Community Languages

Community Languages

How can I ask for books in languages other than English?

You can talk to any staff at the library and tell them what language you’d like and what kinds of books you’d like. Some examples might include romance, mystery, cookbooks, health, sport or science fiction.

Where have these books come from?

Our community language books come free of charge from the State Library of New South Wales. 

The State Library collection have over 40 community languages. Each language collection includes:

- children's resources such as picture books, nursery rhymes, bilingual books and sound recordings
- large print and audiobooks in some languages are also available.

Why am I getting a whole box of books?

We are trialling a new service that allows customers to ask for certain types of books, to try to tailor more to your interests. The entire box only counts as one loan on your account, so you can still borrow 19 other items from the library.

I got my box but non of the kinds of books I requested are there...

We submit your preferences to the State Library of NSW, although you might request certain kinds of books, sometimes they might not have any like that available in their collection. They do not have magagzines or newspapers. 

I received my box but I've already read half the books in there!

The State Library track what it has sent to us in the past. If you have read most of the titles in your box, just read the new books, then return the box to us. 

Please feel free to ake a new request and we’ll send that to the State Library before returning the last box. This ensures that you’ll get a different batch of books for next time.

Interpreter service

If you need an interpreter to tell us what sort of books, magazines or other services you need from us, you can use Council’s interpreter service. Language Aide Officers are accredited in  Macedonian, Spanish and Croatian. If the Language Aide Officer is not available, or the issue is complex, please contact the Telephone Interpreter Service (TIS) on 131450. 

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