Frequently Asked Questions About Library Accounts
Cards are issued in person at the library, and children under the age of
16 must be present with their parents to receive a card. Your current
residential address must be verified at the time of application. You will
need to show a current government-issued photo ID; if your ID does not show
your current residential address you will also need to provide another form
of current address verification. Acceptable forms of address verification
include a current utility bill, a pay stub, a copy of your lease, a voter
registration card, or an envelope mailed to you which has been postmarked
within the past thirty days. Click here for
more information about library cards.
Tempe Public Library cards are issued free of charge to all residents of
Maricopa County. If you live outside of Maricopa County you may purchase a
non-resident card for an annual fee of $30.
Tempe Public Library participates in a reciprocal borrower program with
other Maricopa County libraries, but each municipal library is an
independent institution and requires its own local library card. For that
reason, you have to have a Tempe Public Library card to use our library, and
your Tempe Public Library card will not work at any other library.
If you forgot to bring your card to the library you may check out
materials one time by showing a photo ID and verifying your birth date or
residential address. If you have lost your card you should report the loss
to the library immediately so that your card can be blocked from
unauthorized use. Lost cards can be replaced at the Registration counter.
- Up to 50 items may be checked out at one time. Within the 50-item limit
the following limits also apply:
- 10 DVD and VHS items may be checked out at one time
- 10 audio books (CD or cassette) may be checked out at one time
- 10 music CDs may be checked out at one time
- 5 periodicals may be checked out at one time
- The normal loan period for all Books is 28 days.
- Recorded books (CD and cassette) and Multimedia materials check
out for 28 days.
- Videos (DVD and VHS) and CD Music check out for 7 days.
- Items which are in high demand and have waiting lists may be
given shortened loan periods of 14 days. For
this reason it is always very important to review your checkout receipt and
note the actual due date of each item checked out.
Most items may be renewed up to two times if there are no holds on the
item.
If you forget your password you can call Customer Service at (480)
350-5577 and ask for your password to be reset. You will need your library
card number and you will be asked to verify your personal information. You
may also request a new password in the library at the Registration counter.
All materials (with the exception of interlibrary loans) may be returned
inside the library during normal business hours, or at our 24-hour drive-up
book drop which is located on the southwest wall of the building. The book
drop is also open on all holidays. Items returned by midnight will be
credited for return for that day.
Items returned in our book drops may take as long as 24 hours to be
checked in. During that delay those items will still show on your account.
When they are checked in they will be credited for the actual return date.
Any items which are still showing on your account for more than 24 hours
after you believe you have returned them should be reported to Customer
Service at (480) 350-5577 and they will be happy to assist you. A search
will be initiated for any missing materials.
If you are unable to locate an item you have checked out, you may renew
the item up to two times (as long as there are no holds on the item), which
will allow you more time to locate it if it is missing. If you cannot locate
the item by its due date you will begin to be assessed late fees for the
item. If you are sure the item is lost you should make arrangements to pay
for the item. Payment can be made at the Registration counter. If you
checked out a multi-part item and only part of it is missing you may only
need to pay for the missing part, since we are often able to replace
individual parts of multi-part items.
When an item becomes three weeks overdue, the Library will send you a
bill for that item to the mailing address you have given us. If the item has
not been returned or paid for by the time it becomes seven weeks overdue,
your account will be referred to a collection agency. To cover the costs of
the Library's collection efforts and those of the collection agency, an
additional fee of $20 will be added to your account. The collection agency
will contact you and ask you to return any library materials for which you
have been billed or to pay for those materials. Accounts which have not been
settled within 120 days after that point will be referred to the major
credit bureaus. This may have a negative impact on your credit rating. If
you have incurred a debt to the Library and are unable to pay it
off in a timely manner, the Library will be pleased to arrange a monthly
payoff schedule with you. For more information contact the Customer Service
office at 480-350-5577.
If you pay for a lost or missing item you will be given a receipt at the
time of payment. If you keep the receipt, and the item is found within one
year of payment, you can return the item with the receipt and receive a
refund of the amount paid, minus a $5.00 processing fee.
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