I heard this news on the radio this week.  For those of us equidistant between libraries and perhaps also counties, this could be a real blessing! 

Readers can now borrow books from any public library regardless of where they live. The Society of Chief Librarians has announced that 4,000 libraries across England, Wales and Northern Ireland are open for use by any member of the public.

Under the old system, readers could only take out books from their local collection. All they now need to do is show their library card, or proof of address, to access the library they are visiting. Some regions, such as the North West, have already stopped asking for forms of ID for membership. A plan to have a single library card for the whole of the country is also being considered.

Ministers are planning a home delivery system similar to the online DVD rental website Lovefilm.co.uk. Under the scheme, readers would order books online, have them delivered by post, and then return them in a prepaid envelope when they are finished. Users could also be allowed to drop books at libraries other than the one from which they borrowed them under plans to be published by Margaret Hodge, the arts and culture minister, next month.

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There is an article from the Telegraph here. 

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Sarah