Housebound Library Service
The housebound library service is free and available to any person who lives within the boundary of Coventry and has a disability which makes them housebound, so they are unable to get to a library. If this is you, or someone you know, you could receive a monthly collection of items from the Libraries Service. The items are selected by library staff from the shelves of a community library, based on your preferences, and delivered to your home on a monthly basis. The items can be books in larger print, and audio books on CD. You can request any item free of charge and there is no limit (within reason) to the number of items delivered each month.
While we try to target those most in need, you do not have to be totally housebound in order to receive the service - for example, many people can get to a library by some means but cannot carry the books they want home.
Express an interest in the Housebound Library Service
- online: complete the online form to express an interest in the housebound library service [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/librariesformhomelibraryservice]
- by phone: call any library during opening hours (find a library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary])
- in person: visit any library during opening hours (find a library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary])
Amend your preferences
If you have received items in your last delivery that you were unhappy with, or want to change your preferences so that you receive different genres or authors, then you can contact us to amend your preferences.
- online: complete the online form to amend your preferences [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/librariesformhomelibraryservice]
- by phone: call the library you receive your items from during opening hours (find a library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary])
- in person: visit any library during opening hours (find a library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary])
Cancel the home Housebound Library Service
If you no longer want to receive the Housebound Library Service, you can contact us to cancel the service. You can also contact us if you are a family member, friend or neighbour of a Housebound Library Service customer who has passed away.
- online: complete the online form to cancel the housebound library service [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/librariesformhomelibraryservice]
- by phone: call the library you receive your items from during opening hours (find a library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary])
- in person: visit any library during opening hours (find a library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary])
Support organisations
- Adult social care and health - Coventry City Council [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/health-social-care] - For those who need extra help to manage their lives and be independent, including older people, people with a disability or long-term illness, people with mental health problems and those who look after someone or are carers
- All Age Disability – Coventry City Council [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/care-support/age-disability] - The All Age Disability Service works alongside people with disabilities of all ages and their family carers to support their personal, social care and health outcomes.
- Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind [http://www.coventryblind.org.uk/] - (CRCB) is a registered charity that provides support, information, resources, training and social activities for people with a visual impairment in the Coventry area.
- Reading Sight [http://readingsight.org.uk/] - Reading Sight will promote new ways of reading and point to places where you can get technical support to increase your confidence in these exciting developments.
- Royal National Institute for the Blind [http://www.rnib.org.uk/] - RNIB provides practical and emotional advice and support across England to people who are blind or partially sighted and their friends and family. As well as access to over 40,000 fiction and non-fiction books for adults and children in accessible formats that suits you.
- Age UK Coventry and Warwickshire [http://www.ageuk.org.uk/coventryandwarwickshire] - is an independent charity delivering a wide range of information, support and assistance services.
- Calibre Audio [https://www.calibreaudio.org.uk/]- Calibre Audio is a national charity providing a collection of over 16,000 audiobooks for anyone who finds it difficult to read print.
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Autism friendly libraries
Tile Hill Library is autism friendly.
In January 2017 Tile Hill Library [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/tilehilllibrary] became the first ever autism friendly library in Coventry. With ideas from parents and specialists the library has been redesigned and features:
Open plan children's area
The children's area has been moved to the front of the library, allowing more space to read and relax!
Map of the library's new layout.
Specialist signage
Autism friendly signage to all areas of the library including a staff welcome board with pictures.
Specialist stock
New books for all areas of interest have been added, which include books on autism and Asperger's syndrome [/autismbooks].
Autism friendly hours
Every Friday from 4pm - 5.30pm, Tile Hill Library will be completely autism friendly with lower noise levels, extra furniture available such as special bean bags, sensory tents, iPads with specialist apps available and designated chill-out zones.
Tile Hill Library
Address: Jardine CrescentTile Hill
Coventry
CV4 9PL
Library services for people with a visual impairment
Join the library
It is free to join by visiting any library, or online [https://www.coventry.gov.uk/aboutcovlibraries]. Members who are registered as Visual Impaired incur no fees or charges. Free reservations of all loanable items is available. Help is available at all libraries.
