Borrow by Mail is a free service for CBRM and Victoria County residents who live more than 15 kilometres from the nearest library.
It is also free for anyone in CBRM and Victoria County who has a disability or illness which prevents them from being able to visit a library branch.
Borrow by Mail library service will be available starting in December 2024.
The Borrow by Mail allows eligible library members to receive & return library material in the mail
Items that can be sent in the mail include:
Regular and large print books
Paperbacks
Magazines
Playaways & audiobooks on CD
DVDs & BluRays
CELA & NNELS audiobooks for people with a print disability.
Getting Started with Borrow by Mail
1. Fill in the application form (available December 1, 2024) and wait for library staff to contact you.
2. Request Items
Once you are registered for Borrow by Mail, you can:
Request items from our catalogue by placing them on hold and selecting “CBRL – Borrow by Mail” as your pick-up location.
Call 902-562-2028 or email borrowbymail@cbrl.ca with your requests.
How It Works
Items will be mailed to you. We’ll include a postage-paid return mailing label. When you are ready to return your items, place them in the shipping bag with the return mailing label in the clear label window. Follow your normal procedure for sending a package through Canada Post.
Applications for Borrow by Mail will open in December 2024.
1. Purpose
The purpose of this document is to provide an overview of the Borrow by Mail service. This service lets people who live in CBRM and Victoria County get library items delivered to them through the mail.
2. Who qualifies for Borrow by Mail?
The Borrow By Mail service is available to residents of CBRM or Victoria County free of charge who live more than 15 kilometres from a library branch or for people that cannot visit a library branch due to a disability or illness.
3. Method of Delivery
Canada Post delivers the items people order through the Borrow By Mail service. The Library is not responsible for how and when Canada Post delivers the items.
4. Returns
People who borrow items through the Borrow By Mail service can choose how they want to return them.
These are the choices:
Items can be mailed back to the Library through Canada Post at no cost to the patron. A return label is included in each shipment.
They can bring the items back to any library in Nova Scotia along with the bag the items came in.
It is preferable that items are returned the same way they were borrowed. If people borrow an item from a library branch and not through the mail, they need to return the item to a library branch.
4. What can be borrowed through Borrow by Mail?
The following items can be shipped through the mail:
Books, Magazines and DVDs
Audiobooks and audiobook players
We are not able to mail:
Items that are too large to go in the mail
Items that are heavier than 5 kilograms
Items that are too fragile to go in the mail
Equipment such as snowshoes
Reference books like encyclopedias that should only be used in the Library
5. Loan Period
Items borrowed through Borrow by Mail have a five week loan period. For more information on borrowing library materials please visit our website
6. Application Process
To request Borrow by Mail service, please complete the online application form or call 902-562-2028.