Free app will let locals search the Edinburgh library database and order books - just in time for Saturday's World Book Night

A new free libraries app for Edinburgh has been launched, giving people access to search for thousands of books from their phone.

Said to be the first of its kind for a Scottish public library, the Your Library app was unveiled this morning as part of the Edge 2011 conference, hosted by the local council.

It's already available for Android phones and is expected to be available for iPhone, Blackberry and Windows devices within the next few days.

Its key feature at the moment lets people find the nearest library, wherever they are in the city. Other features include:

* Bus directions from your current location to the nearest library

* Lothian BusTracker and First Bus timetables for the Edinburgh area

* Library service information updates, such as closures due to weather

* Up to date details of local library events and activities

Most of these features are currently only available on the library website.

The software is being developed further so that in a few months' time, people will be able to use it to search the library database and order books.

The city's library service avoided closing any branches in last month's budget despite a funding cut.

Local libraries are strongly represented online. There is an Edinburgh libraries blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, Flickr stream and YouTube page.

The new app will prove an "extremely useful tool" according to the council's culture and leisure spokesperson, Deidre Brock. She said:

"Edinburgh libraries are leading the way by introducing the first libraries app in Scotland. This extremely useful tool will help people keep up to date with the many exciting events happening in libraries across the city. "We are continuing to develop the software so that soon people will also be able to reserve books using the app - this is bound to be a very popular added feature."

What's your favourite or most useful local phone app? Let us know in the comments below.