Registration for an East Baton Rouge Parish Library card is FREE for all eligible residents of the parish and reciprocal parishes.

Registration requirements for eligible residents are as follows:

I. Adult Library Card (18 Years Or Older)

East Baton Rouge Parish Residents

Official Photo I.D. LA Wallet is acceptable.
Proof of Address. NOTE: The Library will not accept mail received at a U.S. mailbox or commercial mail drop box as proof of residency in East Baton Rouge Parish. Physical and digital proof is acceptable.
Responsible for all materials checked out on their card and the damages, and losses that result while materials are checked out.

Out-of-Parish Residents

Reciprocal parishes included: Ascension, Assumption, East Feliciana, Iberia, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes.
In addition to the above requirements, a library card from their home parish must be presented or a good standing form signed by a librarian in their home parish.

Non-Resident Property Owners

In addition to the requirements above, non-resident property owners must also show proof of property ownership in the parish.

Non-Residents who Work or Attend School in East Baton Rouge Parish

In addition to the requirements above, non-residents must show proof of working in the parish or attending a school or university in the parish.

For students (college or high school) who live on campus but have permanent residence outside East Baton Rouge Parish:

Proof of current enrollment
Picture ID as described above, such as a driver’s license, school ID, military ID or passport.
Proof of permanent home address and/or local mailing address, such as a driver’s license, voter registrations, or mail that has been received at the patron’s residence.

II. Child, Tween, and Teen Library Cards (0-17)

Children may receive a library card when the parent determines the child is ready. There is no minimum age requirement.
Children, Tweens, or Teens must be present with the parent or guardian when establishing a new account.
A parent or guardian of a minor under the age of 18 may use their official photo I.D. and proof of address to register their child for a library card. As per R.A. 25:225, the parent or guardian must co-sign the registration form with or for the child.
NOTE: The parent or guardian must accept responsibility for the full cost of lost or damaged materials that result while the item is checked out.
The parent or guardian must choose from one of these four card types for their minor child: Standard, Computer Use, Restricted aka Bookshelf, and Unrestricted aka Explore.

III. Card Types for Minors (0-17)

Standard Card—may be used to check-out print, AV, and other physical items, log in to use Library computers, and access databases within the appropriate collection, based on the age of the card holder:

Juvenile (age 0-11)	Juvenile Collection
Tween (age 12-14)	Juvenile Collection	Teen Collection
Teen (age 15-17)	Juvenile Collection	Teen Collection	Adult Collection except for R-Rated Movies

Computer Use Only Card—may be used to access Library computers and database collections, either on site or remotely, within the appropriate collection—Juvenile, Tween, Teen, or Adult — based on the age of the patron. No loans of print, AV, or other physical items are allowed on a Computer Use Only Card.

Restricted Card AKA “Bookshelf” Card—may be used to check-out print, AV, and other physical items within the appropriate collection—Juvenile, Tween, or Teen—based on the age of the patron. No Computer Use, Internet or Database Access is possible with a Bookshelf Card. However, children, tweens, or teens may use a guest pass to use the Library’s computers.

Unrestricted Card AKA “Explore” Card—may be used to check-out print, AV, and other physical items within all collections, including Adult. Exception: R-rated movies and certain items in the Library of Things such as Hotspots, Litter Kits, and Telescopes may only be checked out on Adult cards.

State Law protects the privacy of your circulation record. The Library will not share your child’s address, email address or cell phone information.

Library staff does not act “in loco parentis.” The reading and viewing activities of youth under 18 is the responsibility of parents or guardians whose role it is to oversee the development of their own children. The Library does not assume that relationship. The Library’s staff is happy to recommend titles or resources to the patron.

IV. Card Renewal

Cards expire at the end of 3 years for residents of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Cards expire at the end of 1 year for out-of-parish residents.
Accounts must have a zero balance and provide photo ID and proof of address to renew a card.
Please visit the circulation desk at any library location to renew your library card.
Senior citizens (55+) may call the Circulation Department at (225) 231-3740 to renew their cards.

