number.
Find out more about with Go Citizen
Events and Activities
Our libraries host regular activities such as:
- Rhymetime
- Storytime
- Craft club
- Lego club
- Knit and Natter
- Mental health groups
- Writing groups
We also hold one-off events such as author visits, theatre workshops and STEM sessions throughout the year. Check with your local library to find out about events and activities in your area.
Books
Your library card lets you borrow books in-person, whether you're into fiction, non-fiction, quick-reads or large-print. You can browse the shelves or reserve books from across Cornwall, using our online catalogue, to collect from your local library. This also goes for our collection of audiobooks and DVDs.
You can borrow up to 12 items at a time and will need to return or renew them after 3 weeks. If you can't find what you're looking for, we also offer an inter-library loans service, so you can borrow books from outside of Cornwall, and a book request form to suggest new titles.
Find out more about using the library
Book Clubs
We offer sets of 12 books for clubs across Cornwall to use. A number of our libraries host in-person book clubs of their own that you can join, including some for adults and some for children.
You can also join our Online Book Club and read along on BorrowBox in either eBook or eAudiobook format.
Find out more about book clubs
* Savings calculated based on an average of 2 books per month at £10 each, £110 annual Audible subscription and £3 per week on a newspaper or magazine.