Welcome to Orkney Library & Archive

Orkney Library & Archive provides a wide range of services, many of them free of charge, and welcomes everybody, whether a resident of Orkney or just visiting. Use the links above to find out more about our services and how to access them, and click on the News and events link to learn about special events and other news.

We have a Baby

We are now the proud owners of a 2CQR Baby self issue terminal. Now there is no need to wait at the desk to have your books issued, provided that you have your library card with you. Staff will be available to explain how to operate the terminal and will still be available to issue books for those who prefer the human touch.

Online Catalogue

You can visit the Library catalogue to search for items by author, title or keyword. Members can view their library account to check what items they have borrowed in the past and currently have on loan, and renew their current loans if they wish to keep them a little longer.

Visit the online catalogue by using the link in the left hand menu or by clicking here.

Online Resources

Looking for information on just about any subject? Don't know where to start? Visitors to both Kirkwall and Stromness libraries can freely access a number of useful websites. Our members can also access a number of these sites from home by using their membership number.

New: Listen to the Orkney Talking Newspaper podcast; around 90 minutes of audio news courtesy of the Orcadian newspaper (broadband connection recommended).

Click on the Online resources tag in the menu bar to view available websites.