Using our Library Services

Getting a LIBRARY CARD   |  Your Library Account + PIN |   About Borrowing

GETTING A LIBRARY CARD

Your Library Card    |    Educator Card    |     Institution Card  

Your Library Card

The Greater Access Card is our library card and can be used at all Cuyahoga County Public Library 29 locations,
at Cleveland Public Library locations & at all CLEVNET member libraries.

Greater Access cards consist of the traditional card along with 2 key chain cards; if any one of these 3 parts is lost or stolen, notify library staff immediately.

 Apply Online

• Applications are available online or at our Library's  29 locations

  • You must bring ID to your branch before checking out items with your new card.

  • Can't wait for card to be mailed? Bring ID to branch Check-Out desk —no waiting!

• There is no age requirement to become a borrower; Ohio residents are eligible.
  Only one card per individual borrower.
• Community members under 18 years of age may register using the ID of a parent/guardian. _{^{(under 18? You must apply in person at a branch.)}}
• Community members 60 years and older qualify for a "Senior Card" which has special fine privileges.
• Library card replacement fee is $1.00
  You must go into your local branch (bring ID) to request a replacement card.
  

When logged into your account, you can use the modify my info button ——>
to enter or change your email address, username and home-library information.

Please contact your local branch to change your address or phone number.

Before borrowing items from our system using your Greater Access Card, you must provide identification; please contact your local branch for more information.

Your Greater Access Card will need to be activated by other participating library systems before you can borrow from them.

Special Benefits

While we do not offer a separate card especially designated for Seniors, we do offer Seniors Special Benefits.  Seniors age 60+over are exempt from the overdue fines on items borrowed from our collection [Note: there are no exemptions on fines incurred on items borrowed from other libraries]. Senior exemption status is determined using the date of birth that is entered in your library account. You do not have to register as a senior, however if you are over 60 years old and are still being charged for overdue items borrowed from our collection, you can provide Proof of Age at the checkout desk in your branch.  Besides the Educator and Institution card holders (see below), we also offer the fine-exempt special benefit status to the disabled and Home Bound.
Contact your local branch staff to find out more about qualifying for that status.

 • Try an Institution Library Card or an Educator Library Card for schools/homeschools!

Return to Getting a Card

Educator Library Card

• Applications are available at all 28 Cuyahoga County Public Library branches; cards are issued at the branch and can be used at any branch.
• Limit one card per educator. The educator is personally responsible for the use of the Educator Card and all financial obligations incurred.
• Verification of educator status must be provided
  • Copy of a Letter of Acknowledgement of Participation in a Home School
  • School/Employee ID Badge
  • Pay Stub from School Employment
  • Teaching Certificate/Degree
• The maximum number of items loaned on an Educator card at one time is 150.
• To help you keep track of borrowed materials, you will receive notices for items that are overdue if you have submitted your email address.
• No additional materials may be checked out on a card if there is $150 in overdue fines / fees; billed items; and/or materials are more than 30 days overdue.
• Educator cards are exempt from overdue fines (10¢/day) except for reserved/booked special items ($1/day) and items borrowed from other libraries through SearchOhio and OhioLINK.
• Except for booked special items (not renewable), you can renew an item up to 20 times if it is not being held for anyone else.
• Please immediately inform the Library if your card is lost or stolen;
  you are responsible for all financial obligations incurred through the use of the card.
• Educator Card privileges are only good at any of our Library's 28 branches. They do not apply to other systems participating in Greater Access Library Cards.
• If an Educator Card is not used for 2 years, it will be removed from the Library's records and will no longer be valid.

Education Card privileges are only good at Cuyahoga County Public Library. They do not apply to other systems participating in the Greater Access Library Card program.

Return to Getting a Card

Institution Card

Return to Getting a Card

YOUR LIBRARY ACCOUNT

PIN    |    UserName    |    Account Info  |     Renewing 

Reading History |   Text / Email Notices   |    Paying Fines 

Once you have receive your library card, you have a library account and have access at all of our library branches and online. To access your account, you need your library card number and your PIN (Personal Identification Number).

PIN Information for First-time Users

The first time you use your library card, you may have to create a PIN.  
When you first Login to your account or first order from our catalog,
you will be prompted to enter your library card number and PIN.

Enter your Library Card Number (or temporary access number) and Choose a Pickup Location.

Type anything in the Enter Your PIN box (or leave it blank) and click "Submit"

You will be prompted to choose a PIN; choose a PIN that you will remember.

Tips for choosing your PIN:

• PIN should be at least 4 characters—letters and numbers only.*
  • *Create a PIN using numbers only if you use self-check stations (North Royalton, Gates Mills, and Brecksville), which require numeric PINs.
• You cannot repeat a character 3 or more times
  (for example – aaaa, ababa, mexxx)
• Sets of up to 4 characters cannot be repeated 2 or more times
  (for example– abab, abcabc, abcdabcd)

If you see the message "Sorry, the information you submitted was invalid.  Please try again."  that means our records show you already have a PIN.  Please visit
your local branch in person to reset your PIN, or use the "forgot my PIN" feature described below if your email address is part of your library account record.

More about PINs

Forgot your PIN or cannot Login?

If you have forgotten your PIN, and your email address is part of your library account record, click on "forgot my PIN" and this message will display:

 A message has been sent to the email address we have on record for you. 

You should then receive an email with a link that will allow you to create or reset your PIN.  That emailed link will be valid for 3 hours from the time of your request.

