Alabama Public Library Service
Every resident of Alabama has free access to a statewide library system run by Alabama Public Library Service. With a local library card, students, parents, and teachers can use research databases, ebooks and audiobooks, and learning programs at no cost. Here is what is available and how to get it.
Alabama public libraries at a glance
Research databases: Alabama Virtual Library (AVL)
Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) is Alabama's free statewide research service.
Resources students can use inside Alabama Virtual Library (AVL) include:
- EBSCO (Academic Search Premier, Explora, Points of View, Health Source)
- Gale (Kids InfoBits, Opposing Viewpoints In Context, Literature)
- Britannica (Academic, Library, School)
- Oxford Reference Online
- SIRS Discoverer
- AlabamaMosaic
Ebooks & audiobooks: Camellia Net (Libby/OverDrive), a consortium of 150+ Alabama libraries, free with a library card.
Early literacy programs
Dolly Parton's Imagination Library reached statewide coverage in Alabama, mailing a free book each month to enrolled children from birth to age 5.
Accessible reading & talking books
Students and family members who cannot read standard print (because of a visual, physical, or reading disability such as dyslexia) can get free audiobooks and braille through Alabama Library for the Blind & Physically Handicapped, part of the national NLS network and its BARD download service. The Alabama Regional Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (Montgomery), an NLS network library, serves residents who can't read standard print.
Find a library & get a card
Use the official locator to find your nearest Alabama public library, hours, and how to get a card. Find a library →
Most Alabama libraries run a Summer Library Program each summer to keep kids reading and prevent summer learning loss. Ask your local branch for dates.