Ratings and reviews guidelines

Library members can rate and review items listed in the library’s online catalogue (ie add book reviews).

How do I add my review?

To place a rating and review on the catalogue you will need to log in with your library membership number and your password, then search for the title you enjoyed and click on 'Add your review'.

Screenshot of catalogue showing the 'Add your review' link

Simply fill in the form with your rating (out of 10 stars) and your review and 'Add comment'.

If your review conforms to our ratings and reviews guidelines below it will be published.

General Conditions and Requirements

  • The recommended length is between 10 to 150 words. The best reviews include not only whether you liked or disliked an item, but also why.
  • Comments that are not specific to the item or that violate our guidelines in any way, may be removed from the library's online catalogue at any time, at our discretion.
  • If approved, your review will be published showing your first name(s), residential suburb and date of review - no other personal information will be displayed.
  • Reviews must be the work of the reviewer not a copy of someone else's review. Reviews must also relate specifically to the item being reviewed, opinions on general topics are not accepted. It also expected that the reviewer has read the material (or viewed or listened to it, depending on the medium) or at least attempted to.

Prohibited conduct or content

The following non-exhaustive list details the kinds of conduct or content that is prohibited:

  • Content that would violate, or would facilitate the violation of, any applicable law, regulation, and/or City or library rules or policies.
  • Content that is unlawful, libellous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, indecent, lewd, harassing, threatening, harmful, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, abusive, inflammatory, or otherwise objectionable - including profanity or spiteful remarks.
  • Content that infringes the intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights of others, eg. reproducing material protected by copyright without permission.
  • Use of the service for commercial purposes such as advertising, promotion, or solicitation.
  • Comments on other reviews or features visible on the page.
  • Notification that our catalogue has typos in it. If you'd like to tell us about a specific problem, please contact us directly.
  • Single-word reviews. We want to know why you liked or disliked the item. 
  • Comments focusing solely on the author or creator. 
  • No spoilers! Please don't reveal crucial plot elements. 
  • Phone numbers, mail, email, or web addresses, or domain names.

Management of ratings and reviews

  • Any review in violation of this policy might not be posted (published) or could be removed from the library web site or online catalogue at any time.

 [From Section 7 of the Library Operations Policy]