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Select from the list below to learn more about our library resources.
Australian Bureau of Statistics - ABS
Bankstown City Library and Information Service receives a large number of ABS statistical publications and library visitors can access them electronically.
The latest census data for 2006 is now available on the ABS website.
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Books
We have over 260,000 items available in our collection. We have fiction, non-fiction and reference items for readers of all ages. The fiction collection comprises contemporary works, classic novels, short stories, genre fiction (such as mystery, romance, westerns, science fiction) and best sellers. Fiction is arranged in alphabetical order by the author's surname. We also have a large print and a clear print collection. Paperbacks, are mostly popular fiction arranged by the first letter of the authors surname. Non-fiction books are arranged in subject areas by the Dewey Decimal System.
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Closed reserve
Bankstown, Chester Hill and Panania Libraries have Closed Reserve collections, containing high demand materials and HSC study guides. If an item is listed in the catalogue as being in Closed Reserve, please ask staff for the required item. You will need to have a current library membership to use this collection. Closed Reserve items may be borrowed for a maximum of two hours and can only be viewed in the library.
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Community languages
Books, magazines, music, DVDs and videos in Arabic, Chinese, Vietnamese and Greek are available at our libraries. On request, library staff can obtain books in languages other than English from the State Library. More information is available from your local library.
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Council minutes
Bankstown Library has copies of the Council minutes dating from the first Council meeting in 1895 to the present. These records are kept in the Local Studies collection. For more information regarding these records contact Local Studies staff on (02) 9707 9728.
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Family history/Genealogy
The library has an extensive range of Family history/genealogy resources in a range of formats to help you trace your family tree. Seminars are also held to assist people tracing their family history. Please check the library website for coming events.
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Higher School Certificate resources
The library provides students with access to a variety of support material for HSC subjects. This material includes Excel study guides, DVDs and videos, notes, English and drama texts and author profiles. Current library membership is required to access some of this collection. Please ask library staff if you need assistance in locating this material.
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History of Bankstown and suburbs
Historical information on Bankstown and its suburbs is available in our Local Studies collection located on the second floor of Bankstown Library.
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Internet
Internet access is available free of charge at all our libraries. Bookings for up to one hour can be made by contacting your local library. Sessions of fifteen minutes and half an hour are also available, however these are on a first come first served basis. Printing from the Internet costs 20c per page for black and white and $2.50 per page for colour. The Public Access Computers Policy (PDF 15k) must be followed when using library facilities, and users are required to complete Public Access Computers Agreement form. If you are under 18 years of age, the agreement must be signed by a parent or guardian in person. Children under 12 years of age must be accompanied by an adult when using the Internet.
Wireless Internet lands @ your library
From Monday 18th February 2008, Bankstown City Library will be trialling Wireless Internet access from the Reference (2nd) floor.
All you need is your own laptop which has a LAN connection, then come to the Reference floor to connect!
The trial will continue for one month, and staff will provide a handout outlining connection, troubleshooting and conditions of use.
For further information call 9707 9711
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Large print
The large print collection provides access to reading material for members of the community with a print disability. The collection, comprised mainly of adult reading material, includes fiction and non-fiction titles which are shelved together alphabetically by author. It comprises various fiction genres, books by Australian authors, bestsellers, popular fiction, classics, authobiographies, biographies and travel stories.
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Legal Information Access Centre - LIAC
Bankstown City Library and Information Service is a member of the LIAC network, a joint venture of the State Library of NSW and the Law and Justice Foundation of NSW. LIAC provides free access to legal information, including the Legal Toolkit and a selection of plain English books on the law. For more information call the Reference Desk on (02) 9707 9711.
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Local history
Our Local Studies collection is a specialised collection of material covering historic and current aspects of the Bankstown area. The collection is housed in the Local Studies area of the reference library at Bankstown Library. Local Studies items are not available for loan. Items may be copied at the discretion of the Local Studies Technical Specialist. For more information, contact (02) 9707 9728.
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Magazines
Bankstown City Library and Information Service subscribes to a number of popular and specialist magazines. Popular magazines can be borrowed but the more technical and specialist periodicals are not for loan and are kept in the Reference Collection at each library. For more information call the Reference Desk on (02) 9707 9711.
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Microfiche/Microfilm
The Reference Library at Bankstown holds an extensive collection of family history resources on microfilm and microfiche. This collection includes the Archives Resource Kit produced by the Records Office of NSW (formerly State Archives), which covers birth, death and marriage records, land grants, convict records, shipping and service records, and the Colonial Secretary's papers from 1788-1825.
Back issues of some local, state and national newspapers are kept on microfilm. These include The Bankstown-Canterbury Torch newspaper from 1952 to present, The Observer, The Canterbury-Bankstown Express (from 1983 to 1999) and the Sydney Morning Herald from 1831 to present. Current issues of these papers are available in print.
Bankstown Library has microfiche/film readers that will allow you to view these records and print a hard copy.
For more information or to make a booking call the Reference Desk on (02) 9707 9711.
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Music
All libraries have music collections including childrens, classical, country and western, jazz, pop, rock and world music.
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Newspapers
Bankstown Libraries receive local,metropolitan and national newspapers. Current issues are available in print while some back issues are available on microfilm at Bankstown Central Library. We also keep a number of community language newspapers at the library. For more information please contact your local library.
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Online databases
Bankstown City Library and Information Service has a range of free online information databases available. These databases are helpful for anybody doing research, projects, and assignments, or for those who just want to brush up on general knowledge! For more information call the Reference Desk on (02) 9707 9711.
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Photographic collection
Bankstown Library has a collection of photographs depicting the history and development of Bankstown and its surrounding environs. These photographs are located in the Local Studies collection. We are always looking for photographs to expand this collection. If you have any photographs of the area that you would like to donate to the library or would permit us to copy, please contact the Local Studies Technical Specialist on (02) 9707 9728.
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Talking books
The talking book collection enhances and complements the print collection by providing access to written works on cassette and CD. The talking book collection also serves to provide an accessible and easy introduction to other collections, for example, it may provide a stepping-stone to reading for a child with reading difficulties.
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Video and DVD collection
Videos and DVDs for children, youth and adults are available for a one-week loan from all libraries. A maximum of 4 movies can be borrowed on a library card at any one time.
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