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Reading and reading groups

If you prefer eBooks, we offer a large selection. These are available for free and can be downloaded straight to your device at home. We also offer reading material in other formats, such as AudioBooks on MP3 disc, CD or cassette. Further information is available on our eBooks and eAudiobooks page. 

Our eMagazine service is extremely popular. We have over 150 free titles for you to choose from. Each edition you download is yours to keep forever, with no return date or overdue charges.

Reading Groups

We support nearly 100 reading groups across Staffordshire. They’re all free to join and most of them meet once a month. By joining a reading group near you, you can make friends and enjoy trying books that you wouldn't normally pick up. Your library can tell you if there is a group near you, or give you advice on setting one up. The Reading Agency Reading Group Database lists more groups in your area, or you could also think about joining an online reading group.

Existing Reading Groups

If you run a reading group, we run a service to supply Reading Group Sets.

From 1st October 2018, each group will need to make a 12-month subscription to access this service and to maintain a group membership. The charge for this replaces any request charges and overdue charges a reading group has previously been required to pay to access sets of books.

The 12-month Subscription Charges are:

  • £40 for a Reading Group meeting outside the library
  • £35 for a Reading Group meeting in the library
  • £15 for an Audiobook Reading Group

The subscription allows each group the loan of 12 sets in a year from the Reading Group Sets List, without any further charges (lost and damaged items will still need to be paid for). Subscriptions are paid at the local library, from which sets are to be collected.

Reading Group Sets is designed to encourage each group to provide a named contact, who will email a completed form (57 KB) twice a year to set up the group’s requirements across a six-month period, but groups can still operate by making more frequent requests if they need to. In that case groups need to be mindful of supply times, allowing a minimum of 10 working days between when the request is submitted and when the group wants to collect copies.

Please check the Frequently Asked Questions which may answer your queries.

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