Latest news

The Cathedral library is now fully open for anyone wishing to browse. borrow, return books or wanting a quiet space to work in. 

We continue to encourage you to use the hand sanitiser, check in on the NHS app and wear masks if the room is crowded. 

Current opening hours 

The library is open from 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday, and from 10am to 1pm on the first and third Saturdays of the month. 

🎄 Please note we are closed for Christmas from Saturday 18 December 2021 and will reopen on Monday 10 January 2022. 🎄

Welcome to the Cathedral Library

The Cathedral Library is a modern theological lending library.  Members have access to:

• A wide collection including books on theology, biblical studies, spirituality, philosophy, and ethics
• Comprehensive resources on the history of the Abbey
• Language resources for reading Hebrew, New Testament Greek, Latin and Old English
• A quiet space to read, write or research
• A Click & Collect service which allows members to reserve books online for collection. 

More information on Click & Collect

Search our catalogue 

Please click here to access our online catalogue, which includes searchable digitised images from our Archives.

Search our Catalogue

Helpsheets

We have prepared some handy helpsheets which take you through how to search for, reserve and renew books, as well as information for those needing to undertake research online. All of them start with the instruction to log in to the main catalogue page, which you can do using the button above.   

Search for a book        Reserve a book online       Renew a book     

Online Research Resources

Become a member

We charge an annual membership fee to help us keep the library running. You do not need to be a member to use the library, only to borrow books. Fees are as follows: 

General Readers: £20 per year

Cathedral Volunteers and Students from other institutions: £10 per year

Cathedral Guides, Library/Archive Team, SACT Students: free

You can send us a cheque (payable to St Albans Cathedral Learning), or sign up using a standing order form. If setting up a new standing order form this year, please ensure that you enter a start date of 3 months in the future to ensure that you get your 3 months extra free membership. Please email us to let us know when this has been set up. 

Readers: SO       Cathedral Volunteers/Students: SO 

Contact the library

You can email our fantastic team of library volunteers, or call 01727 890222.

Photo: Craig Shepphear