Browse Library services

Browse Online reference tools

library services

Download music for free

Library card holders can download 3 music tracks in the MP3 format each week, and stream 3 of hours of music each day for free!

DVD hire

We have a wide selection of DVDs for hire. DVDs can be borrowed for one week.

Free Wi-Fi

Free Wi-Fi is available in the library

Book lending

We have a wide range of books to loan for free. You may borrow up to 20 books for up to three weeks. Large print and talking books are also available.

Audio and eBooks

Click the link to access audio, eBook, and music with your library card.

DVD Hire

We have a wide selection of DVDs for hire. DVDs can be borrowed for one week.

Printing and photocopying

We offer printing and photocopying in black and white and colour for a small fee.

Computers

Enjoy free internet access to help you with your studies or research, for checking your email or simply for surfing the web. You can also use our computers for writing letters, preparing a CV or having a look at your holiday photos. 

Newspapers

Keep up to date with current affairs at Balham library with our wide selection of newspapers and magazines.

Online Reference Tools

Ancestry

Online resources including census returns for England, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man; civil registration indexes for England and Wales, historic BT telephone directories and more.
PLEASE NOTE: Ancestry can not be accessed from home, only from computers in the Heritage Service as well as other Wandsworth libraries.

Library PressDisplay

Library.PressDisplay.com offers instant access to over 4000 newspapers from 100 countries in 60 languages. It is the most convenient and complete way to read all your favorite newspapers and magazines on one site.

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing your library card number in the box labelled Barcode/Library card No. and then click Login.

Britannica - Junior edition 5-11

Special version of Encyclopaedia Britannica aimed at younger children

Encyclopaedia Britannica - Libraries edition

Users of Wandsworth's libraries can access the comprehensive online version of the world-famous Encyclopaedia Britannica.

Britannica Encyclopaedia - Student edition

Special version of Encyclopaedia Britannica aimed at students and young adults. 

Credo Reference

Credo Reference (formerly known as xreferplus) provides access to a large selection of reference sources including encyclopaedias, dictionaries, thesauri, books of quotations and a range of subject-specific titles covering everything from art to accountancy and literature to law

GoCitizen.co.uk

GoCitizen is an online study resource for candidates preparing for the Life in the UK Test or British citizenship test. 

Oxford Art Online

Oxford Art Online provides web access to the entire text of The Dictionary of Art, ed. Jane Turner (1996, 34 vols.) and The Oxford Companion to Western Art, ed. Hugh Brigstocke (2001).

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing wandsworth followed by your library card number; for example wandsworth002347898

Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Wandsworth libraries users can access the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. The site provides 50,000 biographies of people who shaped the history of the British Isles and beyond, from the earliest times to the year 2001.

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing wandsworth followed by your library card number; for example wandsworth002347898

Access to Research

Access to Research provides licensed access to over 1.5 million journal articles and conference proceedings through Wandsworth library terminals. Users can read a wide variety of articles in many fields including Art, Business, History, Journalism, Languages, Politics, Film, Philosophy, and Science.
To use Access To Research you must log on to one of the computers in your local Wandsworth library and follow the link from the desktop.

MintUK

Use Mint UK to find out more about companies – what they do, who runs them, how successful they are and look at their structure. PLEASE NOTE: MintUK must be accessed from a computer within a Wandsworth library.

Oxford Dictionaries Online

With up-to-date online dictionaries, thesauruses, and language reference content based on the largest language research programme in the world, Oxford Dictionaries Online is an extensive, integrated, smart-linked English language resource.

It offers quick search access to definitions of words, phrases, and idioms, with expert guidance on style and usage, grammar, and spelling; plus specialist guides for legal and technical writing.

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing wandsworth followed by your library card number; for example wandsworth002347898

Oxford English Dictionary

Explore the English language with the Oxford English Dictionary and dive straight in to the riches of the English language with free access for Library members. 

An extensive and eclectic collection of reference material, ideal for essay writing, dissertations and projects.

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing wandsworth followed by your library card number; for example wandsworth002347898 

Oxford Music Online

The Oxford Dictionary of Music and Musicians, second edition, edited by Stanley Sadie and John Tyrell, was published simultaneously in print and online as Grove Music Online in January 2001.

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing wandsworth followed by your library card number; for example wandsworth002347898

Oxford Reference Online

Online access to the world's most trusted reference collection.

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing wandsworth followed by your library card number; for example wandsworth002347898

Driving Theory Test Practice

Online simulation of the UK's driving theory test.

The Times Digital Archive & NewsVault

First published in 1785, The Times of London is widely considered to be the world's 'newspaper of record'. The Times Digital Archive allows users to search over 200 years of this invaluable historical source. Type your library card number to log on; eg 5319009

Who's Who and Who was Who online

The essential directory of the noteworthy and influential in all walks of life, in the UK and worldwide, published annually by A & C Black since 1849. To use Who's Who just type the word wandsworth followed by your library card number; eg wandsworth000012345678

FutureLearn

FutureLearn offers a diverse selection of courses from leading universities and cultural institutions from around the world. These are delivered one step at a time, and are accessible on mobile, tablet and desktop, so you can fit learning around your life.

Learning should be an enjoyable, social experience, so these courses offer the opportunity to discuss what you’re learning with others as you go, helping you make fresh discoveries and form new ideas.

2,549,831 people have joined FutureLearn since launching in September 2013.

Oxford Bibliographies

Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides.

Click the link below to visit the website and log in by typing wandsworth followed by your library card number; for example wandsworth002347898

Which Online

Get instant access to thousands of expert product reviews. Which online can only be accessed through the computers in a Wandsworth Library. If you wish to use this service then please ask staff in your local branch.
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