Catalonia Libraries Public Reading System: inter-library loan service
Barcelona’s library network facilitates the loan of books and documents between the libraries and mobile libraries within the Public Reading System.
This free service allows users to request or return items at any library.
Which items can be requested through the inter-library loan service?
Any item that is part of a library’s collection, whether available, on loan, in transit or reserved. Libraries may decide to exclude certain materials may be excluded from this service by the library because of their characteristics.
How many items can users request?
Up to 30 items can be reserved (including the two reservations allowed by the Atena collective catalogue), regardless of the type (DVD, CD, books etc.). Organisations are exempt from this regulation and can request more documents.
How can items from other libraries be requested?
Requests can be made via all the communication channels offered by the library: in person, by phone or by email.
What’s the time frame for receiving an item?
If the item is requested from a library in the city of Barcelona, you should receive it in about a week. If it is requested at one of the provincial libraries, it should arrive in about ten days.
What is the Atena catalogue? How does it work?
Atena is the collective catalogue for libraries that are part of Catalonia’s Public Reading System. It includes the documentary archive of Aladí (catalogue of the Network of Municipal Libraries in the province of Barcelona) and Argus (catalogue of public libraries in the provinces of Girona, Lleida and Tarragona). Items can be requested online from any public library in Catalonia.
Simply access the catalogue and request the item you need. You can make up to two requests at the same time. If the item you require is not available from any of the city’s libraries, it can be requested from any other library.