If you still cannot login, there is something about your library account causing the problem.  If re-typing your library card number with extra care does not solve the problem, contact any branch and ask the staff to check your account.

PINs CANNOT BE RESET OVER THE PHONE or by E-MAIL REQUEST.  Unless you receive the email link mentioned above, you must go into your branch to reset your PIN; ID will be required.

 

Changing your PIN

"modify my PIN" ^{_{(once you've logged into you account)}} lets you select a
new PIN; you must know your currrent PIN to use this feature.

 

Your Library Card Number and our Alternate "UserName" Option

You have the option to set up a login that you can use instead of your library card number.

Choosing an easy-to-remember username makes reserving a computer at our branches, logging into your account, and ordering items from our catalog simpler.

Read more about setting up your username,
Choose or change your username any time using the modify my info button—>
once you are logged into your account.   

Email or Text Message Notification
 

We do not send postal notifications.

If you had been receiving postal notifications (prior to 9/09), you can instead choose our cost effective phone, email, or text message notification.

After logging in, choose "modify my info" to enter your email address, 
text message phone number [or both, separated by a comma]. 
Click on "modify my info" anytime to change either.

Email Notification

In the My Account section, choose modify my info & enter your email address (home/work).

Submit your email address and you will receive all library notices by email...

• when the items you requested are ready for pickup
• when the items you've borrowed are due to be returned (3-day notice)
• and any other notices.

You can also update your email address if your email address changes ^{_{(use modify my info)}}.

Your email address as furnished to the library will be used for library purposes only.

 

Not getting your email notices?

Chances are your email filters are blocking them.
For email notices to work properly you must allow mail from

circadm@sciron.cuyahoga.lib.oh.us 

in your spam blocker or filter.

Text Message Notification

Sign up for Library Notices via Text Messaging on your cell phone or mobile device.

In the My Account section, choose modify my info and
    enter your cell phone number —followed by— @librarytext.org
       (for example 2165559999@librarytext.org )

After submitting your cell phone# you'll receive all library notices by text message including:

• items you requested are ready for pickup
• items you've borrowed are due to be returned (3-day notice)
• and any overdue notices.

 

Renew your materials by text message.

Now you can renew your library materials from any courtesy notice. 
Text back RENEWALL and follow the prompts.
You can only renew on account per mobile number.  

A username makes the process even easier. Learn more about creating one now.

 

Your phone number will be used for library purposes only.

NOTE: While there is no charge from the library for this service, you may see a charge for incoming text messages at the standard rate applied by your cell phone carrier, depending on your plan or package.

Use the same steps to change your phone number. Once you are logged into your library account, "modify my info" lets you enter/change email address or text message phone number.

Text + Email

You can also choose to receive both text and email reminders.

2165559999@librarytext.org,librarycustomer@gmail.com

Customers who use our preferred search notices or who receive notices for more than one account may choose to receive reminders in both email and text form (or choose to get messages sent to more than one email address).   Use the example above, using a comma only (no spaces or any other punctuation) between the two.

Return to Account

Renewing Your Items

If you are registered for email notification we will send you a Courtesy Notice email 2 days before your library items are due. You may renew materials owned by our Library up to 20 times unless there are requests by others for those items. You can renew your materials three different ways: by phone, in person, or online.   After you've logged in, go to your "Items currently checked out."   You may want to "Sort by Due Date" (button).  Choose the item(s) you want to renew, and then choose either the "Renew Selected" or "Renew All"  button.
You can renew most items up to 20 times (if no waiting list). 

New!  Renew your materials by text message.

If you currently receive your library notices via text message, now you can renew your library materials from any courtesy text notice.  Text back RENEWALL and follow the prompts.

Please contact your local branch regarding issues with your library renewals.

Renewal Periods

• The items in our catalog may be renewed up to 20 times
  • Books
  • DVDs
  • VHS Videos
  • Audio Books
  • CDs
  • Magazines
  • Playaways
    

• OhioLINK books may be renewed up to 4 times if there are no other holds
  (with the exception of audiovisual material which cannot be renewed).
  
• SearchOhio items can be renewed up to 3 times if there are no other holds.
•  
• Items borrowed using OhioLINK and Search Ohio cannot be renewed before their due dates.
  

• Special Bookable Items

  • LEAP Kits, Puppets, and BiFolkal Kits
    • Loan period= 7 days; cannot be renewed
  • Project Read (book discussion sets for children) and Teen Read (book discussion sets for teens)
    • Loan period= 28 days; cannot be renewed
  • Adult Book Discussion Sets
    • Loan period is 40 days; cannot be renewed

Return to Account

My History

You can keep your own record of the items you have borrowed from our library.  You must choose this service; it does not start automatically with your account. After you set up (opt in)
My Reading History, all of the items you check-out will be listed in your library account.

To start your reading history, follow these steps:

• Log into your account
• Click on the My History button
• Click on Opt In 

From that point on, any item you check out will be recorded in your reading history, along with the dates. This list includes links back to our catalog.

If you no longer want to keep this record, just log into your account, click on My Reading History, and click on Opt Out. 

Paying Fines Online

You can pay your library Fines /Fees online using your VISA, Mastercard, or debit card.

In the My Account section, choose "unpaid fines and bills" and then "Pay Online."

You will receive a confirmation screen and a Payment Receipt screen to print for your records.

More on Fines and Fees