Circulation(Borrowing)  | Borrowing Policies  | Renewals
 | Holds  | Library Cards  | Fines  | Returning  | Fax Service

For immediate access to e-resources, you can register for a temporary online card by going to the Catalog > click on "Patron Account" > click on the link in the sentence "If you are not registered for library services, click here to register now" Temporary card numbers will expire after 30 days. For a permanent library account please follow the guidelines below.

• Library cards are free to all residents of the state of Maryland.
• Cards are issued at any Washington County Branch
• Out-of-State Library cards are available to residents within the tri-state area (Central/Western PA, and the Eastern Panhandle of WV) for a fee of $18/year

A state-issued photo ID and proof of address must be presented to receive a library card:

• Maryland Drivers license with current address

If photo ID does not have the current address, please present the ID plus 2 forms of proof of current address. Acceptable forms of proof of address are:

• Maryland voter's registration card
• Rental receipt, lease or deed
• Postmarked official mail (e.g. utility bill)
• Vehicle registration
• Checks imprinted with name and address
• Washington County tax bill with correct address
• Current pay stub
• current library card from any public library system in Maryland
• If the required proof of address is not available, we can mail a postcard to the current address, please return with photo ID and the postcard to receive a library card

Children below the age of 14 will be issued a Juvenille card. To receive a card the child must be accompanied by a parent/guardian with the required ID. Juvenille card holder privledges are limited to borrowing items from the Juvenille collection.

Minors between the ages of 14-17 will be issued a Young Adult (YA) card. To receive a card the teen must be accompanied by a parent/guardian with the required ID, or present:

• Maryland Photo ID with current address
• Rental receipt, lease or deed
• Postmarked mail (must be accompanied by ID verifying name)
• Vehicle registration
• Checks imprinted with name and address
• School ID
• Learner’s Permit

Please report lost or stolen card to library staff immediately. There will be a waiting period of 60 days before a replacement card is issued, allowing time to locate your lost card. You must use I.D. to check out materials during the waiting period. When your new card is issued, you will be charged a replacement fee of $1.00.

Library cards expire every three years in order to make sure that we have your current contact information. In order to renew your card, visit your nearest branch and have your Library card and proof of current address handy. There is no charge to renew your card for Maryland Residents.
Non-Maryland Residents will have to update their cards yearly and pay the $18 renewal fee

The mission of the Circulation department is to give the community access to library materials in a courteous and timely manner. Circulation services include:

• Loan Periods and Item Limits
• Fines
• Library Cards
• Renewals
< li>Returning Materials

Telephone: 301-739-3250 ext. 152, 126 or by calling your local branch

The library offers books, audiobooks on CD, DVD/BluRay movies, music CDs, and videogames for loan. You can borrow items at your local branch. If an item is checked out or unavailable at your local branch, you can place a request for the item to be delivered. You can also borrow materials for your eReader/Tablet/SmartPhone through our eLibrary

. Loan periods and renewal limits on specific items are below:

• Books - 3 weeks, 3 renewals
• Reading Express books/tapes - 2 weeks, no renewals
• DVD/BluRay, feature film - 3 days, 1 renewal
• DVD/BluRay TV series, instructional, anime and juvenile - 1 week, 1 renewal
• Audio books - 3 weeks, 3 renewals
• Music CD's - 3 weeks, 3 renewals
• Videogames - 1 week, 1 renewal

Each card holder can borrow up to 50 total items per library card. Specific item limits are as follows:

• Nonfiction Books - 3 Adult/2 Juvenille of the same subject category per card
• Reading Express - 2 books, 2 audiobooks per card
• DVD/BluRay all - 4 per card
• Anime DVD/BluRay - 2 per card
• Audio books - 4 per card
• Music CD's - 4 per card
• Videogames - 1 per card
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Borrowing - Renewals

You may renew your items online or through your local branch (in-person or over the phone).

• Books, Audiobooks and Music CDs may be renewed 3 times
• DVD/BluRay and Videogames may be renewed once
• Interlibrary Loan and Reading Express items cannot be renewed
**If there is a hold on an item, it cannot be renewed even if there are renewals remaining.** To renew online:
• go to the catalog
• Click on "Patron Account" and log in using your library card number and password
• Click "items out"

• On the "Items Out" screen you will see each item you have checked out, along with the due date and the amount of remaining renewals.
• Check mark each item you would like to renew, and click "Renew Selected Items."
• If you would like to renew all checked out items, you can just click "Renew All Items."

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Borrowing - Holds

If the material you would like is checked out, or not available at your local branch, you may place a hold. Holds can be placed by visiting or calling your local branch, or online.
To place a hold online:

• Find the item you would like to hold in our catalog. (for searching tips see our Basic and Advanced guides)
• Click "Place Request" under the item you would like to hold

• Enter your library card number and password then click "Log in"
• On the next screen, select your pick-up library from the drop down menu, and your activation date, then click "Submit Request"

There is no charge to place a hold on an item. If you place a hold on an item that is listed as available, please note that holds are pulled from the shelf at 8am the following business day. You will receive notification that your hold is available for pick-up via email, text message or phone call. Please contact your local branch to change your notification options.

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Borrowing - Fines

The fines for overdue materials are:

• Adult and YA books - .20¢ per day
• Juvenile books - .10¢ per day
• Adult DVDs, audio books - $1.00 per day
• Juvenile DVDs - .50¢ per day
• Instructional audio and music CDs - .20¢ per day
• Video Games - $1.00 per day
• Anime DVDs - $1.00 per day
• Lost, damaged or items that are never returned will be charged to your customer account for the full replacement cost.

If your fines are over $6.00, library privileges will be suspended until the balance is below $6.00. You may pay your fines online through our catalog. Click on Patron Account and log in using your library card and password. Once in your account, click Fines and Fees.

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Borrowing - Returning Materials

Library materials may be returned to any Washington County branch.

There are after hours book drops located at all branches except Downtown Hagerstown, and Sharpsburg.

There is an audio/visual bookdrop at our North Pointe location only. Please do not put any audio and video materials in the book drops at other locations.

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Fax Service
Fax services are offered at the following branches: Downtown, North Pointe, Boonsboro, Hancock, and Clear Spring. The service is offered for out-going faxes only; in-coming faxes cannot be received at library locations. The fees for this service are as follows:
• In State:
• 1st Page - $1.00 (this includes a mandatory cover sheet which is provided)
• Additional Pages - .50¢ per page
• Out of State
• 1st Page - $2.00 (this includes a mandatory cover sheet which is provided)
• Additional Pages - $1.00 per page
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