Join the library

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All residents and ratepayers of  the Kempsey Shire are welcome to join the library. Membership is free.

The Kempsey Shire Libraries has a main library service operating in West Kempsey and branches at South West Rocks and Stuarts Point. 

Kempsey Shire Libraries operate in partnership with the Port Macquarie-Hastings Library Service, and this joint arrangement is known as the Mid North Coast Library Co-operative. Members of Kempsey Shire Libraries are automatically members of this Co-operative. 

How do I join?

The easiest way to join is to visit your local branch and complete a membership application form. Children under 16 can join with the assistance of a parent or guardian by completing the Junior membership application form.

Proof of identification including a current permanent address is required to be provided with either application. Official documents such as a driver’s licence, bank statement, rates/rental notice or utilities bill showing your current residential address are accepted.

A temporary login can be issued if joining online. We will send your library membership card out to you as soon as possible. 

Your card needs to be validated to access online resources such as e-books. To validate your card, you will need to come into a branch and show us your photo ID (or the guarantor’s photo ID) and proof of your current address.

Online Membership Form

What can I borrow?

  • Being a library member entitles you to borrow up to 20 items per card at any one time, including:
    – 10 DVDs
    – 3 Blu-Ray Discs­
    – 7 CDs or MP3 audiobooks
    – 5 CD audiobooks
    – 5 MP3 CD audiobooks
    - 5 titles of a specific magazine title
  • Items can be borrowed for up to 3 weeks. Books may be renewed twice and this can be done in person, over the phone or online or through the Mid North Coast Library App
  • Remember your card. Your card is essential for borrowing and all other services. If a membership card is misplaced or lost, there is a cost for a replacement card.
  • Items on loan or at another branch can be reserved for you.
  • Items can be requested from libraries across Australia. Find out more about inter-library loans.

Can visitors borrow items?

Visitors to the Kempsey Shire are welcome to use most of our facilities free of charge. However, if you wish to borrow from the library or access our public computers, there is a small fee.

Visitors can join the library as a Temporary Visitor. A fee applies. 

  • Temporary Visitor – this allows you to borrow up to three items at a time for up to three weeks. 

An application form can be completed and processed at any local branch. A temporary membership card will be issued while you wait.

What are the membership conditions?

As a library member we ask you to:

  • Take responsibility for all items borrowed on your card, even if you lend your card or library items to another person.
  • Consider others and kindly return all items on or before the due date (we allow renewals)
  • If you have a damaged or lost item please contact us as soon as possible to organise a replacement.  
  • Respect the rights of other library users by not engaging in unsociable behaviour such as harassment, the use of inappropriate language or loud conversations including mobile phone calls.

Will my membership expire?

Library memberships expire every 3 years if not used within that period. Residents are requested to complete a membership application to re-join the library service.

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