Of course, most of us are already enthusiastic library users and use our library cards on a very regular basis. I’m a regular user of my public library, in both in-person and electronic materials. And I do love the access to ebooks and audio books! Most of my reading is audiobooks, so need to explore a lot of books.

But sometimes you might want a little more selection, a few more books, a little more options. And fortunately, there is a way to make that happen: you can buy library cards from some libraries!

Check out this article excerpt from Book Riot (and read the whole article here):

“My darling and I relocate a lot, so I sporadically flirt with the idea of signing up for an out-of-state library card. I yearn to be anchored to a book-filled building somewhere no matter where life calls us. Whatever your reasons — limited inventory at your local library, no nearby branch or bookmobile, or just wanting more access to more books — could an out-of-state library card improve your literary life?

While writing this essay, I referenced “Library Access for Everyone” often and held two musts in my mind: patrons must be able to apply online, and the annual fee for out-of-state borrowers be $50 or less per year. Without further ado, peruse these possibilities.

• Charlotte Mecklenburg Library, North Carolina
  For an annual fee of $45 per household or $35 for people 62 and older, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s non-resident cardholders can enjoy “the full services of the Library at all locations and use of [their] online resources.” In 2022, the library counted, via OverDrive, “1 million digital loans.” To browse a list of their apps, including Libby and hoopla, visit their “E-books & More” page.
• Fairfax County Public Library, Virginia
  For $27 a year, you can gain access to Fairfax County Public Library’s online collections with a non-resident library card. As the website notes, processing the application may exceed the usual three to five days. Once that clears, over 50,000 ebooks and 21,000 audiobooks await borrowers through Libby and other reading apps in addition to various online resources.
• Houston Public Library, Texas
  In Small Change, Big Impact: Opening Up Digital Library Collections to Non-Residents, Rioter P.N. Hinton details the Houston Public Library’s amazingness. At $20 for six months or $40 for a year, non-residents of Texas can receive an HPL library card and access their digital library via Hoopla, Axis 360, BiblioBoard, and more.
• New Orleans Public Library, Louisiana
  For $50 a year, you can sign up for New Orleans Public Library’s non-resident card. This gives patrons access to everything but the “Culture Pass.” You can borrow up to 30 audiobooks, up to ten “downloadable” items for two weeks via OverDrive and cloudLibrary, unlimited “past issues” of numerous periodicals, and more.
• Queens Public Library, New York
  On their website, the Queens Public Library sweetly exclaims, “All Are Welcome.” For $50 annually, QPL’s eCard, which includes access to their “e-materials” and “online databases,” extends to international members, too. Visit the “How To Access Digital Media” page for listings of audiobook and ebook vendors from AudioBookCloud to TumbleBookLibrary.

Read the whole article here!