Let's talk about Kent Libraries

We know how much people love our libraries. We love them too.

You may have noticed the range of services we deliver has continued to change and expand over recent years to meet the needs of Kent’s communities. The way we deliver many of these services has also changed to reflect the growth of technology and new ways of communicating.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the pace of this change quickened during the pandemic. We had to adapt fast to ensure that we continued to still be able to deliver a library service. This meant:

  • developing the digital services we provide (e-books, e-magazines and newspapers) and making it easier to join the library virtually
  • delivering events and activities online while still prioritising services to those most in need via our befriending telephone calls, home library service and postal loan service
  • developing our select and collect book offer which meant books could be selected and picked up at the library or mobile library front door.

We have now reopened all our 99 libraries and mobile libraries with measures in place to ensure we keep everyone as safe as possible. Find out more about the full range of services we provide.

We know that the library services we provide are hugely valued by local people. The Libraries, Registration and Archives Strategy helps us to steer the service in the right direction. This is even more important as we continue to recover from lockdown.

Our current strategy runs until the end of 2022, and whether you are a current library user or not, we need your help to develop a new one. Our early conversations with library users, residents and partners will be vital in helping to shape Kent library services for the future.

Update 26 January 2022

Over the last few months your feedback has been helping us to understand whether your use of library services has changed and how you feel about them.

From this we now need your help identifying what our priorities should be and have created a new survey to help capture your thoughts.

We encourage you to subscribe on this page (under 'Stay Informed') for further opportunities to help shape our new strategy.

How to get involved

There are currently three ways you can help:

  • take part in a second Survey, which explores in more detail some of the feedback you have provided so far
  • tell us what Kent Libraries mean to you by clicking on the Stories tab below
  • use our Ideas board to tell us what would encourage you to use our services more or for the first time. This could be your ideas for new services or improvements to our existing services.

You can take part in any or all of these activities - it's completely up to you!

We know how much people love our libraries. We love them too.

You may have noticed the range of services we deliver has continued to change and expand over recent years to meet the needs of Kent’s communities. The way we deliver many of these services has also changed to reflect the growth of technology and new ways of communicating.

You won’t be surprised to learn that the pace of this change quickened during the pandemic. We had to adapt fast to ensure that we continued to still be able to deliver a library service. This meant:

  • developing the digital services we provide (e-books, e-magazines and newspapers) and making it easier to join the library virtually
  • delivering events and activities online while still prioritising services to those most in need via our befriending telephone calls, home library service and postal loan service
  • developing our select and collect book offer which meant books could be selected and picked up at the library or mobile library front door.

We have now reopened all our 99 libraries and mobile libraries with measures in place to ensure we keep everyone as safe as possible. Find out more about the full range of services we provide.

We know that the library services we provide are hugely valued by local people. The Libraries, Registration and Archives Strategy helps us to steer the service in the right direction. This is even more important as we continue to recover from lockdown.

Our current strategy runs until the end of 2022, and whether you are a current library user or not, we need your help to develop a new one. Our early conversations with library users, residents and partners will be vital in helping to shape Kent library services for the future.

Update 26 January 2022

Over the last few months your feedback has been helping us to understand whether your use of library services has changed and how you feel about them.

From this we now need your help identifying what our priorities should be and have created a new survey to help capture your thoughts.

We encourage you to subscribe on this page (under 'Stay Informed') for further opportunities to help shape our new strategy.

How to get involved

There are currently three ways you can help:

  • take part in a second Survey, which explores in more detail some of the feedback you have provided so far
  • tell us what Kent Libraries mean to you by clicking on the Stories tab below
  • use our Ideas board to tell us what would encourage you to use our services more or for the first time. This could be your ideas for new services or improvements to our existing services.

You can take part in any or all of these activities - it's completely up to you!

What do Kent library services mean to you? Tell us your story here.

We are very proud of our library service and all of the staff who work to deliver positive outcomes for the residents of Kent. 

We'd love to hear what the Kent library service means to you and particularly the positive difference it makes to your life.

Hearing your stories of when the library service has made a real difference, particularly over the pandemic, will help us to understand where our services have the greatest impact and what we should be developing and focusing on in our new strategy. 

You can add text, photos and videos to your story. However, please ensure you have permission to share anything featured here and don't use full names when referring to people, only first names.

To get us started we have added a few stories from our staff and customers.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.

