The trustees of the five Hamilton County library systems,
Carmel Clay, Hamilton East, Hamilton North, Sheridan and Westfield Washington,
have approved an agreement that will allow any Hamilton County residents who
live in a library district to borrow from any library in the county using their
“home” library card. Residents will no longer need to purchase a Public Library
Access Card to use other libraries in the county. (The PLAC is still required to
check out materials from public libraries outside Hamilton County.) Cardholders
will be able to use these expanded library privileges beginning January 2, 2010.
Prior to this agreement, patrons were limited to the library district where they
live and/or pay property taxes. In a spirit of cooperation, library directors
and trustees agreed they wanted to find a way to provide greater access for
Hamilton County residents and they began to discuss the feasibility of
reciprocal borrowing. After several meetings to work out the details, the result
is expanded resources for all public library cardholders in the county.
Reciprocal borrowing offers convenience and enhanced use of public library
resources in Hamilton County.
To become a reciprocal borrower at any county library location, patrons will be
asked to present their current, valid library card from their “home” library.
Borrowers will observe the rules and regulations of the lending library and must
return materials to the library from which the items were checked out. Policies
may differ among the five different systems, and patrons should check with each
library for additional information.
The agreement will include nearly 182,000 current library cardholders
countywide. With access to many more materials, services and program
opportunities at locations throughout the county, the number of cardholders will
likely increase as non-users realize the added benefits of having a public
library card in Hamilton County. Reciprocal borrowing is available to current
residents and property tax payers in any of the five library districts in
Hamilton County.
As the launch date of this program approaches, additional details will be
available on each library system’s website and at all library locations.
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