Until now customers with an adult library membership had to pay to hold and collect an item, while youth and concession members have had free holds for more than 20 years.
The change aims to reduce barriers and give everyone equal access to library items.
It comes after fines were removed from overdue items and hold fees were reduced from $3 to $2 in 2022.
In 2023, the number of issues also increased 4.2 per cent and there was a 16 per cent increase in people utilising the hold service.
“With free holds now available for adult members, this means no one now pays for this service," said Robertson.
“This removes a barrier to access for customers who cannot afford the hold fee on items from the physical collection.
"Not only will this increase people’s access to popular titles but also to books held in storage or other libraries in our network.
“While some customers use more than one library, others are limited to their local library and what is available on the shelves. Free holds will provide increased access to all the network’s lending collection.
"Adults will be limited to 15 holds, the same limit that applies to other membership profiles.
“The introduction of this free service may mean longer wait times for some popular titles, however we will be monitoring holds very closely and will change our buying patterns if needed.”
Robertson said it is likely there will be an increase in the use of titles held in offsite storage. "These are books that are deemed important to keep in the collection, but are often either out of print, or in a condition that would not last if they were available on the open shelves in libraries."
