How to Get a Library Card After July 1

For many patrons of the —and any of the seven other libraries in the Santa Clara County Library district—things will be changing, big-time, on Friday.

An $80 library card fee—with certain exceptions—goes into effect Friday for non-residents of the district who want to check out materials from the county library district.

The library board voted April 28 to charge a fee for the first time in the history of the library district, and the county librarian cited dwindling state contributions.

"It's a whole new ballgame," said Jane Cronkhite, the community librarian at Los Altos Library, where usage by non-residents from Palo Alto and Mountain View is high.

Anyone can continue enter the libraries, use its study rooms and look at books and materials, Cronkhite emphasized. They cannot check out books or use its Internet database without purchasing an annual library library card.

Residents of the district, who live or own property in Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill or Saratoga, will not be affected. Residents of unincorporated areas of the county are also not affected.

Cronkhite and her librarians have been spending a lot of time counseling patrons who don't live in Los Altos or Los Altos Hills.

"We really do want to give them library cards," she said. It's a matter of how they can, with the implementation of the new rules.

The library has set up a page on its website of Frequently Asked Questions about navigating the new fee.

Here are some highlights:

• Determining if you're in the district. Your postal mailing address may not be a reliable indicator of your qualifying residence, the library advises. The district encompasses the above mentioned cities, and unincorporated county land, but if you're uncertain, check the searchable Assessor's website. If the Tax Rate Area listing for a property listing includes “Area No. 01 (Library Services),” that property is part of the Santa Clara County Library District.  Questions about that can be addressed to the Assessor’s Office at 408-299-5500.
• Property owners. Property owners (and members of their household) within the library district are eligible for free library cards because their taxes support those district libraries. See above regarding the Assessors records.
• Student cards. Students who attend schools whose districts overlap with the member cities are eligible for a free, limited use card on an annual basis. This covers pre-school through Grade 12. The library has published a list of eligible schools or school districts. The list contains mostly public schools, but students of private schools and charter schools may be eligible. They are advised to ask a librarian.
• A "Household cards." Non-residents who want to stretch their budget to pay for a card, may consider one card for the entire household. One card can borrow up to 100 items at a time. Consideration should be paid to who will be using the card, however. "If they want to use the children's computers for example, they would need to put it in the child's name," Cronkhite said.

District librarians understand that the new rules may prompt a rash of new in-district library card sign-ups, too.

When applying for Santa Clara County Library card, people should bring in any of the following to prove eligibility for a free card:

• Drivers license
• Utility bill
• Any kind of phone bill
• Property tax bill

Students should bring in proof of school attended:

• Student ID
• Mailed envelope from the school
• Report card

"We actually take a lot more than that," Cronkhite said. "This is just a basic list." For people who do not have a verified address, the library offers to send a post card the home address specified. Once it is received they bring that in for verification, she said.

"We really want to put library cards in people's hands," she said.

Given the cost, she has heard from patrons from Palo Alto and Mountain View who have told her they are going to try going to the Palo Alto and Mountain View libraries for a while.

"I've talked to one woman from Mountain View who said she was looking at how she could budget, because she really likes our DVD collection," Cronkhite said. "She was considering dropping her cable service."

Tomorrow: Does your student attend a qualifying school or school district to get a free limited-use card?