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library Services at instituto cervantes london
Access to the library and its collections is free. Visit our reading room to study, use the wi-fi in our Hublets, search the library catalogue, or take a look at its collections, including films, music and periodicals.
You will need a valid library card to borrow library materials, listen to or download audiobooks and consult our e-resources. Find out more about membership fees and lending conditions here.
In addition to our on-site facilities, the library offers the following services:
- Lending services
- Interlibrary loan and SOD
- Information services
- Group visits for schools, students and more
If you have any questions, doubts or suggestions, get in touch with us via biblon@cervantes.es.
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Lending services
Library Membership Fees
- Instituto Cervantes students: Free for the duration of their course.
- General public: £40 per year.
- Children, students, teachers, people with disabilities, unemployed people and people aged 60 and over: £25 per year. To qualify for the reduced rate, you must provide documentation confirming your eligibility.
- If you are unsure whether you are eligible for a discount, please ask a member of the library staff.
- Institutions: £120 per year. Schools, universities, libraries and other organisations can join as institutional members.
- E-library users: £20 per year.
Individual users
Books and magazines: up to 10 items for 4 weeks (renewable once).
Audiovisual materials: up to 6 items for 4 weeks (non-renewable).
E-books: 3 for 20 days (renewable); magazines for 2 days (renewable); newspapers for 2 hours (non-renewable).
Institutions
Books and magazines: up to 20 items for 4 weeks (renewable).
Audiovisual materials: up to 12 items for 4 weeks (non-renewable).
E-books: 3 for 20 days (renewable); magazines for 2 days (renewable); newspapers for 2 hours (non-renewable).
The following items are not available for loan: some dictionaries, encyclopaedias, documents dating from before 1958, and other special collections.
Renewals
Materials from the general collection (except those not available for loan) can be renewed once for an additional period of four weeks, provided that:
- The item has not been reserved by another user; and
- The user requesting the renewal has no overdue loans or outstanding fines.
You can renew books in the following ways:
- In the library, using the self-service system.
- Online, through the library catalogue, by logging in with your library card number and password.
- With the help of library staff during public opening hours.
⚠️ To avoid fines, remember to renew your items before the due date.
Audiovisual materials cannot be renewed.
Reservations
- Reservations can be made through the online catalogue or in person. A maximum of three items can be reserved.
- You will receive an email notification when the requested item becomes available.
Fines
Fines for overdue returns*
| Books and magazines | 20p |
| Audiovisual materials | 50p |
| Lost or damaged items | Cost of the item + £2 Administration fee |
*The final fine will never exceed the cost of the overdue item.
There is an interlibrary loan service available to users with a valid library card.
Discover all the services that the Reina Sofía Library at Instituto Cervantes London has prepared for you.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us. We will do our best to answer any enquiries relating to Spain and Latin America. To do so, we can draw on our own resources (specialist staff, databases and library collections), as well as external sources (the Internet and other information centres).
Enquiries can be made in person at the library or by email.
Interlibrary loan and document delivery are services that enable our library users to consult or borrow materials, or receive photocopies of documents, from Spanish libraries or from any Instituto Cervantes library worldwide.
- For further information, please do not hesitate to contact the library by email at: biblon@cervantes.es
An interlibrary loan service is available to users with a valid library card.
Interlibrary loan
Institutions and teachers (both Spanish language teachers and teachers of other subjects) can request guided tours for groups of students and colleagues of the library and other Instituto Cervantes facilities.
The format and content of the tour will be adapted, where possible, to the needs of the visiting group.
Tel: 0207 201 0757
Email: biblon@cervantes.es
The Reading room offers free Wi-Fi access to all users who wish to work on their own laptops.
Internet access is also available via the library’s Hublets. To use a Hublet, you must be a library member and borrow one using your electronic library card. If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask a member of our library staff.
Access conditions
- Internet access is free of charge for library members.
- Your electronic library card must be used to borrow a Hublet and access the Internet.
- Hublets provided for Internet access may only be used for information searches, research and learning purposes.
- The service does not include access to email, newsgroups, chat rooms or games.
- The equipment and software installed on the Hublets must be used as configured. Users may not add, delete or modify any settings on the library’s Hublets.
- Internet sessions will last between 30 and 60 minutes: an initial 30-minute session may be renewed for a further 30 minutes upon request, provided that the slot has not been reserved by another user.
- Hublets may be reserved in advance in person at the library, by telephone or by email at biblon@cervantes.es. No more than two people may use a Hublet during an Internet session.
- Children under 12 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
- The library accepts no responsibility for the information accessed by users.
- Users are responsible for reading any copyright information displayed in the results of their searches. Some Internet materials may be protected by the Spanish Intellectual Property Act.
- Library staff reserve the right to terminate an Internet session if they consider that any of the conditions set out above are not being met.
Storytelling
The Reina Sofía Library organises monthly storytelling sessions for children aged 4 to 10. These fun and interactive sessions are designed to introduce younger children to the world of Spanish-language literature.
Storytelling sessions are announced in our monthly cultural programme, and registration* is free via the Instituto Cervantes London Eventbrite page.
Our library also has an extensive collection of children’s and young adult literature for ages 0 to 12, located on the first floor. The collection includes books and resources specially selected to support young readers at different stages of their development and encourage a love of reading in Spanish.
We look forward to welcoming you to the Reina Sofía Library!
Only one parent or guardian may register for each child. Both parents or guardians may attend if capacity allows. If the session is fully booked, only one parent or guardian may attend; the other may wait in the library.
Activities for Adults
At the library, you can enjoy a wide range of activities for adults, including book clubs and conversation clubs.
In addition, every 23 April we celebrate World Book Day in keeping with the Sant Jordi tradition, giving a book and a rose to our visitors. Don’t miss it!
Find all the information and the full programme in our monthly Cultural Programme, available at the beginning of each month.
Remember to reserve your place by registering via Eventbrite .
The library offers a selection of graded readers, classified by language level. Our aim is to make it easier for you to access literary works that are not only suitable for your level of language proficiency, but also enrich your reading experience and your understanding of Spanish and Latin American culture.
If you need help finding the graded readers section, please do not hesitate to ask a member of our library staff.