At the October Public Board meeting, the Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) Board of Trustees, a group of volunteer and elected community members from the NOPL service area, approved making a change to the previously called “out-of-system” library card, now called Out-of-County library card, to be registered as a household card versus an individual card.

Before November 2022, all residents of other counties had to pay $35 per library card each year to use NOPL libraries. But now, that yearly fee will only be paid once per household rather than per individual. This means that anyone residing in a home can receive a library card. In addition, there will be no limit to the number of cards issued to a household; each individual can receive a card, offering privacy for each member.

The purpose of this policy update is to better describe the parameters by which non-residents of Onondaga County can receive borrowing privileges from NOPL. The Out-of-County fee helps offset the cost of providing materials and services to those outside the NOPL tax base. By lowering the financial threshold for library card access, NOPL hopes to ease the out-of-county residents’ ability to utilize nearby library collections. NOPL also hopes the update will offer a more welcoming and accessible approach to new out-of-county cardholders.

Come into any Northern Onondaga Public Library (NOPL) branch to obtain a NOPL Out-Of-County Library Card or Household Card, adults need a valid photo ID that shows a current mailing address. A parent or guardian should accompany children when applying for a library card.

We will work with you to determine which card will be the “primary card.” This card will be charged the $35 fee for one year. All other cards will be created using an “association.” This means they are only linked electronically to the primary card; they, or any other associated member, cannot see what other household members check out. We take the confidentiality of our patrons very seriously. Therefore, all associated cards will be subject to our standard privacy and confidentiality policy and circulation procedures. The association is solely used to establish the household and maintain a consistent expiration date.

There is no limit to the number of cards issued to a household, but it’s the primary cardholder who is responsible for payment each year. The fee is $35 annually and can be paid by cash or check at the library. You can pay by credit card after the primary card is established; it will show as a charge within your Account when you log into the catalog with your library card and PIN.

All associated cards will expire on the same date each year as the primary card. After the first year has lapsed, the primary cardholder will need to return to the library to authorize his/her card to be charged for the next year, as well as approve of maintaining all associations for the other household cards.

Once the authorization for the charge and approval of the associations have been established, the primary card will be charged $35 for the second year. This fee will need to be paid in full for any of the household cards to be utilized.

If the primary cardholder does not authorize the continuation of any of the associated cards, those cards will be established as their own primary card and will be suspended until the cardholder authorizes the charge of the $35 fee. The card(s) will not be eligible to be used until the fee has been paid in full.