Large print books
Coventry Libraries have a range of books in large print format. The print size (font size) is 14pt. These titles cover romances, biographies, classics, novels, adventure, western and thrillers. Try one out and you will soon see why so many people already use the large print service. They are available through your Library and can be reserved free of charge. Did you know you can search and reserve items online [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/librarycatalogue] too? To log in you will need your Coventry Library card and four digit pin number. For those with a registered visual impairment, there are no charges for these items.
Audio (talking) books
We have large collections of spoken word recordings of books on CD in Coventry Libraries. For those with a registered visual impairment, there are no charges for these items.
DVDs
Coventry Central Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/centrallibrary] has a wide range of DVDs including TV series, films and a collection of World Cinema titles. For those with a registered visual impairment, there are no charges for these items.
Resources for children and young people
Coventry Libraries have a collection of popular children's picture books that are turned into accessible books to enable adults and children to read together. These books come in giant print [75 pt] with Braille.
The following collections are available at Central library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/centrallibrary]; please ask staï¬ if you would like to borrow them:
- Clear Vision books have Braille, print and pictures, making them suitable for visually-impaired and sighted children and young people to share with adults. The collection includes tactile board books, simple stories for young children and stimulating books for new readers.
- CustomEyes books oï¬er customised large print books for visually-impaired children and young people. The collection is made up of popular children's book titles and is suitable for children of all ages.
Screen magnifier display
The Central Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/centrallibrary] in Smithford Way has a Low Vision Reader. It will enlarge the print or handwriting up to sixty times on the television screen. These are free facilities available for people with a visual impairment.
Magnifiers
Every library has handheld magnifiers, which you can use to read books, information leaï¬ets and newspapers.
Language and Cultural Services - Library of Sanctuary
Coventry Libraries and Information Service supports the ‘City of Sanctuary’ vision that the UK will be a welcoming place of safety for all and proud to offer sanctuary to people fleeing violence and persecution.
We endorse the City of Sanctuary Charter and agree to act in accordance with City of Sanctuary values and apply the network principles within our work (as far as our specific context enables us to).
We recognise the contribution of people seeking sanctuary. Sanctuary seekers are welcomed, included and supported within our context. We expect our branches or local groups (if any) to support their local City of Sanctuary group if one exists, and will facilitate contact between them and their local City of Sanctuary group.
We are willing for our organisation’s name to be added to a list of supporters of City of Sanctuary, linked to our website. We are also willing to be contacted by City of Sanctuary with further ideas for how we can turn our support into practical action and to discuss ways we might work together to promote the vision further.
Libraries of Sanctuary is an initiative to inspire, support and promote the use of public libraries as places of welcome for people seeking sanctuary in the UK. It recognises the good practice of libraries which welcome new arrivals into their community and seek to foster a culture of welcome and inclusivity.
For further information please visit the Library of Sanctuary website [https://libraries.cityofsanctuary.org] and the Coventry City of Sanctuary website [https://coventry.cityofsanctuary.org].
The City of Sanctuary organisation has created a recommended booklist. To borrow a copy please search the library catalogue [/onlinelibrarycatalogue], reserve [/reservelibraryitem] or request [/requestlibraryitem] any of these books.
