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Digital facilities and resources

Your library membership gives you access to a wide range of digital facilities and resources, from free computer and internet access, to online books, audiobooks and magazines. Support and advice to help you to improve your digital skills is also available at a number of library branches.

You can access a number of online library services and special sites free of charge from home, 24 hours a day, as well as in our libraries. Some of these sites are specific to library members, and you will need to enter your library membership number to access them.

British Film Institute (BFI) Replay

BFI Replay is a free streaming service available exclusively for UK public lending libraries, featuring thousands of digitised videos and television programmes from the collections of the BFI National Archive and UK regions and nations film archives, alongside contributions from other significant archives such as Channel 4 and ITV. You can access this service from the Public Network computers in Bath Central, Keynsham or Midsomer Norton Libraries.

Electronic books, audiobooks and magazines

Bath & North East Somerset library members can download any of the e-Books, e-Audiobooks, e-Magazines, e-Comics and e-Newletters held by LibrariesWest free of charge.

e-Book service: BorrowBox

All library members across LibrariesWest can now access a free e-Book service using their computer, tablet or smartphone. You can access our new BorrowBox e-Book service free of charge direct from the BorrowBox website or by downloading the free BorrowBox app (for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire). To log on, please enter your library card number and PIN.

Find e-Books 

e-Audiobook service: BorrowBox

You can access our new BorrowBox e-Audiobook service free of charge direct from the BorrowBox website or by downloading the free BorrowBox app (for iOS, Android and Kindle Fire). To log on, please enter your library card number and PIN. 

Find e-Audiobooks 

e-Newspapers: BorrowBox

All library members across LibrariesWest can now access a free e-Newspaper service using their computer, tablet or smartphone.

The titles are unabridged, interactive and in full colour, and include some one-off publications, as well as subscription titles.

To access this free service, you will need to create an account on the BorrowBox website. You can also download the free BorrowBox app (for iOS and Android).

Find e-Newspapers

e-Magazines: Overdrive

All library members across LibrariesWest can now access a free e-Magazine service using their computer, tablet or smartphone.

The titles are unabridged, interactive and in full colour, and include some one-off publications, as well as subscription titles.

To access this free service, you will need to create an account on the Libby website. You can also download the free Libby app (for iOS and Android).

Find e-Magazines

More details are available on the LibrariesWest website.

e-Comics: Overdrive

All library members across LibrariesWest can now access a free e-Comic service using their computer, tablet or smartphone.

The titles are unabridged, interactive and in full colour, one-off publications, as well as subscription titles. Library members can access an unlimited number of titles, suitable for all age ranges.

To access this free service, you will need to create an account on the Libby website. You can also download the free Libby app (for iOS and Android).

Find e-Comics

Please be aware that some of our e-Comics may contain storylines and images that include violence, offensive language and sexual content. We do not censor any material or restrict access by age to the e-Comics in this collection. Customers are encouraged to use the filter tools around audience and rating to find appropriate content. Parents and carers should satisfy themselves that the titles are suitable for their child. Further information about helping children and young people stay safe online is available from Get Safe Online, which is a government-backed organisation providing free expert advice.

Which? Magazine

Get free access to Which.co.uk, where you can read full articles and monthly magazines. With expert testing, reviews and advice, Which? reviews products and services so that you make the best purchase decisions for your needs.

The service is available at Bath, Keynsham and Midsomer Norton libraries. Ask a member of staff for details on how to use this service.

Access to digital content is provided by a third party supplier who delivers access to the platform and content through their own systems. Please be aware that the supplier will be the data controller for the information it collects. The supplier has servers in the US and has their own terms and conditions which you will need to read before choosing to use their service.

The Library Service is not responsible for third party content, and the information you share with the third party supplier.

Dictionaries, biographies and other reference resources

Dictionary of National Biography: This famous dictionary gives authoritative biographies of around 50,000 British people

Ancestry: Available at Bath Central Library, Keynsham, and Midsomer Norton Libraries, you can research your family tree, access historic military records and past records from across the world.

Oxford English Dictionary: Find out where words came from, as well as their meaning.

Oxford Music Online: This resource is a wealth of information on all types of music.

Oxford Art Online: This product has now expanded its image collection. It also contains in-depth articles on art, artists, and art movements

Oxford Reference Online: This product allows you to access some of the best reference books available online from Oxford University Press.

Who’s Who and Who Was Who: This comprehensive resource provides short biographies of the all the movers and shakers in the UK.

Online newspapers and journals

Download digital newspapers from Libraries West: Access the full text of daily, weekly, and monthly newspapers, including local, regional, and national UK titles through your library membership.

SomersetLive: News from Bath, Keynsham, Midsomer Norton and surrounding areas

Times Digital Archive 1785-2019: Find any news story, obituary, birth notice and more from the Times Newspaper. This fascinating database is fully searchable.

Directory of Open Access Journals: A directory of over 3,000 quality controlled, full text, scientific and scholarly journals covering a wide range of subjects and languages.

Access to Research: Free online access to over 1.5million published academic articles from the Access to Research desktop shortcut on our library computers. You can browse for articles from home, but please note you will only be able to view the journal text from a library computer.

Online library catalogues

LibrariesWest Catalogue: Search for and reserve items, renew your loans and update your details (joint catalogue for Bath & North East Somerset, Bristol, North Somerset, Somerset, South Gloucestershire, Dorset and Poole public libraries.

COPAC: Merged online catalogue of the British Library, 24 major university research libraries in the UK and Ireland and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales.

Fantastic Fiction: Comprehensive lists of fiction authors.

RNIB Library: Catalogue of resources in formats accessible to those with a visual impairment.

Whichbook: Choose a book online to suit your mood!

Driving Theory Test Pro

This resource provides a highly realistic online simulation of the UK's driving theory tests for all vehicle categories.

You can take a mock UK driving theory test. It includes all the official test questions from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, and an online version of the Highway Code.

To use this resource you must be a member of the library. You will need to sign up and create a username and password.

To log in from home you'll need:

  • Your email address, password, and library card number
  • To enter your library membership card barcode number into the box provided
  • To click Log in

To log in from a library, you’ll need your email address and password.

Visit the website

Life in the UK or British citizenship test

Go Citizen

This is an online study resource for candidates preparing for the Life in the UK test or British citizenship test.

It includes an online version of the latest official study materials licensed from the Home Office, the people who write the handbook plus hundreds of practice test questions in the same format as the official test.

To use this resource, you must be a member of the library and you must first sign up and create a username and password.

To log in from home you'll need:

  • Your email address, password, and library card number
  • To enter your library membership card barcode number into the box provided
  • To click Log in

To log in from a library, you’ll need your email address and password.

Visit the website