What a card gets you
One card, more than books
Nearly every adult in Ireland is entitled to free public library membership, yet plenty of people still assume you need to be a student, or that there is a subscription hiding somewhere. There is not. Since fines were scrapped across Irish public libraries in 2019, a card costs nothing to get and nothing to use. The digital side alone is worth the five minutes it takes to join.
Ebooks and audiobooks
Borrow through BorrowBox, day or night. Loans return themselves, so there are no late fees to worry about.
Newspapers and magazines
Most county services include free access to Irish and international papers through a press app.
Online courses
A range of free courses, from bookkeeping to wellbeing, comes with membership in participating counties.
Study space and wifi
Branches are quiet, heated places to work, with free wifi and computers you can book.
Services vary a little from county to county. Carlow's service, like the others, runs branches across the county with the main library in Carlow town, and the digital collection is shared across the national network, so the ebook catalogue is bigger than most people expect.
Step by step
How to join in five steps
- Find your county's join page. Every public library service in Ireland has an online joining form, and the Libraries Ireland site links to all of them. If you live in one county and work in another, you can pick either.
- Fill in the form. Your name, address and email are enough. Under-18s need a parent or guardian to sign them up.
- Wait for your card number. Most counties email a card number within a day, some within the hour. A few ask you to call into a branch with proof of address before your first visit, which sounds like a hassle until you remember it also hands you a building full of free books.
- Set your PIN. The email explains how. You will use the card number and PIN for the apps and for booking computers.
- Sign into BorrowBox. Choose your county, enter card number and PIN, and the full ebook and audiobook collection is open. First loan can happen before dinner.
That is the entire process. No fees, no interview, no minimum number of visits.
Digital loans
Borrowing free ebooks and audiobooks
BorrowBox is the app most Irish library services use for digital loans. Install it, pick Ireland and your county, then sign in with your library card number and PIN. The catalogue splits into ebooks and eaudiobooks, and you can borrow a handful of each at a time, usually for three weeks. Exact limits vary slightly between counties.
When a loan expires it simply disappears from your device. There is nothing to return and no fine, ever. If you finish early you can return a title yourself, and if something is out on loan you can reserve it and get an email when it comes back. Popular new releases have waiting lists, the same as a busy branch, but the queue moves faster than you would think.
One tip from regulars: check the app's collection on the first of the month. New titles tend to land in batches, and the good ones get borrowed quickly.
Is the library better than a book subscription?
For heavy readers a paid subscription delivers more new releases, faster. For everyone else the library wins on price and comes surprisingly close on catalogue size.
| Public library | Paid subscription | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free, forever | Roughly a paperback a month, every month |
| New releases | Yes, with a waiting list | Yes, depending on the service's catalogue deals |
| Audiobooks | Included | Usually the most expensive tier |
| Newspapers, courses, study space | Included | Not part of any book subscription |
| Irish local history collections | Yes | No |
A reasonable setup is both: the subscription for the one author you cannot wait for, the library for everything else. Most people who try the digital side of the library cut their subscription down a tier or drop it altogether.
Practical details
Things people ask about
Moving house or county
Your card stays valid, but update your address with the service so notices reach you. If you move to a different county you can keep the old card and join the new service as well; plenty of commuters hold two.
Children and teenagers
Family memberships exist in most counties, and children's cards include the junior side of BorrowBox. Summer reading programmes run every year in branches across the country.
If you lose the card
Report it, get a free replacement, and reset your PIN while you are at it. Takes minutes at any desk.
A note on this site: it is an independent guide to using Irish public library services, not the official county council library site. For branch opening hours and official forms, use your county council's library pages.
FAQ
Quick answers
Is library membership really free in Ireland?
Yes. Joining and borrowing are free in every public library service in Ireland, including the digital collection. Overdue fines were abolished nationally in 2019.
Can I join if I am not a student or retired?
Membership is open to everyone who lives, works or studies in the county, whatever your age or situation.
Do I need ID to join?
The online form is usually enough. Some counties ask you to confirm your address at a branch before your first physical loan.
What if I lose my card or forget my PIN?
PINs reset online or at the desk. Lost cards are replaced free, and the old one is deactivated immediately.
Can I borrow ebooks the same day I join?
In most counties, yes. As soon as the card number and PIN arrive, sign into BorrowBox and borrow.