Children's books
Up to 5 years
- A Home Full of Friends by Peter Bently and Charles Fuge
- The Jasmine Sneeze by Nadine Kaadan
- Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox and Helen Oxbury
Key Stage 1
- Paddington by Michael Bond
- The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman
- The Librarian of Basra by Jeanette Winter
- The Silence Seeker by Ben Morley
- The Journey by Francesca Sanna
- Seeking Refuge series by Andy Glynne (five books: Ali’s Story, Hamid’s Story, Rachel’s Story, Julianne’s Story, Navid’s Story)
- My Name Is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams
- 10,000 Bowls of Soup by Ross Frowen and Claire Steele
- Me and My Fear by Francesca Sanna
- Everybody’s Welcome by Patricia Hegarty
- Beegu by Alexis Deacon
- Lubna and the Pebble by Wendy Meddour and Daniel Egnéus
- A Child’s Garden by Michael Foreman
- The Colour of Home by Mary Hoffman and Karin Littlewood
- Elmer and the Hippos by David McKee
- Something Else by Kathryn Cave and Chris Riddell
- Two Giants by Michael Foreman
- Frog and the Stranger by Max Velthuijs
- Here I am by Patti Kim and Sonia Sánchez
- The Journey Home by Frann Preston-Gannon
- There's a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins
- Green Lizards vs Red Rectangles by Steve Antony
- The Suitcase by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros
- My Name is Not Refugee by Kate Milner
- Lily and the Polar Bears by Jion Sheibani
- Refugees by Brian Bilston
- Mama’s Nightingale by Edwidge Danticat
Lower Key Stage Two
- Azzi in Between by Sarah Garland
- Christophe's Story by Nicki Cornwell, illustrated by Karin Littlewood
- Moon Man by Tomi Ungerer
- The Silence Seeker by Ben Morley
- The Day War Came by Nicola Davies and Rebecca Cobb
- War and Peas by Michael Foreman
- We Are All Born Free
- Refuge by Anne Booth and Sam Usher
- Angus Rides the Goods Train by Alan Durant and Chris Riddell
- Moose by Michael Foreman
- The Conquerors by David McKee
- When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest and P J Lynch
- Nadine Dreams of Home by Bernard Ashley
- The Boy at the Back of the Class by Onjali Q. Raúf, illustrated by Pippa Curnick
- Sami's Silver Lining (The Lost and Found Book 2) by Cathy Cassidy
- Pitch Invasion by Tom Palmer
- Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari
- Ballerina Dreams by Michaela and Elaine DePrince, illustrated by Ella Okstad
- The Abominables by Eva Ibbotson
- Teacup by Rebecca Young and Matt Ottley
- When Jessie Came Across the Sea by Amy Hest
- The Unforgotten Coat by Cottrell Boyce
- Tomorrow by Nadine Kadaan
- Leaf by Sandra Dieckmann
- Gervelie's Journey: A Refugee Diary by Anthony Robinson, Annemarie Young and June Allan
- There's a Boy Just Like Me by Fraiser Cox & Alison Brown
- Stepping Stones: A refugee family's journey by Margriet Ruurs, Nizar Ali Badr & Falah Raheem
- There's Room for Everyone by Anahita Teymorian
- Charlie's Promise by Annemarie Allan
- King of the Sky by Nicola Davies and Laura Carlin
- Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte
Upper Key Stage 2/Key Stage Three
- Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
- My Childhood Under Fire: A Sarejevo Diary by Nadja Halilbegovich
- Mai Ya’s Long Journey by Sheila Cohen
- Zlata’s Diary by Zlata Filipovic
- The Name Jar by Yangsook Choi
- One Day We Had to Run
- Four Feet, Two Sandals by Karen Lynn Williams
- The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Nadine Dreams Of Home by Bernard Ashley
- I Am David by Anne Holm
- A Refugee Diary Series by Anthony Robinson (four books: Gervelie’s Journey, Mohammed’s Journey, Meltem’s Journey, Hamzat’s Journey)
- Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
- Refugee Boy (a play adapted from the novel) by Lemn Sissay
- The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo
- The Arrival by Shaun Tan
- Refugees and Migrants (Children in Our World) by Ceri Roberts and Hanane Kai
- Walk in my Shoes by Alwyn Evans
- The Journey by Francesca Sanna
- The Arrival by Shaun Tan
- The Island by Armin Greder
- The Mediterranean by Armin Greder
- A Story Like the Wind by Gill Lewis, illustrated by Jo Weaver
- Oranges in No Man's Land by Elizabeth Laird
- Boy Overboard by Moris Gleitzman
- No Ballet Shoes in Syria by Catherine Bruton
- The Eleventh Trade by Alyssa Hollingsworth, illustrated by Richard Merritt
- Coming to England by Floella Benjamin, illustrated by Michael Frith
- The Unforgotten Coat by Frank Cottrell Boyce
- Red Leaves by Sita Brahmachari
- Boy 87 by Ele Fountain
- Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird
- A Dangerous Crossing by Jane Mitchell
- The Bone Sparrow by Zana Fraillon
- Refugee Boy by Benjamin Zephaniah
- After Tomorrow by Gillian Cross
- In the Sea There Are Crocodiles by Fabio Geda, translated by Italian by Howard Curtis
