Borrowing Policies and Procedures

All Monroe County residents are eligible for a free library card.  If you live in the 10 eastern municipalities of Monroe County, Eastern Monroe Public Library is your home library. If you live in one of the 10 western municipalities, click here to find your home library.  With a library card you may borrow books and other items from any library in Monroe County. To get a card:

  • Bring a government issued photo ID with your current address which verifies your permanent residence or property ownership in one of the ten municipalities served by the library.
  • If you are under 16, your parent/guardian must provide identification and sign for responsibility.
  • If you are a non-resident (without a PA Access library card) borrowing privileges cost $50 annually or $15 for three months. Pen Argyl School District and Wind Gap residents pay $15.00 annually to get an Eastern Monroe Public Library card.

Please bring your library card each time you visit. We need it to check out your books or other materials. You must present your own card to borrow materials. The Library reserves the right to ask for additional identification. If you lose your card, we here is a fee of $3.00 for a replacement card. Your borrower’s card is renewed every three years after date of issue. To renew your card, please bring proof of current residence & photo ID, and we will renew for another three years.

You are responsible for all items borrowed on your Library card. Please do not lend your card to anyone. If you are unable to present your Library card, you may use your driver’s  license as ID. However, your borrowing privilege will be limited to 5 items.

Internet-Only Library Card
If you are staying for a period of time in Monroe County but do not have proof of a local address, you are eligible for an Internet-only library card that will give you full access to the Internet through the library’s computers, as well as electronic databases. When you establish residency within the library service area, you may upgrade the card to a regular library card. There is no charge for an Internet-Only library card.

Borrowing Periods and Limits

You may borrow a total of 35 items at any one time in any combination.
Books: 21 days (except new titles), 35 items
New Fiction: 14 days, 35 items
Magazines: 14 days, 7 items
Audio books: 14 days, 6 items
CDs (Music): 14 days, 7 items
DVDs: 7 days, 10 items
Playaways 7 days, 6 items
Resource Room items: 21 days, 2 items per household
Mobile Devices: See Mobile Device Policy

If you forget to bring back your checked-out materials, the library will auto-renew them once, except for electronic materials. Materials may be renewed a second time if there are no holds. Books that are no longer considered “NEW” may be renewed TWICE if there are no holds pending.

Fines and Fees

Great News!  Effective July 4th, 2022, the Eastern Monroe Public Library is a fine free library. We want to make it as easy as possible for you to use the library and borrow the great books we have, so we have no overdue fines.  That said, we do want them back.

Lost and Damaged Items

If an item is lost or not returned, the Library charges a replacement fee of $5 plus the cost of the item after it is more than 60 days overdue. After that, the item is yours to keep.

If an item is damaged but we can still repair it, we will charge a damage fee. The minimum damage fee is $3 for an item which has been damaged but is still usable.  If the item is damaged beyond repair, we will charge the replacement fee for the cost of the item.

Other Charges:

  • Printing: The library has free computers available for public use but we do charge for 25 cents a page for printing.
  • Copiers charge 25 cents per page.
  • $25 charge for all returned checks.