If you have any ideas for how we could encourage more people to enjoy our library services, please feel free to tell us on our Ideas board.

CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

  • A great community space

    by Charsinc, over 2 years ago

    We use Hildenborough library regularly and have done since the children were babies. It provided me with a space to take the children and for them to join in with rhyme time, do colouring and for me to meet with other mums.

    We have taken part in the summer reading challenge and enjoy our trips to the library.

    Our Librarian is the best who takes time to get to know the users of the library, who knows what we would all do without him. He, and the library is a lifeline to so many people in the village and with... Continue reading

  • A friendly and relaxing place.

    by DanG, over 2 years ago
    Sittingbourne - I like that there is ample comfy seating for children and adults to sit back and relax with a good book, that there are user-friendly self-checkouts that even my children can use independently, there is a wide range of mental health leaflets available breaking the stigma. I appreciate the kind way in which the staff deal with my children's many questions and transactions at the desk clearly valuing each and every person, young or old that walks through their door.

  • Hartley library

    by Wops, over 2 years ago
    Hartley library is a lifeline particularly as we find travelling more difficult-particularly with the covid problem. The staff there are wonderful so please ensure that it stays open

  • Wonderful place for children

    by Bighairbear, over 2 years ago
    We’ve been members of our local library since our first child was born, almost 11 years ago. A trip to the library has always been exciting for the children. We would sit together and read books and they had my undivided attention. I went to the rhyme time events with my youngest. We loved all the events the library would put on, at Christmas and in the summer, especially with the funny library lion! My children have loved doing the summer reading challenge each year. As I don’t drive, the library was a good place to walk to, to spend... Continue reading

  • On line Aid! Opens up a wealth of fun during lockdown!

    by Pdoran01, over 2 years ago
    Thanks to the help of two on line librarians , I got access to a wealth of audio books over lockdown which helped us keep our morale up! Lord Peter Wimsey was a particular favourite. Thank you ‘ Ask a Librarian’!!!

  • Friendly Hartley Library

    by PS1973, over 2 years ago
    My 2 children and I have been regular users of our local library for over 13 years since we moved here. The previous 2 librarians, Rose and Jackie were extremely friendly and welcoming. Now we have Nathalie and Angela who are just as amazing! Always a smile, a chat when times are not busy, a friendly face or some helpful information. They cannot do enough to help. The loss of our library for so many months in lockdown was terrible; just when we needed it most! But understandable. Over the years, we have been to baby/toddler singing, completed in the... Continue reading

  • Excellence in Westgate

    by LibraryLad, over 2 years ago
    I was a fairly regular library user before 2020, so really appreciated the Select and Collect service when the pandemic caused the closure of the local library, even though it meant travelling a little further then just round the corner. I am fairly convinced that it was the ability to collect books regularly which kept my mental health ticking over.

    However, since Westgate Library has opened again, I realise just what I have missed. The ability to chat to a familiar face about the chosen books, to get recommendations for further titles based on my own selections, to be recognised... Continue reading

  • More Hildenbourough Library than books alone, it's a lifeline!

    by Margo5, over 2 years ago
    I have been going to Rhyme Time at Hildenborough library since my sons were small babies.


    Michael and Liza have created such a warm, welcoming, friendly environment at Rhyme Time on Tuesday mornings (Even when my boys were at an age where pulling all the books off the shelves was fun!)


    The library has been a bit of a saviour, especially during maternity leave which can be a lonely time. It's somewhere we can get together, sing with our children and make new friends, share experiences and just chat. Sometimes this can be the only social interaction we have all... Continue reading

  • Safe Refuge

    by Bookworm, over 2 years ago
    I had a very difficult childhood and access to a library was literally a lifeline for me. Books I could not afford to buy provided a safe escape from what was going on at home, I simply do not think I could have survived it so well if I could not have opened the doors to other worlds. As I grew the habit of reading stayed with me and has provided a very wide ranging education. I would be sad beyond belief to think that children now would not have the same priceless opportunity that I had.

  • Library service at Allington

    by Bond33, over 2 years ago
    The service is very good.

    New books have started to arrive and the old favorites are still there.

    One sometimes needs to access the internet via the library computer if your ISP has a mast down or there are connection problems.

    Printing is good.

    The staff are all very knowledgeable, very pleasant to deal with and very helpful.

    The building itself is well designed and location good.