Library services for schools have changed - school cards are now free

Kent Libraries have revised our services for schools and dropped the charges for school cards - these are now free. They were £100 per card per year. Each card allows special benefits including up to 50 books or other items at once, and longer loans (8 weeks instead of the standard 3 weeks).

You can use your card in any Kent Library to borrow books for all ages and abilities to support your school work, plus other resources such as story sacks, bag books and children’s audio too. And it’s all free as long as books are renewed or returned by the due date. Any books returned late will be charged at the adult late return rate - however these charges are easily avoidable by returning your books to any Kent library (many have drop boxes for out of hours return), or simply renewing them.

These days renewing books and other items couldn’t be easier - you can do it online 24/7, via our library app, by phone or by popping into any of our libraries. Books can be ordered online too for delivery to a library or your choice (reservation fee applies).

To get a library card for your school just pop into your local library with some school ID (such as your staff badge) and you can get a card there and then. You can have more than one school library card if you like (some schools have one per class). You can manage your card online 24/7 - e.g. checking what’s on your card, renewing and ordering books.

Did you know we also offer all schools free introductory visits to the library led by library staff or a free visit from the library when schools are too far away to travel easily (both subject to availability), and a Teacher’s Toolkit to assist with library visits? Introduce children to their local library and show them all the resources relevant to them there - from joke books and to homework support, fascinating local history resources to a wide range of online resources for study and leisure including e-books, e-magazines (including comics) and now e-newspapers too, plus PCs to access them on. There’s free printing too if it’s for homework (max. 5 pages a day).

We have stories specially designed to support children with dyslexia, plus both fiction and nonfiction supporting children through a range of life experiences - e.g. having a family member in prison, bereavement, divorce, stepfamilies, anger management and key skills such as developing empathy.

There are reading groups and other activities, as well as volunteering opportunities, and not forgetting classics such as the annual Summer Reading Challenge, specially designed to help address the dip in literacy over the long summer holidays.

We also offer enhanced sessions - these are sessions commissioned by schools on a theme of your choice e.g. your town in World War 1, exploring our many local history resources. Prices vary according to whether it is an existing topic or one we have to prepare from scratch. For details visit our pages on the EduKent website

For more information, view the leaflets below, contact your local library, email librariesreadingandliteracy@kent.gov.uk or call 03000 41 31 31.Text relay 18001 03000 41 31 31.

• How libraries can help - Primary schools (PDF, 114.5 KB)
• How libraries can help - Secondary schools (PDF, 101.2 KB)

Contact Details

Karen Sillifant
Telephone: 03000 41 44 39
Email: Karen.Sillifant@kent.gov.uk