What are multicultural bulk loans?

The State Library has collections of books in 42 community languages, which can be borrowed by public libraries on behalf of clients.  This is a free service.  

How can your library borrow a bulk loan from the State Library

Public libraries can borrow a bulk loan of books from the State Library free of charge.  There are two ways your library can access the service:

• libraries who borrow from the community language collections heavily can have a large loan from a language for 6 months (up to 100 items depending on which language)
• requests for bulk loans can be placed using the multicultural bulk loan request form on an 'as needed' basis.  You can request ten, twenty or thirty items for a loan period of three or six months.  

What can your library borrow

Public libraries can borrow bulk loans from collections in the following community languages:

Each language collection has adult fiction and non-fiction books across a range of genres and subjects.  Children's books are also available, including board books, picture books, chapter books, non-fiction and bilingual books in selected languages.  

Audiobooks and large print books are available in some languages:

Check the  Community Language Directory for public library holdings in community languages.

English as a Second Language (ESL) Collection

Public libraries can also request a bulk loan from our ESL collection.  This collection is designed to support the independent learning of English, with a focus on beginner and intermediate level ESL resources in both book and audio format.  The collection has a large number of readers, bilingual dictionaries, industry specific resources and English for specific language speakers.   Requests for ESL material can be placed via the multicultural bulk loan request form.