The following information is provided to the Metropolitan Library System by its member libraries and is provided here as a service to residents of the MLS service area. Each library's elected or appointed Board of Trustees determines library participation locally, not the Metropolitan Library System.

If you have any questions regarding this information, please call the public library closest to your home (listed below).

For a printable brochure on why non-residents need to pay for a library card, select your language from the list below.

• English
• Polish (Polski)
• Spanish (Español)

Frequently Asked Questions About Library Services to Non-Residents (Source: Illinois State Library)

• What is PL 92-0166?
  • Illinois Public Law 92-0166 stipulates that "A person residing outside of a public library service area must apply for a non-resident card at the public library located closest to the person's principal residence."
• Why was this law needed?
  • To provide a person living in an area without tax-supported public library service with an opportunity to acquire a non-resident borrower's card from the closest public library to the individual's residence; and be afforded all the services as those provided to residents receiving services from the issuing libraries.
• How do I know which library is closest to my home?
  • The rules currently define "closest public library" as meaning a participating public library that serves the high school district in which the non-resident resides or the library physically closest to a non-resident's primary address. Full details can be found in the Illinois State Code at 23 ILCS 3050.25.
• I checked with the library closest to my home and was told the library doesn't participate. Why?
  • Nothing requires any public library to participate in the non-resident reciprocal borrowing program of the regional library system. Each locally elected or appointed Board of Library Trustees decides this for the library. (Source: Public Library Non-Resident Services (23 Ill. Adm. Code 3050).
• How much will it cost to purchase a non-resident card?
  • The rules also provide three formulae a public library can use to determine its non-resident fee: General Mathematical Formula; Adoption of the Average Non-Resident Fee in the System Area; and Tax Bill Method. Call or visit the closest public library to determine the exact amount.