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You can reserve items from any of our libraries, even if they are on loan or on order. If you can’t find an item in our collection, you can borrow it from a library outside Boroondara or request that we buy the item.

It's a good idea to sign up for email notifications so that you can be notified as soon as a reserved item is ready to collect. You can sign up for notifications on our Membership page.

You can also manage reservations using our mobile app. You can find out more about our app on our Mobile app for library services page.

Reserve a library item

If the item you would like to borrow is at another Boroondara library, out on loan or on order, you can reserve it, and we’ll let you know when it’s available.

How to reserve an item

  1. Go to the library catalogue and search for the item you want.
  2. Select the checkbox beside the title of the item and click 'Reserve Selections'.
  3. Enter your membership number and PIN. Your 14-digit membership number is under the barcode on your library card. Your 6-digit PIN is your date of birth in DDMMYY format.
  4. Complete the online form and select 'Submit'.
  5. When the item is ready to collect, you’ll receive an email or a letter to let you know if it is available. You have 7 days to pick it up.

Reservations can be collected during our library opening hours, which you can find on our Contact the library page.

Suspend a reservation

If you know you’ll be away for more than a couple of days, you can suspend your reservation and keep your request in the queue.

You can suspend a reservation through your library account or ask a library staff member for assistance.

Request to borrow items from another library

You can request to transfer an item from another library service to a library in Boroondara. 

There is a standard fee of $7 for inter-library loans. A charge of $32.40 may apply for items from state, academic and special libraries. Payment is due when you pick up your item (you can pay by credit card, EFTPOS or cheque).

To renew an inter-library loan, you'll need to contact us at least 7 days before the due date. You can contact us by calling (03) 9278 4666 or using our online Ask a librarian form. Loan periods may vary.

Some items – such as State Library and National Library material – can only be used at our libraries. We'll let you know this before you borrow these items.

How to request an item from another library

  1. Search for the item on the LibraryLink Victoria website.
  2. Select the title and select 'Get It'.
  3. To log in, enter your membership number and password, you find out more about your membership number and password on our Membership page. Once you have put in your details, select 'Boroondara Library'.
  4. Complete the online form and select 'Request'.
  5. You'll receive an email or a letter when the item has arrived. Inter-library loans may take 4 weeks or longer to arrive.

Request new items for our collection

We’re always looking for great resources to add to our collections, as long as they are:

  • still in print and available
  • current and suitable for the community
  • at a reasonable price
  • in line with our Collection Development Policy.

We're not able to take requests for school or university textbooks, technical or professional material or items in languages other than English.

When you make a request for a new item, it's helpful to provide as much information about the item as possible, such as the title, author, ISBN (International Standard Book Number), publisher, publication date and series title.

There is no charge to request a new item.

How to request new items

  1. Go to the Request an item page in our Library catalogue website. Complete the online form and select 'Submit'. You can also make the request in person at your local library.
  2. If we're able to purchase the item, we'll reserve it for you, and you’ll receive an email or a letter once it’s available.

We ask you to be patient. Some items need to be imported, or have not yet been published.

Please note: we will only process requests for items that have already been published, or 2 to 3 months prior to an announced publication date. If we are unable to purchase your item, we'll send a message to your library account.
Find out more about how we develop our Library collection by reading our Collection Development Policy below.

More information

For more information, contact us on (03) 9278 4666 or use our online Ask a librarian form.

Download our Collection Development Policy

  Library Collection Development Policy 2021-26 368.55 KB [PDF] 31 January 2023

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