An extensive range of resources and services are provided by the Information Services section of the Library, including the following:

Reference Service
Staff at the reference desk are trained to assist customers find the information they need.  You can ask in person, by phone, by e-mail or by completing our Information Request form online.
Telephone: 4304 7500 (during business hours)
E-mail: goscitylib@gosford.nsw.gov.au

Reference Books
Each branch of the Library has a collection of reference books including encyclopaedias, dictionaries, almanacs and directories covering a wide range of topics.  These books are not available for loan, but can be used within the Library.

Reference Databases
The Library subscribes to numerous online databases, providing access to newspaper and magazine articles, academic journals, encyclopedias, dictionaries and more.  Topics covered include health, current affairs, news, humanities, business, history, geography, Australian Standards and more.  To access these databases, please visit the Virtual Library.

Web Links
A lot of useful information is now freely available on the Internet, but it can be difficult to find useful and authoritative sites.  The Library has compiled a collection of Internet Links which are useful for school projects, research and general interest.  To explore this collection of links, please visit the Web Links page.

Subject Guides
Our staff have compiled some subject guides to help you find information on a range of topics, using a variety of resources including reference books, files and internet sites.  To use the guides, please visit the Subject Guides index and choose a topic.

InterLibrary Loans
If you need a book or a magazine article not held by Gosford Library, our Inter-Library Loans Service can retrieve it for you from somewhere in Australia or the world.  For more information about this service, please visit the Interlibrary Loans page.

Local Studies
Gosford City Library boasts an excellent collection of historical and current references that relate specifically to the Gosford City Council area and the Central Coast.

The collection includes books, images, oral histories, serials, pamphlets and newspapers, and is located in the Central Library in Donnison Street, Gosford. Other Libraries have a smaller Local Area collection.  For more information, please visit the Local Studies page.

Family History
A Family History Collection is located on the Mezzanine Level of Gosford Branch Library, 118 Donnison Street, Gosford.  For more information, please see our page on researching your Family History.

Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC) Collection
Gosford Library is part of the NSW-wide Legal Information Access Centre (LIAC) network.  LIAC provides clients with free plain language  information about the law in NSW.  For more information about the LIAC collections, please visit the Legal Information page.

Community Directory
The Central Coast Community Directory is a comprehensive directory of community organisations and facilities in the Gosford City Council and Wyong Shire areas as well as throughout Sydney. These include government agencies, clubs, community services, sporting bodies, hobby and special interest groups, schools, childcare centres and aged services.  To search or browse the directory, please visit the Community Directory. 

If you would like your non-profit community organisation or service listed, please contact the Library at goscitylib@gosford.nsw.gov.au or phone 4304 7500.

Newspapers and Magazines
Each Library subscribes to a number of daily newspapers.  Please see the Newspapers page for a complete listing.

To see what magazines are held by your local branch, please visit our Magazines page.

Drug Info @ Your Library Collection
The  Drug Info @ Your Library project - is a partnership between the State Library of NSW and the NSW Premier's Department. The project is part of the Community Information Initiative, which was a recommendation of the NSW Government Plan of Action, developed in response to the 1999 Drug Summit.

The aim of the project is to provide access to quality drug information. The project is managed by the Health Information Service at the State Library of NSW.

Gosford Library has a collection of Drug info books, most of which are reference only. We  also have a wide selection of free pamphlets to take home.  Please ask at the information desk for assistance.

For more information please visit the Drug Info @ Your Library site: www.druginfo.sl.nsw.gov.au

Telephone Directories
Central Coast telephone directories are held at each branch of the Library. 

Sydney telephone directories are available at Gosford, Umina and Niagara Park Libraries.

NSW Country and Interstate telephone directories are available at Umina and Gosford libraries.

Australian Bureau of Statistics
The Library has access to a number of products produced by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.  These include
• Census and population information
• Year Books for Australia and New South Wales
• Key indicators such as the Consumer Price Index
….and more
Please ask contact our reference service either in person or on 4304 7500 if you have a statistics enquiry.

Car, motorbike and outboard motor manuals
A large collection of car, motorbike and outboard motor manuals is available for use at the Gosford Branch.  A smaller collection is available at the Umina Branch.  These manuals are not available for loan but may be used in the Library.