FOR some York people, ten was never enough.

Now those residents who like nothing better than to bury their heads in a book will now be able to borrow twice the number than before.

Library chiefs at City of York Council have decided to double the number of items people can take out from August 1 - and the new borrowing scheme is open to all users with a full library ticket.

Sue Clarke, the council's customer services manager, said the move was to make sure library users could have access to the full range of titles and stock at city libraries.

"With such a huge variety of exciting material now available to borrow, the previous limit of ten was too low for some library users," she said.

"We want to ensure that customers have access to the full range of stock and services and raising the borrowing limit will help achieve this."

All books and audio books are issued for three weeks and are free of charge. CDs, DVDs and videos are loaned out for a week at a time for a small fee. Items can be borrowed and returned from any of the 15 libraries around the city, including the mobile library and the central library in York city centre.

Anyone wanting a library card should take two official proofs of identity - one of which should show a current address - to a library.

Library card holders who are resident in York will also be entitled to full YORKcard privileges. For further information on library opening times and services, visit www.york.gov.uk/libraries

Online you can browse the library catalogue at York libraries and even reserve titles. The central reference library is open from 9am until 8pm except on Thursdays - until 5.30pm - and Saturdays, when the doors are closed at 4pm.

Updated: 10:39 Friday, July 29, 2005