Latest news

Members are now welcome back into the library during the reduced hours shown below for browsing, borrowing and returning books.

Masks can be worn if desired and we do encourage you to sanitise your hands. 

Numbers will be restricted if particularly busy and we will have two desks available to be used for working spaces between 12-2 Monday to Friday.  If you would like to use a desk you will need to book your space in advance.  Please book via the BOOK NOW tab at the bottom of this page.

Click & Collect is operating as normal.    

Current opening hours

The library is currently open 12-2pm on weekdays, and 10am to 2pm on the first Saturday of the month. (Hours are subject to the availability of our volunteer library team, so please always check here for updates)

Friday 30th July to Sunday 5th September:  Library CLOSED for the Summer holidays 

Monday 6th September: Library re-opens after the Summer - Subject to current restrictions members will be able to work in and visit the Library freely. We hope to be able to extend our opening hours, Monday to Friday 10am -2pm and the first and third Saturday of the month between 10am and 1pm. We also hope to be able to open in the evening before Certificate courses.  Some restrictions may remain in place to keep our Library team and visitors safe, such as wearing of masks if busy and use of sanitiser is encouraged.

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Friends of the Holy Land Challenge: Richard, one of our Library Team, is walking 84 miles (the distance from Bethlehem to Nazareth) to raise money to support education for children with learning difficulties in the Holy Land. If you wish to support him a he raises money for this excellent cause, please click here. 

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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

We are currently offering 15 months' membership instead of 12 for our yearly membership to reflect the fact that we had to close our services for 3 months during the pandemic.  

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. 

General 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

Library Desk Space

Up to two people are able to work in the library during opening times.  To ensure use of a desk please book your space via the booking system below.