London Libraries are open to all, and offer a warm safe space to spend time. They offer physical and digital books and resources; information and events. The digital resources listed below are free and can be used if you become a member which is also free, Many of them you can use from home. All library services have different resources so please ask at your local library.
To find your local library please go to this page Find your nearest library and use the search function to locate your nearest service. For example, in the search box type Church Street Library, and the map will take you to your local area results.
Universal Library Offers
The Universal Library Offers set out what people should expect from a high‑quality public library service and why libraries matter.
Co‑created with library leaders, frontline staff and library users, the Offers provide a shared national framework that helps articulate the value of libraries as essential public services. For London Libraries, they offer a clear, consistent language to support advocacy, influence policy and make the case for sustained investment in libraries across the capital.
Nationally consistent but locally flexible, the Universal Library Offers enable London’s library services to respond to local priorities – from health inequalities and digital exclusion to cultural participation and lifelong learning – while aligning with wider strategic ambitions.
The four Universal Library Offers
Culture and Creativity
Libraries as vital cultural infrastructure, providing accessible, high‑quality arts and cultural experiences for all.
Health and Wellbeing
Libraries supporting healthier communities through connection, prevention and wellbeing‑focused services.
Information and Digital
Libraries tackling digital exclusion by providing trusted information, digital skills and safe online access.
Reading
Libraries building confident readers and lifelong learners, supporting literacy, creativity and social mobility.
Why this matters for London
The Universal Library Offers help London Libraries to:
– communicate the impact and value of libraries to decision‑makers and funders
– align library services with local and London‑wide policy priorities
– support consistent, high‑quality provision while responding to local need
– strengthen London’s collective voice in national advocacy
Each Offer is led by a national working group and supported by regional networks, driving collaboration, innovation and evidence‑based practice. Together with The Vision and Print‑Impaired People’s Promise and The Children’s Promise, the Offers reinforce libraries’ commitment to equity, access and inclusion.
For London Libraries, the Universal Library Offers are both a framework for action and a platform for advocacy – championing libraries as essential civic infrastructure for London’s future.