24 Hour Online Library

2008 is the national year of reading

National Year of Reading in the Borough
Find out about library author and IT events

Online information services available from home

You only need the number from your library ticket to use these services.

Times Digital Archive
Search 200 years of the Times Newspaper. Full of fascinating historical detail, and great for homework.

Access information and research about social issues
Issues Online is an invaluable series of photocopiable resource books for those who need up-to-date information on social issues. Sources include factsheets, newspaper reports and features, general interest magazine articles, journal and book extracts, extracts form Government reports and statistics, pressure-group literature, statistics, including tables and graphs and cartoons and illustrations.

Link now for quick look-up information
KnowUK cross searches online version of popular library reference books such as Who's Who, dictionaries, Willings Press Guide

Link now for general reference
Oxford Online searches over 100 reference books from Oxford University Press, including dictionaries and thesauri

Search UK newspaper articles for current affairs
News UK allows you to search several years of the major daily nationals including Mail, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Financial Times, Guardian, Independent. Now with regional newspapers

Access online children's encyclopedia for homework
World Book Online is an interactive searchable general encyclopedia with over 500 maps, and Atlas interactively linked to article content, 10,000 pictures, dictionary and more!

Look up any word in the English language
The Oxford English Dictionary is the unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history, and pronunciation of over half a million words.

Search for information about famous people
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography is the definitive searchable resource of people who shaped the history of the British Isles, with over 50,000 biographies.

Find out about music and musicians
Groves Music Online is an integrated full text music resource on the web, music musicians, opera, jazz and much more. Regularly updated to ensure it remains the most up-to-date music reference work on the internet.

Find out about art and artists
Groves Art Online allows you to search over 45,000 visual art articles with over 40,000 links to important art images in galleries and museums around the world.

ThamesPilot
More than 5,000 images of historic documents relatiung to the Thames, including local documents.
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Stories From The Web

http://www.storiesfromtheweb.org/ Stories From The Web is an excellent website for children and young people aged 0-14 years. There are book reviews and recommended reads. There is a special Gallery for artwork and children can also send in their stories, poems and even lyrics! To use the site just go to the Stories From The Web homepage, choose your age group and login using our special library code:

Username: rbwm

Password: rbwm07

Link to Stories From The Web

The Library Catalogue

Search, renew and request books DVDs, CDs and other items across all Borough Libraries.
Check your personal details and let us know if they are up to date
Link now to the library catalogue

You will need the number from your library ticket AND your personal library PIN number to use these services.
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24 Hour Automated Renewals and Information Line

NOTE: The automated telephone line is currently unavailable while we upgrade it. You can still renew via the library catalogue � see above or call their local library during opening hours.
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Contact us directly.

You do not need to be a member to do this. Use this if you want to ask us about any of our services or have any information enquiry libraries@rbwm.gov.uk
This is our general email address for enquires of any sort.
Use a form to send us your comments
Use this form if you do not have access to email.

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Help with 24 hour services

What you need to start enjoying full benefits of your online library services Some of the services above are only available as benefits to you as a library member. If you are a member and you have a barcode number and PIN number you can use them all straight away! If you have not yet joined, don't worry it's easy. You can apply now online!
Link now to information about joining the library

Getting a PIN Number

A library PIN number is a secret number like a bank PIN.
If you do not have a PIN number you can obtain one free at any Borough library when you join.
If you are already a member but don't have a PIN number you just need to your library card to any Borough library to obtain one.

You will need a PIN number for any library service where we need to identify your library account. This means include access to see a list of your items on loan, a summary of outstanding items, and to renew or to request items, and to use the 24 hour telephone Renewals and Information Line.

Quality Assurance

Unlike the web in general, our 24 hour Library and Information Services are obtained from established publishers and chosen by professional librarians according to the Library and Information Services Stock and Information Policy.

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