Membership

Membership of the Library Service of the Velocity Interoperability Network is free of charge and is open to the staff of member organisations, to citizens of the Velocity Interoperability Network and their children, to visitors resident in the Network for more than thirty days, and to the libraries and reading rooms of member organisations. Membership is required to borrow items, to reserve items from the catalogue, to book a study room and to use the digital collections. It is not required to visit a branch, read on the premises or consult the reference collection.

The 8,340 readers registered with the reading rooms of member organisations before establishment were transferred to the Service on 6 September 2026 and hold membership from that date. Their existing cards remain valid at every branch until replaced by a card of the Service, which is issued on request at any enquiry desk.

Applying for membership. Applications are made by email and cards are collected in person. The steps below apply to every category.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check the category that applies to you

   Membership is open to the staff of member organisations, to citizens of the Network and their children, to visitors resident in the Network for more than thirty days, and to the libraries and reading rooms of member organisations. There is no charge for membership in any category.

2. 2

   Step 2: Write to the Service

   Send your full name, the category of membership you are applying for, the name of your organisation where relevant, and the branch at which you wish to collect your card. Applications for young members are made by a parent or guardian, who must hold membership themselves.

3. 3

   Step 3: Receive your membership number

   The Service confirms the application by email, normally within two working days, and issues a membership number. The number and the PIN you choose give access to the digital collections and to the catalogue from that day.

4. 4

   Step 4: Collect your card

   Collect your card at the branch you named within thirty days, bringing your staff or citizen identification or, for visitors, evidence of residence in the Network. A young member's card is collected by the parent or guardian.

5. 5

   Step 5: Borrow at any branch

   Your card is valid at every branch. Present it to borrow items, collect reservations or book a study room, and quote your membership number when writing to the Service.

Renewal. Citizen, visitor and institutional membership is renewed by writing to the Service before it expires; staff membership continues for as long as the member remains in the employment of a member organisation, whose returns to the Service are used to keep records current. A young member's membership converts to citizen membership on the member's sixteenth birthday without a new application.

Lost cards. A lost or stolen card should be reported to the Service at once so that it can be cancelled. A replacement is issued without charge at any branch on presentation of identification. Loans made on a card before it is reported lost remain the responsibility of the member.

Records. The Service records each member's name, category, contact email, current loans and reservations. Loan history is kept for six months after an item is returned and is then deleted; it is not disclosed to member organisations or to any other body. The Service's handling of personal information is set out in its Privacy Policy.

Applications and enquiries may be sent to contact@libraries.gov.vin. For loan periods and reservations, see Borrowing; for the collections available to members online, see Digital Collections.