Kids & families

Looking for an afternoon boredom buster?

Join us every weekday afternoon during the school term for Kid Zone.

Pop into your local library between 3.30pm and 4.30pm for board games, LEGO®, puzzles, word games and more. No bookings required, just drop into your local library to join!

Kids eLibrary

Our eLibrary for kids has lots of eBooks and eAudiobooks all in one kid-friendly place, including the OverDrive for kids website. Download the free Libby app through your app store to take the fun with you wherever you go.

It's never too early to start reading to your baby

Make your child's first card a library card! Children can become Gold Coast Libraries members from the day they're born, and we encourage you to join them at the earliest opportunity.

Our library resources offer plenty of ways you can build a strong foundation for your child's future development online and at home.

Family Time

Join us for fun times as we help build pre-literacy, communication, language and social skills for your babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers. See our schedule below to discover sessions happening near you!

Baby Rhyme Time – Giggle, coo and cuddle with favourite rhymes and songs. Ideal for children from birth to 2 years.

Toddler Time – Sing, move and groove, learn new words and make new friends. Ideal for toddlers aged 2 to 4 years.

Storytime – Listen, laugh and roar with favourite stories old and new. Ideal for children from 3 to 5 years.

Family time schedule(PDF, 84KB)

Parent TV

Want reliable advice on a wide range of topics from leading parenting and educational experts? Check out ParentTV, a virtual library of parenting videos and resources from First 5 Forever. Find videos on anything from getting your kids to eat their veggies to promoting their determination and confidence.

First 5 Forever

First 5 Forever is an initiative of the Queensland Government, coordinated by State Library of Queensland and delivered in partnership with local government. It's a program providing strong early literacy foundations for all Queensland children aged 0–5 years. Explore articles, tips and activities to make the most of your child's first five years.

Try to create a time for reading together with your child every day. Storytime can be any time of the day for you at home and it's a wonderful way to create quality one-on-one time.

We have a great range of books that you can read as a family from ages 0 and up.

When men read, it's a different story

We are on a mission to get more dads, grandads, uncles, brothers and family friends spending time reading with kids. Research shows that for a child aged 24 months, 59% of mums read to their kids daily, while only 26% of dads do. Yet research also shows that kids who were read to by their dad at age two, would have better language skills by aged four – and the benefits increase further as they get older!

That's generally because of the different way that men read to kids. Dads bring their own style to book reading and that's what makes their reading so impactful. The silly chats about the characters (non-immediate talk), linking to past or present real-life examples (sequencing skills), plus those crazy voices (engagement strategies), not only thrill kids, it also helps improve their cognitive language skill outcomes. So grab a kids' book and start reading today!

Storytime Books

Books and stories spark your child's imagination, stimulate curiosity and support brain development. We have a great range of books that you can read with your little ones, so make the library part of your routine.

Board books are ideal for babies from birth to 3 years. These books typically have bright, colourful illustrations with just a few words on each page. They are durable and introduce babies and toddlers to concepts such as colours, shapes, people and places.

Picture books are ideal for children from 3 to 7 years, these illustrated books engage children with songs, sounds, rhyme and short sentences.

Enjoy storytime in your language! Use LOTE4Kids to access picture books in a variety of languages.

You can download picture books to read with your child anytime, anywhere. Download a picture book to your device to take with you when you are out and about or on a holiday. You can read yourself or choose titles that your little one can read along with. Find out how to connect with us from home.

Story Box Library

If you and your littlies aren't able to attend our Storytimes at libraries, take a look at Story Box Library. Watch stories read aloud by favourite storytellers, authors, illustrators, sports people and more. Access is free with your library card and pin.

Study Drop In

Looking for a study space that is quiet, spacious and has free Wi-Fi? Gold Coast Libraries has you covered.

We have dedicated teen study space during school term at our Southport, Helensvale and Elanora Libraries. You can also drop into Robina Library on Thursday evenings

Need a break from study? Check out the Young Adult section of the library while you are there and find the latest new release or an author you love.

Great reads

Did you know you can download books directly to your device? We have a great range of books, audiobooks and magazines available to borrow right now. Download the apps and get reading.

We can help you find a new author in your favourite genre or discover something different. Drop into your local library or check out our online catalogue for new reads.

Study and research

Get informed and complete your assignment research with free access to a range of databases based on subject content, each containing full text access to scholarly journals and books. Explore our databases covering topics such as science, history, business and law.

We can help find the right resources! If you need help with research to for your assignment talk to one of our friendly team or fill out our Ask a librarian form and a librarian will get back to you as soon as possible.