Find out about the latest developments, events and opportunities across Camden Libraries, including new services and ways to share your views.
Camden Accessible Travel Solutions
If you need support with your application or advice about accessible travel schemes, you can attend a Camden Accessible Travel Solutions session at Camden Town Library.
You will be able to discuss:
- Blue Badge
- Disabled Person’s Freedom Pass
- London Taxicard Scheme
- Green Badge Permit
- Substitute Badge Permit
Sessions will take place from 10am to 4pm on:
- Tuesday 9 June
- Tuesday 16 June
- Tuesday 23 June
- Tuesday 30 June
To request an appointment, call Contact Camden on 020 7974 6435.
Spine Festival 2026: Apples and Snakes
Camden Libraries are pleased to be part of the SPINE Festival 2026 organised by Apples and Snakes.
Join in on SPINE Festival’s Magic & Imagination Poetry Competition for children aged 7 to 11 years old.
Poems will be inspired by the festival theme of ‘Magic & Imagination’ and judged by Simon Mole for a chance to win a signed copy of Poetry Pizza, £25 book voucher and a reading event with Simon Mole at the winners’ local libraries. Winners will be announced at the festival close on 30 June 2026. The competition opens on 16 May and closes on 12 June.
Visit the competition page for more information.
There will be two events open to the families, at Swiss Cottage Library. Visit the What's on this month page for more information.
Library closures
Staff training days
To support the training and development of the library team, the libraries will be closed for half days across two dates in June.
The following libraries will be closed until 2pm:
- 18 June - Holborn, West Hampstead, Camden Town, Kilburn (pop up library) and Kentish Town
- 25 June - Swiss Cottage, Highgate, Queens Crescent and Pancras Square
All other libraries will open as usual.
Kilburn Library
Kilburn Library will be closed from Monday 11 May for refurbishment. A temporary pop-up library will open on Monday 1 June at Abbey Community Centre.
The address is 172 Belsize Road, NW6 4BJ (opens in Google maps).
The opening hours are:
- Monday, 10am to 7pm
- Tuesday to Thursday, 10am to 5pm
- Friday, 10am to 4pm
You'll be able to borrow books from the pop-up library. For public PC access, your nearest Camden library branches are Swiss Cottage Library and West Hampstead Library. Find more information in our poster.
Free SIM Cards for residents
If you're struggling or know someone who is struggling to afford mobile data or staying connected, we may be able to help.
We’ve partnered with the Good Things Foundation as part of the National Databank to provide free SIM cards and mobile data to residents who need support accessing the internet. Visit the Free SIM cards for residents page to find out more.
Dollywood Foundation and the Imagination Library
We are working with the Dollywood Foundation to offer the Imagination Library in Camden funded by The People’s Postcode Lottery. To find out how you can register your children to receive a free book each month until their fifth birthday, visit the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library page.
Share your thoughts on Rhyme Time and the library
If you have a child under 5, let us know what you enjoy about Rhyme Time and the library and what could be improved. If you also use Camden’s Children’s Centres and Family Hubs, we’d love to hear how they support you.
Your feedback helps us improve services for all Camden families.
Reading Well for families
Browse the Reading Well for families, a new collection supporting the mental health and wellbeing of families during pregnancy and the early years (from conception to age two). Available in all Camden Libraries, this evidence-based book collection provides crucial mental health support for parents, carers, and their wider networks mental health and wellbeing during the first 1,001 days of a child's life.
The Reading Well for families collection, developed by The Reading Agency in partnership with Libraries Connected and Society of Chief Librarians (SCL) Cymru, recommends helpful reading on topics such as parental wellbeing, perinatal mental health problems (including anxiety, depression, OCD, and birth trauma), and coping with loss (including miscarriage, stillbirth, and neonatal death).
The full list of titles can be viewed on the Reading Agency website.
The books can be borrowed for free from your local library. The collection is available in multiple formats including physical books, eBooks, audiobooks. Browse our digital collections on Libby and BorrowBox.
Borrow a ukulele
Borrow a Ukulele from Swiss Cottage library. Find out more and book.
Community Café
Come and try the tasty food at the new Community Café run by Lifeafterhummus, at Pancras Square Library. The café is open Tuesday to Saturday, 12pm to 5.30pm.
Contacting the Council at your local library
Courtesy phones have recently been reinstated in all Camden Libraries except Pancras Square Library where residents can speak with a team member at Contact Camden. This means you can speak with someone and complete tasks by using the phone at the library. Ask the library team if you need assistance.