Library Card & PIN

Types of Library Cards and Eligibility
Apply for a Card
Personal Identification Number (PIN)

Types of Library Cards and Eligibility

Residents:

Anyone who resides or owns property in the unincorporated area of Santa Clara County or in one of the nine library district cities is eligible for a free Santa Clara County Library District Card. The Santa Clara County Library District cities are Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, and Saratoga.

Non-district residents:

Effective July 1, 2011, library cards are available to non-residents of the Library District for a non-refundable annual fee of $80, valid for one year from the date of purchase. An individual card allows for borrowing of up to 100 items at a time, access to computer services and online resources. Family members may elect to share 1 card. A card is issued to one person who is responsible for all items checked out on the account. Use of the card without the cardholder present requires knowledge of the card and pin number. The non-district resident fee is comparable to what residents contribute to operate the Santa Clara County Library system.  For more information about the fee, please visit http://www.santaclaracountylib.org/services/nr_fee_faqs.html.

Non-district resident students:

In order to support education of all children in our communities, students in grades preschool through 12, who attend school in which the school district overlaps with Santa Clara County Library city boundaries are eligible for a free Student Card.The Student Card allows checkout of 5 items and placement of 2 holds at any one time, use of full service computers inside the Library (including Internet and Microsoft Office), and remote access to e-resources such as research databases and online tutors. Applicants must provide student ID or proof of student status with school affiliation and a mailing address for the one-year card. Cards must be renewed annually to show continued student status.

• List of Eligible Public Schools
• List of Eligible Private Schools (Partial list)

Determination of Santa Clara County Library District Residency:

Residence in the Library District will be determined by information from the Santa Clara County Assessor’s Office website. The Assessor's Office allows residents to view basic information about properties in Santa Clara County free of charge online at http://services.sccgov.org/ari/search.do.

The website includes information about Tax Rate Areas for each property. If the Tax Rate Area listing for a property includes “Area No. 01 (Library Services) [County Service],” that property is part of the Santa Clara County Library District.

Your postal mailing address is not a reliable indicator of your residence in the Tax Rate Area. If you have additional questions about your property or the Assessor’s website, please call the Assessor’s Office at 408.299.5500.

Applicants must appear in person. There is no minimum age limit and no parental signature is required.

Apply for a Card

What is Needed to Get a Library Card:

• A valid form of identification showing your name and picture
• Proof of your current address
• Provide date of birth

For more information see our Borrowing Policies and Fines, Fees, and Loan Periods.

Two Ways to Apply for a Library Card:

• Download, print and fill out the library card form and bring it in to the library circulation desk, or fill out the form available at all Santa Clara County Libraries and the Bookmobile. Please bring a valid form of identification showing your picture, name and proof of your current address to complete your registration.
• Apply for a card online by clicking on the "Get a Card" link on the web catalog's Account Login page, and complete the online form. You must then visit any Santa Clara County Library within 30 days with a valid form of identification showing your picture, name and proof of your current address to complete your registration and receive your card.

Materials may be borrowed upon completion of the application. Non-Resident Card fee payment is due in full upon activation of the card. Bring your card each time you come to the library. You may use your library card at any Santa Clara County Library and the Bookmobile. Materials checked out on your card are the card owner's responsibility.  You may choose to share your card with other individuals. However, as the card owner you are still the responsible party for your library card account including fines, and you retain the privacy rights associated with your library card account. Inform the Library immediately if it is lost or stolen. There is a replacement fee. Library privileges may be revoked if abused.

Receiving Notifications:

You can receive notices by email or phone. Phone notices include hold notices and overdue notices (at 16 days overdue). For patrons with phone notification, lost/billing notices are sent through the mail. Email notices include courtesy reminder notices (3 days before items are due), hold notices, overdue notices (at 16 days overdue), and lost/billing notices. Email notices are our default notification method. To change your notification preference, please ask at your library, email us at circulation@sccl.org, or call 800-286-1991.

Personal Identification Number (PIN)

Three Ways to Change Your PIN:

• The Library's New Web Catalog makes changing your PIN easy. Visit the following Help Page to learn how: http://help.bibliocommons.com/en-ca/040settings/000account_information
• In the Former Web Catalog, select My Account. Enter your barcode and PIN.
  (If you have never selected an alternate PIN, enter the last 4 digits of your phone number)
  Select your Profile page to change your PIN.
• If your account is currently set up for email notification, send an email from that account to circulation@sccl.org requesting that your PIN be reset to the last 4 digits of your phone number. (Email is answered during office hours, Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.)
• Go to the Checkout Desk at your library

Forgot Your PIN?

If you have forgotten your PIN and do not have an email address on file, you will need to go to the Checkout Desk and ask for assistance. We cannot give you this information over the phone.

You may be able to reset your PIN through our website. If you have an email address on file, please visit the web catalog's Forgot Your PIN page: http://sccl.bibliocommons.com/user/forgot. Additional information about resetting your PIN is available in the catalog's Help Site on the Resetting Your PIN page: http://help.bibliocommons.com/en-ca/040settings/015resetting.

Related web page: My Account Log-in Troubleshooting