- Children Growing up with War by Jenny Matthews
- Who Are Refugees and Migrants? By Michael Rosen & Annemarie Young
- Amina by J.L. Powers
- Looking at the Stars by Jo Cotterill
- Child Soldier: when boys and girls are used in war by Jessica Dee Humphreys and Michel Chilkwanine
- Illegal by Eoin Colfer, Andrew Donkin and Giovanni Rigano
- Far from Home by Cath Senker
- Forced to Flee: refugee children drawing on their experiences by Laura Padoan and Matthew Saltmarsh
- When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit by Judith Kerr
- Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird
- The Other Side of Truth by Beverly Naidoo
- Jackdaw Summer by David Almond
- Give Me Shelter by Tony Bradman
- The Island by Armin Greder
- Child I by Steve Tasane
- A Dangerous Crossing by Jane Mitchell
- Shadow by Michael Morpurgo
- Now is the Time for Running by Michael Williams
- Running on the Roof of the World by Jess Butterworth
- Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow by Siobhan Curham
- The Fox Girl and the White Gazelle by Victoria Williamson
- A Child's Garden: A Story of Hope by Michael Foreman
- Do You Speak Chocolate by Cas Lester
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang
- House Without Walls by Ching Yeung Russell
- Front Desk by Kelly Yang
- Boy, Everywhere by A.M. Dassu
- The Tale O’ the Glasgow Girls by Euan Girvan
KS4 and Young Adult
- Little Soldier by Bernard Ashley
- No Gun For Asmir by Christobel Mattingley
- Red Leaves by Sita Brahmachari
- Hidden by Miriam Halahmy
- Dreaming of Home by Hong Dam
- A Dangerous Crossing by Jane Mitchell
- Tender Earth by Sita Brahmachari
- The Lightless Sky by Gulwali Passerlay
- Welcome to Nowhere by Elizabeth Laird
- Looking At The Stars by Jo Cotterill
- Alpha by Bessora & Barroux, translated from French by Sarah Ardizzone
- Here I Stand: stories that speak for freedom edited by Amnesty International UK
- Migrations: Open Hearts, Open Borders edited by The International Centre for the Picture Book in Society
- Hidden by Miriam Halahmy
- The Ones That Disappeared by Zana Fraillon
- Inheritance by Balli Kaur Jaswal
- The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo
- Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys
- Asylum by Rachel Anderson
- I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai
- If You Were Me by Sam Hepburn
- One Crow Alone by Sophie Crockett
- Secrets in the Fire by Henning Mankell, translated by Anne Stuksrud
- Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
- Looking at the Stars by Jo Cotterill
- Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan
- Selling Your Father's Bones by Brian Schofield
Adult
Fantasy
- Toggle by Wyon Stansfeld
- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Novels
- The Go-Away Bird by Warren Fitzgerald
- Vanished by Ahmed Masoud
- What Is The What by Dave Eggers
- A Distant Shore by Caryl Phillips
- By The Sea by Abdulrazak Gurnah
- The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini
- The Other Hand by Chris Cleave
- This Is Where I Am by Karen Campbell
- Hand Me Down World by Lloyd Jones
- Harare North by Brian Chikwava
- Minaret by Leila Aboulela
- Elsewhere, Home by Leila Aboulela
- Refusal Shoes by Tony Saint
- The Optician of Lampedusa by Emma Jane Kirby
- We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo
- Welcome to Paradise by Mahi Binebine
- The Registrar’s Manual for Detecting Forced Marriages by Sophie Hardach
- The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
- Sweetness in the Belly by Camilla Gibb
- Outcasts United by Warren St John
- Nowhere Man by Aleksandar Hemon
- Many Rivers to Cross by Dylan Moore
Biographies and auto-biographies
- The Pianist of Yarmouk by Aeham Ahmad
- Antigona and Me by Kate Clanchy
- Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
- Cast Away by Charlotte McDonald-Gibson
- City of Thorns by Ben Rawlence
- Embracing the Infidel by Bahzad Yaghmaian
- Rolling Blackouts: Dispatches from Turkey, Syria and Iraq by Sarah Glidden
- Bluebird: A Memoir by Vesna Maric
- A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Bah
- Slave by Mende Nazar and Damien Lewis
- In Order to Live by Yeonmi Park
- Strength in What Remains by Tracey Kidder
- Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman
- The Ungrateful Refugee by Dina Nayeri
- Tears of Salt: A Doctor’s Story - Situated more than one hundred miles off Italy’s southern coast, the rocky island of Lampedusa has hit world headlines in recent years as the first port of call for hundreds of thousands of African and Middle Eastern refugees fleeing civil war and terrorism and hoping to make a new life in Europe. Dr. Pietro Bartolo, who runs the lone medical clinic on the island, has been caring for many of them—both the living and the dead—for a quarter century.
