As you may know, The London Library has been offering the outward postage for loans free of charge since March 2020 due to the closure of the building and difficulties members would have had accessing vital materials from our collection.
We have always intended to bring back the charge for postage as the Library cannot continue to cover the cost. Therefore, we will be reintroducing charges as of 1 May 2025.
The new process will mean that members wishing to use the postal loans service will be able to purchase a postage voucher from our online shop or reception which will allow them a number of books by post.
You will order your book/s as usual from Catalyst and as long as you have the appropriate number of credits, (which you will also be able to check on Catalyst in the Library Card section of your account), your book/s will be posted to you once they have been fetched.
Postage vouchers can be bought in blocks according to your need.
- £10 will buy postage for 3 books
- £25 will buy postage for 10 books
- £45 will buy postage for 20 books
For example, you buy a voucher for £10 which covers the postage for 3 books. You order 2 books on Catalyst and when the books are sent, your account is debited by 2, leaving you with a credit of 1 book. A few months later you want to order 2 more books so you buy another voucher for £10 which takes your credits up to 4. Once the second set of books has been sent, your account will be debited by 2, leaving a balance of 2 books.
The vouchers will not expire, unless you leave membership, so members should always be able to make use of the full voucher.
Each loan will therefore cost between £2.25 - £3.33. The costs here are for UK postage only. For any overseas postage, including EU, members will need to contact us each time as the charges will be calculated differently.
This process is a little different from the previous one where we held members’ money on an account, but with no ability for members to see what they had left. We hope that
this new process will be easier to use. Those who still have money on an account with us will be contacted by email in the coming weeks regarding their outstanding balance.
Thank you to those current users of the postal loans service, who we contacted for their feedback on the proposed process and have helped us to finalise how it will work and prepare our FAQs. If you have any questions about this please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
FAQs
Why can the free postage not continue?
We have always intended to bring back the charge for postage as the Library cannot continue to cover the cost. The money currently being used to pay for postage will represent a saving in our operating budget, it will not be available to spend on anything else.
Can I say how I want my books posted?
We will post books second class as standard. Books will be posted in the most appropriate manner depending on type of book and package size.
Will the reintroduction of postal charges cover the total cost to the Library?
It is hoped that the reintroduction will cover most of the cost of postage. It is not intended to cover the cost of packaging or staff time. Due to vast differences in size of books we have worked with the average costs and tried to make it as good value for members as possible while looking to cover most of the cost as it is a service only around 13% of members make use of.
How do I know how many credits I have left?
When you log into Catalyst, click on your name (in the top right-hand corner of the screen) and choose Library Card. The message in the Blocks + messages box will tell you how many credits you have remaining. If there is a minus figure in the box you will need to purchase more credits before any more books can be sent. Please note that if your membership payments are in arrears we will be unable to send books.
How do I purchase more credits?
Postage credits can be bought in blocks of 3, 10 and 25 from the Library’s shop and will be added to your account on Catalyst.
I am unable to pay online, how do I purchase credits?
You can purchase from Reception at the Library.
Do the credits have an expiry date?
No, the credits will remain valid for as long as you remain in membership.
I am a Remote member, how do I collect or return books to the Library building?
Remote members are able to return or collect books from staff at the Issue Desk without coming through the gates. If the Library building is closed, books may be returned through the letterbox in the front door (St James’s Square entrance) and will be removed from your account when the Library is next open.
I live outside the UK, how do I pay for my postage? Please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and staff will be able to advise on the postage costs.
Why has this system been chosen over the previous postage account?
We hope this system is easier for more members to engage with and avoids the Library holding members’ money on account which we are not set up to do.
I had credit in my postage account in 2020, what has happened to that?
You will be emailed individually in the coming weeks. If you do not hear from us by 1 May please get in touch at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
What happens to any remaining credits if I leave membership?
Remaining credits will expire immediately on leaving membership. Refunds will not be available for unused credits. If you are unsure how many you will use please select the lowest value credit voucher (up to 3 books).