V. Lost Cards

If you have lost your library card, please call (225) 231-3740. We will place a block on the account to prevent others from using the lost card.
To get a replacement card, visit any library location with your photo ID. There is no charge for the first three replacement cards. After the third replacement card in three years, there is a charge of $1 per card.

VI. Temporary Online Cards

Register online with your First and Last Name, Birth Date, and Valid email address to confirm the card account.
Online cards may be used to access digital content and to place holds in the catalog. NOTE: Libby/Overdrive is not accessible with a temporary card.
Online cards are incomplete and only good for 2 months. To receive a permanent library card, complete the registration process by visiting one of our 14 locations and the required registration items as noted above.

Temporary Online Card Help Guide Register For A Temporary Online Card

Books, magazines, audio books, CD-ROMS, books on CD and music CDs check out for 3 weeks and may be renewed 3 times for a maximum loan period of 12 weeks. A total of fifty items may be checked out per card. There is no specific limit on the number of books and magazines.

The limit on audio books is 10. The limit on music CDs is 10. The limit on CD-ROMS is 5.

Videos, DVDs and Blu-ray check out for one week and may be renewed twice for a maximum loan period of 3 weeks.

The limit is 15 items for all video formats; any combination of DVD, VHS or Blu-Ray.

Paintings and sculptures check out for 6 weeks and may be renewed once.

The telescope is available for adult check-out, for a week at-a-time, at the Main Library and must be returned to the Main Library.
Prior to being eligible to check the telescope out, Library Card Holders must attend a brief presentation on how to use and care for the telescope.

Use and Care of Telescope

Items are renewed from the date of renewal — not the original due date.

An item may not be renewed if another patron has an open reservation for that title.

Renew Your Items

Beginning August 1, 2023, all locations will no longer collect fines for overdue items. In addition, amnesty is now available for patrons who have outstanding items. Patrons are welcome to return overdue items and all fines will be waived.

Patrons will continue to receive overdue notices.

A first overdue notice is sent by email when an item is overdue, only if the patron has an email address in their patron record.

A second overdue notice is emailed or mailed when an item is 10 days overdue.

An invoice notice is sent on the 60th overdue day, requesting payment for the cost of the item plus a $5.00 processing fee.

On or near the 70th overdue day, a Collection Notice is sent in the patron’s name to the Parish Attorney’s Office for accounts totaling $35 or more. The Parish Attorney’s Office then sends a letter to the patron requesting payment within 5 days.

Patrons are encouraged to ask staff to check their accounts or to access their accounts online themselves.

If you receive an overdue notice for an item that you believe you have returned to the Library, please contact the Library as soon as possible. We would expect to find such an item on our shelves if we failed to properly scan it when it was returned. If we cannot locate the item on our shelves, we must place the item in a status called Claims Returned. An item in Claims Returned status:

No longer appears as a loan on your account
Is searched for at all branches of the Library bi-monthly
Will be checked in as if returned on its due date if found during a search
Will no longer be tied to your account if borrowed by another patron

If an item still has Claims Returned status at the end of twelve months, the Library will send you an invoice for the replacement cost of the item. We encourage you to continue to search for an item that you have reported returned and that we have placed in Claims Returned status.

Additional information on item replacement and charges.

Payments on a patron’s record can be made at any time at any branch or online.

If charges reach $35.00 at any time the record is set to “Delinquent” until the balance is below $35.00.

All charges on a patron’s record are due by the card’s expiration date. The record must be cleared before the card is updated.

Lost or damaged items may be replaced with an exact copy of the item in lieu of payment for the item. Always speak to a librarian in the system before attempting to replace an item.

When items are damaged, but still in condition to continue to circulate, charges are assessed accordingly. A missing pocket or barcode is $.50. For other charges, contact the Circulation Division at the Main Library.

The cost of an item is charged to a patron when the damage requires the item to be removed from the collection.

Cards & Borrowing