- Refugee Tales
- Refugee Tales: Volume II
- Refugee Tales: Volume III
Short Stories
- breach by Olumide Popoola and Annie Holmes
- Refugee Tales I and II edited by David Herd and Anna Pincus
- The Deportees and Other Stories by Roddy Doyle
- The Last Tram by Nedim Gursel
- Jokes for the Gunmen by Mazen Maarouf
Poetry
- Birds Without Sky: Poems From Exile by Malka al-Haddad
- Welcome to Leicester edited by Emma Lee and Ambrose Musiyiwa
- Refugee by Sophie Nicholls
- Hands and Wings
- Over Land, Over Sea edited by Kathleen Bell, Emma Lee and Siobhan Logan
- No Friend But The Mountains by Behrouz Boochani
- On the Move: Poems about Migration by Michael Rosen
Collections
- Are You Happy With That?
- The Mara Crossing by Ruth Padel
- My Heart Loves in My Language
- Trauma Awareness Publishing has launched two books:
- ‘Under the Shade of a Tree: Somali Women Speak’
- ‘Leaving Our Homeland: Syria to the Isle of Bute’
- The Journey Back from Hell by Anton Gill - a collection of testimonies from Holocaust survivors
Non-fiction
Refugees
- Human Cargo by Caroline Moorhead
- The Book of Boaz: Jesus and His Family Sought Asylum - What Welcome Would They Have Found in Modern Britain? by Dave Smith
- The Road Before Me Weeps by Nick Thorpe
Migration
- Beyond Walls and Cages: Prisons, Borders and Global Crisis edited by Jenna M. Lloyd et al
- Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain by Robert Winder
- Us and Them?: The Dangerous Politics of Immigration Controls by Bridget Anderson
- Seeking Sanctuary: A History of Refugees in Britain by Jane Marchese Robinson
Libraries and Information Service
Address: Central LibrarySmithford Way
Coventry
CV1 1FY
Digital Accessibility at Coventry LibrariesÂ
Digital accessibility means that people with different abilities and preferences can use online services without barriers or difficulties.
Coventry Libraries is committed to making our services and digital resources (website, e-books, audiobooks, and more) accessible for all our customers.
Some of the types of disabilities that can affect how people access services are:
- Visual impairments, such as blindness, low vision, or colour blindness
- Hearing impairments, such as deafness or hard of hearing
- Motor impairments, such as limited mobility, dexterity, or coordination
- Cognitive impairments, such as dyslexia, autism, or attention deficit disorder
Accessibility options can include:
- Text resizing, zooming, or magnification
- Text-to-speech or screen readers
- Speech-to-text or voice input
- Contrast adjustment or colour inversion
- Closed captions or transcripts
- Keyboard navigation or alternative input devices
- Translation and language preferences
Digital accessibility options at Coventry libraries
Software and equipment designed to assist users with a visual impairment when using a public computer can be found at:
- Central Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/50163/central-library]
- Allesley Park Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/50152/allesley-park-library]
Hublets installed with accessibility software are available to use at
- Central Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/50163/central-library]
- Foleshill Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/50158/foleshill-library]
- Tile Hill Library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/directory-record/50154/tile-hill-library]
Website – Reachdeck is a built-in accessibility toolbar that allows you to adjust settings such as the font size, colour, contrast, and spacing of the web pages
- You can read the accessibility statement [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/accessibilitystatement]
- Reachdeck supportive toolbar information [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/tts]
Accessible E-books and Audiobooks
Text-to-Speech tools for E-Books:
Many devices have built in accessibility features - go to ‘settings’ and ‘accessibility’ to look for screen readers or try an app:
Borrowbox [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/e-audiobooks-e-books-e-magazines]
- Listen to E-Audio books with Borrowbox:
- Use the app on your smartphone or tablet
- Access via a computer
- Download titles to listen on an MP3 player
- You can adjust the listening speed with Borrowbox app
Adjust reading options through Borrowbox app:
- Change text size, font, and colour scheme
- Tap screen to access settings bar, then select 'AA' button for:
- Text size adjustment
- Font selection, including dyslexic font
- Color scheme change, including night mode for easier reading in different lighting conditions
- Alternatively, zoom in on the screen with fingers to increase text size.
