Village sign The Chalfont St Giles
village website

The Chalfont St Giles Community Library & Information Centre

(Registered charity 1117208)

High Street, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4QA
Phone 01494 874732

The library is run and staffed by volunteers from the village. For those interested in volunteer run libraries more details can be found here.

Opening Hours:

About the Community Library

The Community Library is an independent library run and staffed entirely by volunteers from the village. The Community Library offers a service focused on the needs of the village but linked into the County Library Service.

The Community Library opened in January 2007 following closure of the County run library in the village.

Membership is free

The library is free for all to use. If you have a County Library Card you can use it at the Community Library. Loan terms are the same as in County Libraries. The library uses the same computer system as the County. You may borrow up to 20 items for up to three weeks. Books, DVDs etc. can be borrowed and returned across the County network including the Community Library. You can view your borrowed items online and renew at any Bucks library, online or by phone. Items can be returned out of hours via the library’s letterbox.

New members joining at the Community Library will be issued with a County Library Card. This entitles you to use the Community Library and all Bucks County Libraries. Membership is free. You can join the library at any age. Adults need to fill in a registration form and provide proof of name, address and signature such as driving licence, allowance book or bank statement. If you are under 16 your parent or guardian will need to sign your registration form and provide proof of their identity.

Book Stock

There are over 7,000 books in the library. The stock is continually updated and may be viewed online. We have a wide selection of adult fiction and a good selection of popular non-fiction books including biographies, history, travel, gardening, sport, cooking and craft books. We stock the latest top 10 paperbacks.

We have an excellent stock of children’s books and some children’s DVDs for rent at £1.20 a week.

Many of the books in the library are gifted by residents. If you have a recent book in nearly new condition that you have enjoyed reading, please consider gifting it to the Community Library.

Reservations at the library and via the Internet

You can reserve any County catalogue item i.e. books, DVDs, CDs etc. online or by request at the library for local pick up. For users aged under 18 or over 65 the reservation service is free. For users aged 18-64 the cost is 50p if the ‘notice to collect’ is sent by email. There is an additional postal charge if the ‘notice to collect’ is sent by post.

If the book you are looking is not available in the Bucks catalogue, you can also search for and reserve books from some 200 SELMS partner libraries via the online catalogue. This gives you reservation access to over 6 million books. SELMS reservations cost £2 per book. The County/SELMS catalogue is here.

Newspapers and magazines

The library has The Times, a local paper and a small selection of magazines. ‘Which? Magazine’, with back copies for three years is available for reference.

Internet Access

There are two PCs providing internet access for the pubic. The cost is 50p per half hour or part there of. The service is free for the first half an hour for children under 16 years with a library card and who have parental permission. It is also free for the registered unemployed.

Microsoft Office software is available on the PCs. There are printing and copying facilities available. A number of e-databases including Ancestry.com and ‘Who else writes like…?’ are also available. The e-databases available are listed here.

Library events

There is Story Time for under 5 year olds, held in the library every Thursday at 2.30pm. Other library events are advertised on the library notice board and via the village e-mail newsletter.

Local and tourist information

We hold a great deal of information on the village and the immediate local area, together with some information on other parts of Buckinghamshire and London. We have access to a vast amount of tourist information via the internet. Our aim is to be the main information provider for both local people and visitors.

Become a Friend of the Library

We receive some support from Buckinghamshire County Council. However the library does require village support. Your financial support will help ensure that we are able to provide the best possible stock selection for both adults and children. Your support will also help fund library improvements. We want the library to be first class asset for the village. You can become a Friend of the Library for an annual subscription of £10. Subscription Forms are available here, or in the library.

The Friends of the Library have an active literary group who arrange talks by authors. All are welcome to these events.