Yoto library map

Borrow Yoto cards and players from your library

Many public libraries lend Yoto cards free with a library card, and some lend the player too. Find one near you.

How borrowing Yoto from the library works

We live in Europe, where libraries don't lend Yoto cards yet, so it was a real thrill to find out how many libraries around the world already do.

Plenty of public libraries let you borrow Yoto cards the same way you borrow books, and some lend the Yoto player or Yoto Mini as a kit with a few cards.

That's a big part of why I built this map: Yoto doesn't publish a list of libraries that lend Yoto, so now there is one.

Every library on the map comes from its own website, catalog, or announcement, and links to the page we checked with the date we checked it. Listings we can't confirm stay off.

Toy libraries are on here too, mostly in Australia and New Zealand, where you can usually hire a Yoto with a membership. Rules change, so check with the library before you go.

Often, yes. Many public libraries now lend Yoto cards, and some lend the Yoto player too. The player usually comes as a kit with a carry case, a charging cable, and a handful of cards. You borrow on your library card, like a book. Not every library does this yet, so start with the map, then check your library's catalog.

It depends on the library. There are two common setups:

  • Player kits: a Yoto player, often a Yoto Mini, with a set of cards. Good if you don't own a player yet, or want to try one before you buy.
  • Cards on their own: usually in the children's area near the audiobooks. These are for families who already have a player.

Many libraries do both. Each library on the map is tagged Cards, Players, or Cards and players.

Not if the library lends player kits. For cards on their own, yes. Some libraries say their cards also play in the Yoto app on a phone, so check the library's page.

Some library players are set up so they can't be linked to your own app, and kit cards may only play on the player they came with.

For a while. When you play a borrowed Yoto card, it shows up in your Yoto app library. Once the next borrower plays it on their own account, it moves to theirs. That's normal, and nothing is wrong with your app.

Search your town or postcode on the map, or tap Use my location, then tap a library to see what it lends. Its page or catalog listing shows what's on the shelf, which card you need, and whether you can place a hold. If nothing is close:

  1. Search "Yoto" in your library's online catalog.
  2. Look for a Library of Things or kits page on the library's website. That's where players often sit.
  3. Ask at the children's desk. Some libraries keep Yoto cards that aren't in the online catalog.

Found one that isn't on the map? Add it so the next parent can find it too.

At public libraries, borrowing is usually free, the same as a book. You need a library card, and some libraries add rules, especially for players:

  • an adult library card
  • a card from that library, not a neighboring one
  • one player per household

Late fees, replacement costs, and fees for using the book drop vary, and many library pages don't list them. Check with your library before you borrow.

Toy libraries work differently. You usually pay for a membership, and some charge a small hire fee per item.

It varies by library. On the library pages we read, most loans ran one to three weeks, often with no renewals. Some libraries let you place a hold online. Others lend only at the desk, first come, first served. The library's page or catalog listing will tell you which.

Check before you drop it off. Some libraries want Yoto players and cards handed back at the desk, not put in the book drop, and a few charge a fee if they go in the drop.

Same as with books, people borrow for all kinds of reasons. Maybe you want to try a story or a series before you buy it. Maybe your kid will love it for two weeks and move on, so there's no need to own it. In our family, we borrow and swap stories regularly, just like we do with books. Borrowed cards go back after the loan, and cards you buy are yours to keep.

Make Your Own (MYO) cards are blank Yoto cards that you link to your own audio: songs, stories you record, or audio files you're allowed to use. They're yours to keep, and you can change what's on them later. If the library doesn't have the title you want, an MYO card is the other way to get it. Library cards come with their own artwork, but MYO cards start blank, so Yoto Labels makes printable MYO card labels sized to fit a Yoto card.