Library membership and how to join

Come and join us…

Membership of Portsmouth Library Service is free and available to everybody – you don’t even need to live in Portsmouth.  You can use your card straight away in all of our nine libraries and if you borrow items from one branch, you can return them to any Portsmouth public library. Your library card even gives you free access to the Internet and Microsoft Office on our People’s Network computers.

How to join

To join, all you need to do is fill out a form and show us two pieces of identification:

• one with your signature (such as a bank card, credit card or passport)
• one with your current address printed on it (such as a recent utility bill, bank statement or medical card)

Alternatively, you can show us a current driving licence, which will have both your address and signature on it.

Also, if you’re able to give us details of your current e-mail address, we can use it to let you know if your books are overdue, or to let you know if we have a reservation available for you to collect.

You can join at the library, or fill in an online application form by clicking on the 'Library Catalogue' link under 'Internal Links'.

If you’re under 16, you’ll need to ask one of your parents, or your guardian to sign the application form for you and show us some indentification. You can either come into the library or take a form home to be signed and bring it back with some identification.

Please let us know as soon as you can if you change your name, address, telephone number or e-mail address and we’ll update your ticket for you.

What if my library card is lost or stolen?

If your card is lost or stolen, please let us know as soon as possible so that we can put a stop on it. If you don’t, you may be liable for anything borrowed on it. 

Your first library card is free, but there is a small charge for the replacement of lost cards: £1.50 for adults, and 50p for under 16s.