Library membership and charges

How do I join the library? Joining is easy! You just fill in a form either at the library or on-line via this website.

Adults who are 16+ must join in person and show their own form of ID when collecting it from the library.

If you are under 16 you will be asked for parental/carer/guarantor ID when you collect your ticket.

Once you have your library ticket you can use it in any of the ten public libraries in Havering and also any boroughs in the London Libraries Consortium giving you access to over 6 million items and 120 libraries.  These include Barking and Dagenham; Redbridge; Waltham Forest; Wandsworth; Richmond; Newham, Brent, Hackney, Enfield, Tower Hamlets and Ealing. 

Adults and ID

  You will need to show us official proof of your name and address. We will accept:-

• Driving Licence
• Medical Card
• Building Society Book
• Utilities Bill 
• Council Tax Bill  
• Cheque Book (of the type which includes address) 

You will also need to bring in something official with your signature on.

If you are a temporary resident in this country and you cannot provide any of the above we will accept an employer or friend as a guarantor as long as they apply in person and bring into the library an acceptable form of proof of their name and address and signature.   

If you have a library card and PIN number you can use all our online services (ask a member of staff for your PIN Number). 

You can join the library, view our stock, check which items you currently have on loan, view your account, and renew and reserve a range of items going to our Online Catalogue, Registration, Reserves and Renewals  page. 

You can also renew your books on our 24 hour telephone renewals line 0115 929 3388.

Internet access for adults.

Once you have joined the library and received your library card you may access the internet via the People's Network. 

You must carry your library card with you when using the People's Network and you may be asked to produce it by a member of staff. 

If you are a temporary resident or a traveller in this country you will need to show your passport on each use.  

Children

A parent or guardian of a child under 16 must sign the application form to say they will be responsible for items taken out and any monies owed by the child.  We will also need to see official proof of the parent or guardian's name and address if the parents are not already members.

Children under 5 years of age are given an under 5's dinosaur card which changes to a 5 to 15 card when they reach their fifth birthday.

Persons of 16 years and above must provide proof of their name and address, or provide a guarantor which could either be a parent, guardian, friend or employer and proof of the guarantor's name and address.

Internet access for children.

Once you have joined the library and received your library card you may access the internet via the People's Network if your parent or guardian has given written permission. 

You must carry your library card with you when using the People's Network and you may be asked to produce it by a member of staff. 

Where can I use my library ticket?

At all ten branches of the Havering Library Service and also any boroughs in the London Libraries Consortium.  These include Barking and Dagenham; Redbridge; Waltham Forest; Wandsworth; Richmond; Newham, Brent, Hackney, Enfield, Tower Hamlets and Ealing.

What happens if I forget my ticket?

We will be able to issue items if you provide some official form of ID showing your name and address.

Do I have to pay?

Books are issued free of charge but we charge a small fee for Spoken Word, sound recordings, language cassettes and compact discs and Playstation games.

How many items can I borrow from the library?

You may borrow up to 25 of each particular item. For instance, 25 books etc.

How long can I keep items borrowed and can I renew them?

3 weeks for books and spoken word.  1 week for sound recordings.

We will either stamp a date in each item or you will get a receipt to tell you when to bring it back.

If nobody else needs them you may keep them longer by renewing them. Take them to any Havering library, telephone us on our automated Callpoint number 0115 929 3388 or visit our website and we will give you a new date.  You will need your library card number and your PIN number. 

Alternatively you can ring any library with your library card number and a member of staff will help you. 

What if I am late returning items? 

When items are not renewed they become overdue.  See below for details of fine charges.

Fines are charged on all overdue books, Spoken Word and lingua phones for each day overdue. We do not charge for days that the library is closed.

Repeat loan charges are payable for Playstation games if the items become overdue.

For sound recordings a fine is imposed if the item becomes overdue but a repeat hire charge is applied if the item is renewed before it becomes overdue.

If you owe any outstanding fines or fees you will not be able to use any of the library services until these have been paid in full.

What happens if I lose an item?

If you lose an item we will ask you to pay the replacement cost.  The minimum replacement charge is £8.

Foster carers

If you are a registered Foster carer you can apply for a foster carer ticket which will allow you to borrow up to 20 items for up to six weeks at a time.  

This is a London wide initiative to make it easier for you to introduce the children you look after to the library. 

You can also borrow free of charge 2 children's CDs for the usual loan period.  The ticket is in addition to your own personal ticket.  In addition you will not be charged for loss or damage to the books and there will be no fines.

