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Library Service Message 12//01/2021

Coronavirus (COVID-19) information : National Lockdown – 5th January 2021

Gloucestershire Libraries will remain open to provide essential PC access to residents who cannot get online at home during the national lockdown.

Due to current restrictions, customers requiring access to a computer must book in advance by calling their local library or booking online via http://www.gloucestershirelibraries.org.uk/netloan/login.aspx.  To ensure customer and staff safety, all computer sessions will be reduced to 50-minute slots and are only available for essential use.  Further information can be accessed at https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/book-a-computer-including-printing/

To assist with the Government’s stay at home message our free digital content is available 24/7 and can be accessed with your library card.  Find out how to get started with eBooks, eAudiobooks & eMagazines here

You can also visit our Virtual Reference Library for a range of information resources that can be accessed from home, including the Naxos classical music library, the latest articles from local and national newspapers on NewsBank and the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.

We are also providing online access to events and activities through our social media and Youtube channels, providing the opportunity to connect and engage safely online.

All loan periods have been extended so there is no need to return your items to a library and no additional fines will be incurred whilst libraries are closed.  You can check your library account online at https://gloucestershire.spydus.co.uk/     

Customers will not be able to enter our library buildings to browse the shelves but we continue to offer our request and collection services for those customers who need to use them.  For more information on these services please visit   https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/request-services/

Revised opening hours are being implemented at our libraries and customers are advised to check information for their local library before making a special journey.

Not a member?  It is quick and easy to join, please see:  https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/libraries/join-the-library/

  1. Gloucestershire County Council
  2. Libraries
  3. Our response to Covid 19

Our response to Covid 19

Your Digital Library: Digital Books, Magazines, resources and online events

We have a range of services you can access from home and we are adding new eStock regularly.

 

RB Digital: thousands of free eBooks and eMagazines 

You can use this service if you're a member of Gloucestershire Libraries.

Getting started for new customers on your mobile device:

  1. Download and open the RB Digital app to your mobile phone or tablet
  2. Tap the “Register now” link on the bottom of the app’s main page
  3. Choose your country
  4. Choose your library service
  5. Enter the requested library card details, create a memorable username and password

Getting started for new customers on your computer:

  1. Go to RB Digital
  2. Create a new account, and enter your library card number
  3. Browse the selection
  4. Checkout your chosen publications to read in your browser 

Additional Help and Guides are available for customers using eBook readers via RB Digital.

 

Borrowbox: eAudio Books

Use BorrowBox to browse, borrow and read or listen to eAudio books anywhere and everywhere.

To download the app, go to the app store on your device, search for and download Borrowbox.

Alternatively access via the website:

Borrowbox

 

 

RNIB Talking Book Service

 

eBook and eAudio FAQs and additional information

 

Online resources and courses

 

Free Resources for families and researchers:

The Library Services for Education the team have compiled a list of Free Educational Resources to support home educating parents, schools and families.

 

Library online events and activities for children

Amazing story times and Baby Bounce and Rhyme sessions are available on our  Gloucestershire Libraries Youtube Channel

Gloucestershire Libraries Innovation Lab brings you Beginner’s coding & 3D modelling workshops 

Gloucestershire Virtual Reference Library

You can access a range of free high quality online reference resources using your library membership.  Many of these can be accessed from home during the lockdown, including the family history databases Ancestry and Find My Past.  You can also search newspaper archives, Oxford Reference and National Biography, Naxos Music Library, British Film database and more.

Virtual Reference Library

 

Gloucestershire Heritage Hub

We know that many of you will miss being able to visit the Heritage Hub, whether as a researcher or a volunteer. The Gloucestershire Heritage Hub have created this page [link below] to gather together ideas about how you can explore and engage with archives from home, as well as other free heritage-inspired activities which you can do during lockdown. The page also links to campaigns and initiatives which we know about elsewhere.

Gloucestershire Heritage Hub Resources 

 

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