Library Cards
Your library card is your key to the resources the Library has to offer. Learn how to get one here.
Your library card is your key to the resources and services of the Russell Memorial Library. In addition to borrowing library materials, your card will let you download digital media, search hundreds of electronic databases, use a computer in the library and more.
How do you get a library card?
Simply come to the Library Circulation Desk with proof of your current address and fill out an application. Children under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
or Register Online:
- Online registrations become active immediatedly.
- You can place up to 5 holds
- Get into the online magazines & newspapers
- Checkout and download Overdrive books & music
- Bring a picture ID to your library to activate your permanent id
General Policy Statement
Any person who lives, works, attends school or pays property taxes in Massachusetts is eligible to receive a library card free of charge. Use of a library card is non-transferrable, i.e., can only be used by the person whose name appears on the card.
All materials borrowed must be returned on or before the due date. Most circulating material can be returned to any location in the SAILS Library Network. Likewise, pickup of holds and payment of fines and fees may take place at any library location.
Fines are charged for items returned after their due date.
Cardholders are responsible for all materials borrowed on their card, all use of the card and all charges made against it, until the card is reported lost to the Library.
Eligibility Requirements
When applying for a library card in person, or providing proof of their identity to validate a card applied for online, an applicant must show proof that he/she lives, works, attends school, or pays property taxes in Massachusetts.
To apply for a card:
Adults may provide only one piece of identification if it is one of the following:
- Current driver's license
- Current photo learner's permit
- Current non-driver's identification
- Young Adults (ages 12-18) can show the same ID as adults. Alternatively, young adults may present one of the following, provided name and address are included in the documentation:
- Current school photo ID
- Current report or program card
- Working papers
If the above documentation is not available, any two of the following forms of identification are acceptable for adults and/or young adults, provided one shows a photo and/or signature and the other the applicant's current address:
- Current MA learner’s permit, MA license, or MA ID card
- MA Firearms Card, with photo, signature, residential address, and DOB (expired no more than 12 months)
- Pre-printed pay stub with employer’s name and address and name and residential address (no more than 30 days old)
- A utility bill (gas, electric, wired telephone, wired cable, or heating oil delivery bill) (no more than 60 days old) that contains the name and residential address
- A property tax bill that is for the current or the immediate prior year and contains name and residential address
- Original letter issued and signed by the principal, headmaster, or official keeper of the records of a MA school (including a college or university) on school’s letterhead that states the person is currently a resident student and includes the name and date of birth (dated within 12 months of application)
- First-class mail from any federal or state agency that displays residential address
Children ages 0-13 must have their application completed and signed by a parent or guardian.
The name and address provided to verify your identification must match the information entered on the application.
The same identification must also be presented when a change to the borrower’s address is made & when replacing a lost card.
Special Notes on Juvenile Borrowers
- A children’s application form must be signed by a parent or guardian.
- Parents/guardians are responsible for the lost or damaged materials borrowed by their children
Special Notes on Non-Resident (Visitor or Temporary) Borrowers
- Visitors from out-of-state or abroad are welcome to use the Library’s resources on-site, many of which do not require the issuance of a library card. For access to the library collections, non-residents may be issued a free temporary library card on-site, with an expiration date reflecting the brevity of their stay.
- With the exception of a much sooner expiration date of up to three months from the date of issuance, all other registration procedures are applicable to the applicants.
Renewing Your Library Card
- Alll adult, teen and child library cards expire and must be renewed every three years.
- Teacher cards expire after one year.
- The above-mentioned forms of identification and/or other requirements must be presented to renew your library card.
Lost and Replacement Library Cards
When you register for a library card, you accept responsibility for all items on the card, all use made of the card and all charges made against it until your card is reported lost. The Library must have a record of your card having been reported lost, or it is not considered lost. Therefore it is to the patron’s benefit to report the loss or theft of a library card immediately.
The cost of replacing a lost or stolen library card is $1.00. This fee is assessed at the time the card is reported lost.
Report lost cards by phone, or in person at the library.
Library Notices
The Russell Memorial Library provides a notification service for held items, overdue materials & other service-specific reasons. Notices are available via print, telephone or e-mail & the method by which you receive them is chosen at the time you apply for a card. It is the responsibility of the borrower to notify the Library if any of their contact information changes.
Note: In the case of borrowers who receive their notices by e-mail, it is their responsibility to make sure that e-mails sent from addresses with @sailsinc.org in the sender information be allowed through any filters they may have in place on their Inbox.
Failure to receive a notice does not absolve the borrower from any fines or fees attached to their patron record.