Accessible E-Magazines and E-Newspapers
Libby [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/e-audiobooks-e-books-e-magazines/2] - E-Magazines and E-Comics
- Select Coventry Libraries and sign in with library card
- On a computer the accessibility options are in the top right of the screen and include Zoom and Appearance options (Accessibility options may vary by publication)
- Zoom in/out for closer reading:
- Pinch/spread two fingers on screen with the app
- hold Ctrl + '+' on keyboard to increase text size on a computer
- Tap screen for settings bar
- Zoom – double tap to return to article
- Appearance – change text size, lighting and viewing options
PressReader [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/libraries-1/e-audiobooks-e-books-e-magazines/3] - E-Newspapers
- Access worldwide newspapers and magazines
- Sign in with library card number and select Coventry Libraries
- Zoom in/out for closer reading:
- Pinch/spread two fingers on screen with the app
- hold Ctrl + '+' on keyboard to increase text size on a computer
- Tap the screen to see options
- Select the headphones to activate Text to Speech reader
- Press and hold the screen for further options
- Text View, then 'AA' button for text size adjustment
- Translate into over 30 different languages
More information
- Ability Net [https://abilitynet.org.uk/] AbilityNet empowers disabled and older people to use technology at home, at work and in education.
- My Computer My Way [http://mcmw.abilitynet.org.uk/] - resources and guides showing how to adapt your phone, computer or tablet to meet your needs
- TripleTapTech [https://tripletaptech.org/] - a Charity set up by people with a visual impairment to help others with a visual impairment in relation to using technology
- Triple Tap Guides – TripleTapTech [https://tripletaptech.org/triple-tap-guides/]
- Seeing Ai [https://tripletaptech.org/seeing-ai/]
If you have any questions or feedback about our digital accessibility, please contact us at libraries247@coventry.gov.uk [mailto:libraries247@coventry.gov.uk] or call us on 024 7683 2314.
Thank you for choosing Coventry Libraries as your online destination for reading, learning, and discovery.
Centre Collections
Centre Collections
The library service supplies care homes, sheltered housing and day centres with collections of books, talking books and CDs. This service is available for free to any care home, sheltered housing or day centre (including private service providers). The stock is picked by staff at a community library based on your preferences and delivered by our library support team. The items can be swapped over every three months, depending on your preference, and at a minimum of twice per year.
To apply for a new service, update your details or cancel the service please:
- Phone or visit a library. Find a library [http://www.coventry.gov.uk/findalibrary].
- Complete the online form to express an interest in receiving a centre collection, amend your preferences or cancel your centre collection [https://myaccount.coventry.gov.uk/service/libraries___centre_collections].
Diversity Library Service
Did you know that Coventry Libraries and Information Service has a team of staff with a wide range of language and cultural skills? The team encourages people to use the library services and also find out what people from BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) and socially excluded groups want from their libraries.
Apart from providing books and other materials in community languages the team takes part in community events and visits schools, and community groups to promote the cultural and linguistic diversity in the city.
The team works in partnership with other services, such as Age UK Coventry to deliver books to people who are housebound.
We also offer:
- Books reflecting the cultures of African Caribbean, Asian and other communities
- Books for adults and children in: Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Hindi, Polish, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu and Vietnamese
- Newspapers and magazines in several languages
- Material for the learning of English and other languages
- Talking books
- Music for all ages and tastes: reggae, bhangra, films, folk and modern music
- Asian DVDs at several libraries
- Exhibition material relating to multicultural Britain