What you can borrow

You may borrow an unlimited amount of physical items at a time. This includes:

• Books
• DVDs 
• Audiobooks
• Magazines
• Edison robots
• Makey Makey kits
• STEAM Zone kits

In additions to this, members may borrow from the Digital Library.

The following special items are for in-library use only. Not all items are available at every library.

• Laptops and tablets
• Tech toys (e.g. Bee Bots, Osmo kits, Dash robots)
• Puzzles, games, and toys
• Gaming consoles (Karama Library)
• Dressmakers dummy (Casuarina Library)
• Sewing machine, overlocker (Casuarina Library).

Loan Periods

Books, audiobooks, DVDs, Edison Robots, Makey Makey kits

Loan period: 4 weeks

Loan item limits: Unlimited

Renewals allowed: 1

Magazines, STEAM Zone kits

Loan period: 2 weeks

Loan item limits: Unlimited

Renewals allowed: 1

Most Wanted

Loan period: 2 weeks

Loan item limits: Unlimited

Renewals allowed: 0

Libby (by Overdrive) ebooks & eaudiobooks

Loan period: 3 weeks

Loan item limits: 15

Renewals allowed: 1

Libby (by Overdrive) digital magazines

Loan period: Unlimited

Loan item limits: Unlimited

Renewals allowed: N/A

Borrow Box eBooks

Loan period: 2 weeks

Loan item limits: 8

Renewals allowed: 1

Borrow Box eAudioBooks

Loan period: 2 weeks

Loan item limits: 8

Renewals allowed: 1

BorrowBox ePress

Loan period: 1 weeks

Loan item limits: 44

Renewals allowed: N/A

Kanopy Movies

Loan period: 72 hours

Loan item limits: 10 tickets per month

Renewals allowed:0

Kanopy TV series

Loan period: 3-5 days in library use only

Loan item limits: 10 tickets per month

Renewals allowed:0

Laptops/ipads/gaming consoles
Robots (Dash, Bee Bots), Osmo Kits, games, toys, and puzzles

Loan period: In library use only

Loan item limits: Unlimited

Renewals allowed: N/A

Returns

Items can be returned to any of our City of Darwin Libraries locations. All libraries have 24hr/7day return chutes located near their entrance.

You can renew your items once, provided no one else has requested the item, and they are not overdue. You can renew items online, at the Library self-serve kiosk, or over the phone.

Automatic Renewals

For your convenience, City of Darwin Libraries will automatically renew item/s on their due date for two weeks, provided there are no requests for the item/s and they have not been previously renewed.

If an item cannot be automatically renewed, you will be emailed that the item/s are overdue to let you know they should be returned at your earliest convenience.

Automatic renewals do not apply to ebooks, eaudiobooks, Most Wanted or inter-library loans.

Collections

We have more than 100,000 items in our collections. Of course many of these are books, but did you know about some of our other collections?

Most Wanted

Darwin City, Nightcliff, and Casuarina libraries feature the Most Wanted collection—multiple copies of bestsellers available for 2-week loans only. No renewals or holds. It’s designed to keep high-demand titles flowing and encourage regular visits. We update this collection often to keep it fresh and exciting!

Newspapers

Weekdays: Grab a physical NT News at any branch. Weekend editions aren’t available, but you can pick up the Weekend Australian from Monday.

Digital access: On-site Wi-Fi lets you browse 28 titles—including The Australian, The Age, and NT News—via QR code or public PCs. Multiple users can read at once, with six months of back issues ready to explore.

Magazines

A wide range of titles from Harvard Business Review to National Geographic. Plus digital magazines available through Libby (by Overdrive)

For Children

Picture books, story books, and non-fiction books, along with board books, DVDs, magazines, beginner readers, audiobooks, and graphic novels. We also have a range of tech toys, robots and other gadgets to borrow. 

Parenting

Non-fiction items, picture books, and magazines to support parents.

DVDs and streaming

Our DVD collection features movies, TV shows, music, world languages, and non-fiction—perfect for fans of physical media.
Plus, enjoy Kanopy, our streaming service with feature films, documentaries, world cinema, TV series, and more.

Digital Library

A growing collection of ebooks, eaudiobooks and digital magazines available through to providers Libby (by Overdrive) and BorrowBox

Audiobooks

A large range of spoken word books in both fiction and non-fiction.

Graphic Novels

Graphic novels for adults, young adults and junior readers.

World Languages

Casuarina Library offers a collection of physical books in languages other than English—including fiction, non-fiction, children’s, and bilingual picture books—thanks to community donations.
For more options, access thousands of eBooks and magazines in 24 languages via the Libby app.
Plus, stream international films and documentaries on Kanopy’s World Cinema channel, featuring over 1,500 titles.

Large Print

A selection of popular authors and genres in large print to assist those with limited vision. 

Cultural Collection

This collection celebrates First Nations peoples’ stories through resources by and about them, including bilingual materials for all ages. Designed for the whole community, it prioritises culturally safe, relevant, and accessible content.

NT Collection

Each Library has a Northern Territory Collection which house non-fiction, including biographical, material relevant to the Northern Territory.

Online Resources

The Library online resources aims to provide reference material in electronic format that is more up-to-date than print resources and is suited to a range of ages.