However you will be charged the loan rate if CDs are late back. You will need to bring in ID proving that you are a registered Foster carer.

Home Educators and Childminders

Childminder tickets and Home Educator tickets allow you to take out 20 books for 6 weeks (42 days) at a time and the fines will be charged at a child's rate for these. 

All other loan items taken out on these tickets incur charges/fines at the same rate as a normal adult ticket.  You will need to bring in proof that you are registered as either of the above.

Visually impaired customers

Visually impaired customers are exempt from all hire charges and fines (except Playstation hire charges and fines).

Disabled customers

There are currently no exemptions or concessions for people with disabilities (apart from the visually impaired).

Playgroups/Schools/Nurseries

If you are part of one of these organisations we may be able to issue special tickets to you allowing you to take out items to use with the children under your supervision.  Please ask at your local library for more details.

Is there a public fax service?

Harold Hill library has a public fax service which is staff operated.

Sending faxes

We can send international faxes using only A4 paper size. Charges are made per sheet of paper. Please ensure that the quality of the document is fit for sending.

Receiving faxes

We will receive faxes on your behalf. For this service, customers must provide us with a self-stamped addressed envelope. To collect a fax in person, customers will need to provide at least one personal ID. Cost for receiving faxes is 40p per page.

Fees and charges

Photocopies

People's Network printing

Overdue fines

Postal charges for overdue reminders are added to fees.

The first overdue is 34p and the second is £1.25.  When the third overdue stage is reached an invoice will be sent by our debt recovery department. 

The onus for returning items by the due back date is always the customer's responsibility.

You can avoid paying fines by using the renewal system. You can renew most items, either by telephone or personal visit unless they are requested by another borrower. Videos/DVD's and Playstation games cannot be renewed and are liable to a further hire charge.

Lost Library ticket

There will be a £3.20 replacement charge for lost tickets.

Reservations

For a small charge you can reserve items. Video reserves are free.

The reservation service is available to all library members. If the item you require is not available at your local branch or not in stock anywhere else in Havering, you may still be able to reserve it. Ask a member of staff.

It may be possible to obtain items from elsewhere in the country through our inter-library loan scheme or the British Library.

How do I request an item?

If the item required is not immediately available please ask a member of staff and pay the reservation charge. 

Items can also be reserved online by using the online catalogue and reservation service.  The reservation charge must be paid on your next visit to the library.

As soon as the item is available you will be notified by email, SMS text messaging, home telephone or post depending on the method you have chosen. Videos will be kept for you for a couple of days and books for 10 days (3 weeks for children).

Please let us know if you can't collect by the date given.

NB  Items borrowed from other authorities outside of our consortium are subject to their conditions of use and stated loan period which may vary from the Havering's practice. Renewal may not be possible.

Books

A photocopy of your source of information is very helpful as we have to find the publication details of books not held by the consortium.  If it's still in print it may be considered for purchase. 

Reference Library stock is not available for loan.

Periodical articles

These will usually be obtained in the form of photocopies.  Please supply full details, including volume and page numbers.  On receipt there will be an additional charge for the photocopies which you may keep and you must sign a copyright declaration form.

British theses

The reader must sign a thesis declaration form followed by a copyright declaration form on receipt.

Spoken word cassettes

Spoken word cassettes not held in the consortium may be considered for purchase if they are still available. It is not possible to obtain these items from libraries outside the consortium and out of print items cannot be obtained.

CDs

CDs will be considered for purchase unless deleted and it may be possible to borrow them from outside the consortium.

Music sets

Sets of scores etc. can be borrowed by registered groups for a small charge and may be obtained from outside the consortium.

Users of the housebound service and registered blind or partially sighted persons are exempt from the above charges.  Children are exempt from Spoken Word charges.

DVDs

Haverng Library Service is no longer offering a DVD rental service.  However, we are now in partnership with Blockbuster.  For details of how to rent out DVDs from Blockbuster please ask at your local library.

Meeting room hire 

For a three hour session we charge:-

Upminster £65- After 8pm £25 lock up fee.

Hornchurch £65 - After 10pm £25 lock up fee. 

Each additional hour is £20.

Visit  Exhibition space and meeting room hire  to book.

Exhibition space

It is free to exhibit at either Romford, Upminster and Hornchurch libraries at the exhibitor's liability but the council takes 10% on anything sold.