How to get a library card at PMPL

1.  Visit the library in person, and call ahead if you have any questions. 

 

Please bring valid picture ID:

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              State driver’s license or State ID card;  Passport;  School ID (no more than 2 years old);

2.  Please bring valid proof of address that has your name on it.  If your driver’s license or other picture ID is current with your local Tobyhanna or Mount Pocono address, you are good to go.  If your current picture ID does not have your current local address on it because you have just moved, you will need to bring another official document or utility bill with your current local address on it so we can verify where you live.  These bills/documents must be received in the mail at your residential address. 

 

Acceptable documents for proof of residential address: 

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               Utility bills (water, electric, gas);  credit card bill; letter from doctor’s office;

               Car insurance card;  letter from school district/charter school/ PA dept of Education
 
3.  Get your barcode immediately to have an "internet only" card which allows you to use all our online collections: ebooks, eaudiobooks, databases, etc. Cardholders who do not reside in Monroe County are not eligible to use Countywide databases, including HOOPLA.  
 
4. Get your Spark PIN number (normally your last 4 digits of your phone number on file), so you can log into Spark "My Account" to search and place holds.
 
5.  We'll send you a post card in the mail that verifies your residential mailing address.  When you get this post card bring it to the library with your valid picture ID.
 
6.  School-age children (ages 5 and up) can get library cards, but the parent/guardian must get a card first and have their address validated.   A child cannot get a card without family/guardian relationship in our system.  If a child does not yet have a school picture ID, then a letter from the school or doctor’s office/medical group with their name on it showing matching address to the parent/guardian’s address is acceptable.  We have free books and activities to give to children who are waiting to get their library card.
 
7.  PMPL holds patron privacy to the highest standards and we never share your information with anyone else.  (9373. Commonwealth publications 9375. Privacy of circulation records.)
 
8.  All the details:

A.  If you already have a card from one of the other Monroe County independent libraries, such as Eastern Monroe Public Library (EMPL), Western Pocono Community Library (WPCL), Barrett Paradise Friendly Library (BPFL), or Clymer Library, then you don't need a card at PMPL because we are all PaILS-Spark libraries.  We can also check this for you if you are not sure.   Just ask if you have any questions about your "home" library.   

B.  Anyone residing in Pennsylvania may obtain an internet only library card to gain access to the databases and collections offered from the PA Power Library.  PLEASE NOTE THAT HOOPLA AND MONROE COUNTY  DATABASES ARE LIMITED TO RESIDENT/PROPERTY TAX PAYING CARD HOLDERS WITHIN MONROE COUNTY.   Having an internet only card does not guarantee the ability to check out library items at a later date.   Any existing patrons with any outstanding charges, fines, or fees from PMPL, WPCL, BPFL, EMPL, or Clymer Library will not be able to obtain an internet only card until those fines/fees are cleared up at the owning library.  

C.  Anyone who lives in Coolbaugh Township or Mount Pocono Borough can get a library card at PMPL, but you have to provide valid address.  Valid government IDs or utility bills that are current will provide this information.  Your name must appear on these documents and match the name used for your library card application and official valid ID.  If you just moved here, and your IDs are out of the area or out of state, or you just changed your name for any reason, you will need to provide two mailed documents (utility, bank, insurance, lease, mortgage, etc.) to prove your name and local address.  When you get your state ID changed, you will have to provide your PA driver's license or ID number to the library.  PMPL will never ask you for social security number, bank account numbers or credit card numbers; and we never run credit background checks of any kind for library cards.  

D.  Any person who is a seasonal resident of Coolbaugh Township or Mount Pocono Borough must provide us with the valid ID and mailing information as listed above; however, anyone who pays taxes on property owned in either of these two municipalities is eligible for a PMPL card regardless of residency status.  You can also show us your annual local tax bill for evidence of ownership/tax status if you do not reside in the area and your ID and official mail show a non-local mailing address.

E.  Anyone who resides in PA or owns property in PA and has a library card from another "Access PA" participating library can get a library card at PMPL.  Public libraries in Access PA are all part of municipalities or counties that pay into this statewide system.  It is Pennsylvania's solution to statewide participation in our public libraries. You will need to show us that library card, or tell us the library name, so we can call and verify you are a patron in good standing. Under these conditions, obtaining a PMPL library card may not be instantaneous if we have to contact another library.   Individuals getting a PMPL library card who have cards from other libraries in Pennsylvania are not eligible to use databases and HOOPLA purchased with state aid for Monroe County services.  Only patrons in good standing for an Access PA library can get a card at PMPL.  If you owe fines or fees at your other library, we respect their fines or fees, and you will not be able to get a card at PMPL until those are cleared up with the owning library.

F.  An annual fee is required for a PMPL library card for any person who neither lives/resides nor pays taxes on property in Coolbaugh Township or Mount Pocono Borough, or does not reside or pay taxes at any Access PA participating library.   An annual fee is required for a library card  If you reside in a municipality or county in Pennsylvania that is not part of the Access PA system, and therefore a non-participating library.  An example would be a non-resident, non-property tax paying temporary resident who is living here temporarily, or a commuter who lives in a surrounding state (like New Jersey, New York, Delaware, etc.) and  only wishes to have a card at the library for convenience.  The annual fee for a library card under these conditions is $45 for each card.  The library sells day passes and week passes for computer use only for visitors.  Use of the library's Wi-Fi is free and available to anyone who visits the library.  Please note that members of the military and their families who may be residing in the area because of military assignment do not have to pay this card fee; however, the library still needs to validate names and addresses of all members who wish to get a card.

G.  Minor children of any person who has a valid library card with PMPL may also get a library card.  It is helpful if the parents/guardians get their card first so we can validate the address of the home where the child resides.  Children must be present when their cards are applied for.  It is also helpful if the parents/guardians can bring school ID with  the children.  However, if there is no school ID, an official piece of mail from a school, doctors office, etc, that has the child's name and address that matches the address of the adult is acceptable.  

H.  Please note that the library will do everything to cooperate with the public so they can either get an internet only card, a regular card, or some other accommodation for a card.

I.  Pocono Mountain Public Library is a "Fine Free" library.  There are no daily overdue charges on any item. However, all items need to be returned to the library at the time they are due.  Library theft (Title 18 PA. C.S. Crimes and Offenses § 3929.1)  is a crime and prevents other members of our community from sharing the items in the library.  Please call if you have any questions.  

J.  Individuals, children and families are not required to have a library card to participate in library programs or events, or to sit in the library building and use the library Wi-Fi, tables, etc.