Library and Record Office services during Coronavirus (Covid-19)

• Libraries
• The Record Office
• Historic Environment Records

Libraries

While libraries are still closed for normal use, from Monday 6 July we’ll begin to reintroduce library services as part of a phased reopening over the coming weeks.  

Select and Collect service

We're now offering a 'select and collect' service at Filey, Harrogate, Knaresborough, Malton, Northallerton, Pickering, Ripon, Selby, Scarborough, Skipton and Whitby libraries as well as at Richmond community library.

You can request books by calling or emailing your library and one of our library team will hand pick your choices and arrange for you to come and collect them at a time convenient to you.

You can collect from the library entrance and can borrow the books for three weeks.

You’ll be able to return your books too but for now, the library building won’t be open for any other services. All books that are returned will be quarantined for three days before being made available for loan again.

You can use the select and collect service by completing the  select and collect request form (doc / 370 KB) and emailing it to us or by contacting your local library using the details below. 

From 13 July

We hope to be able to allow people into Scarborough, Harrogate, Malton, Whitby, Pickering, Filey and Skipton libraries to use the public access computers. To maintain social distancing we will be using bookable slots and less computers may be available, especially in smaller libraries. Workstations will be cleaned between every use.

We’re also aiming to resume our home delivery service from 13 July. If you would like to join this service, you can find out more on our home library service page or by contacting your local library.

From 20 July

We hope to be able to allow people into Ripon, Selby, Northallerton, Knaresborough and Richmond libraries to use the public access computers with the same measures in place as above.  

From 27 July

We hope to reopen libraries to allow people to browse the shelves and pick their own books although we won’t be able to offer our full range of services such as events, meeting room hire or allowing people to sit and read or study in libraries.

We’re also aiming to restart our supermobile library service at the same time. 

Books already out on loan

Don’t worry about having to rush back with your returns, all books currently out have had their loan period extended to the 1 September so there are no fines accruing.

Digital library

You can still access library services online.

• If library cards expire you will still be able to access all digital resources and borrow ebooks/eaudio.
• You no longer need to visit a library to collect PIN numbers to access online services. These can be issued over the phone on verification of date of birth and postcode.
• People can now phone in if they wish to join the library. Membership card numbers and PIN will be emailed to them separately. 

To join the library or get your PIN number, please call 01609 533878.

More to read!

We're spending more money on eBooks and eAudio to make sure that there's plenty for you to read. We've also introduced an additional digital audiobook service called BorrowBox and many titles are now available for simultaneous use so you don’t have to wait to enjoy them. Find out more and explore our digital collection on our eBooks, eMagazines and digital audiobooks page.

We recommend that you download the apps to make the service as easy to access as possible.

Help for home schooling

There are a number of free online information resources available as part of our library collection to help support children unable to go to school. This includes:

• Britannia Encyclopaedia Junior is for children aged 5 to 11 and is a great place for homework help and to and find information about people, browse timelines, and compare countries. The encyclopaedia covers most school subjects and has links to the CBBC news website.
• Encyclopaedia Britannica Student (for ages 12 to 18) has more in-depth information on a wide range of topics as well as biographies and featured spotlights.
• There are loads of resources from Oxford University Press including dictionaries, encyclopaedias of art and music, research articles, bibliographies and biographies.  

Younger children will love ZipTales which features interactive stories with voiceovers, animations, games, quizzes and more to help make reading fun for children.

If they need a break from learning they can always read one of the hundreds of comics we have available in our eBooks, eMagazines and digital audiobooks collection.

Look after yourself

The Reading Well collection helps you to understand and manage your health and wellbeing. The books are chosen by health experts and people living with the conditions covered. Currently available are: 

• Reading well list for young people
• Reading well list for children
• Reading well list to support mental health
• Reading well list for people with dementia
• Reading well list for people with long-term conditions

Keep up to Date:

As a library member you can get daily news from around the world or read your favourite magazines for free using PressReader or RB Digital which are also available on our eBooks, eMagazines and digital audiobooks page.

Again, if you're using a tablet or smartphone, we'd recommend downloading their apps.

Our digital library includes these and all of our other free online resources including family history, business support and employment skills.

The Record Office

The Record Office searchroom will be closed to the public until further notice. We can still be contacted by email and will answer archive related enquiries remotely where possible. Access Record Office archives online.

Historic Environment Records

Physical access to the historic environment records is restricted, however the other services provided by the North Yorkshire historic environment records are being conducted as usual. A great deal of the physical records held within the historic environment records are scanned, some with permissions to digitally disseminate. We will try our best to acquire copyright permission to disseminate for any reports or documents requested to facilitate remote working and study – please do ask if this might help you.