Non Resident Library Cards

This post was created September 2023. Information may have changed since then, so please keep that in mind when looking for your own non-resident cards!

If you’re like me you love to read but hate spending money on books. Since I’m not a re-reader, I struggle coming to terms with the cost of physical books and really have no place to store them after reading them, so I’ve had to get creative with having access to books I want to read when I want to read them! One of my favorite ways of accessing books aside from Kindle Unlimited is utilizing Libby (previously called Overdrive)! If you haven’t used Libby, it’s a free app you can download and access books through your library and any library you have a card. Note that not all libraries have Libby access, but there are so many out there that do! Below are non-resident library cards that I’ve found across the US that do have a Libby library, but be sure to read the information on their sites to be sure you can obtain access to Libby prior to registering! Some cards require you to come in person within a certain timeframe to keep the card, and of course you can call the libraries with any questions before paying for a card. Fun fact – you can browse the library collection on Libby before you commit to purchasing a non-resident card! For the sake of this post, I’m only including libraries that allow you to register online and don’t require you to visit in person to obtain your card or to live elsewhere within that state.

*I am in no way affiliated with Libby or any libraries listed in this blog. I do not received compensation for this post or for referring anyone to these libraries.*

I’m going to preface this list with saying one important thing: check with your local library about what their card gives you access to digitally. For me, I live in NC and my card with the county I live in gives me access to their personal digital library via Hoopla (which I don’t use often because it doesn’t link to Kindle) and then access to my State’s library via Libby which all NC Counties have access to through their local library. For this reason, I wouldn’t purchase a non-resident card in my state because I already have access to it for free!

Alabama

Jefferson County Library offers a non-resident card for $50/year. This card also offers Libby access! You can read more about this card here.

Alaska

Anchorage Public Library offers a non-resident card for $50/year. Their Libby access includes the Alaska Public library which gives access to 71 branches across Alaska. Read more here.

Arizona

Maricopa Public Library is located in Phoenix and offers a non-resident card for $25/6 months or $50/year. Their card gives you access to the Greater Phoenix Digital Library, which includes 54 branches. You can read more here.

Arkansas

Central Arkansas Public Library

Non-resident applicants are required to pay an annual non-resident fee equal to the average property tax paid to CALS by those in our service area, which is currently $54 a year. They offer prorated options as well, which you can see here when applying. Their card gives you Libby access to just the libraries in the Central Arkansas area and includes 18 branches.

California

Anaheim Public Library

Anaheim Public Library allows anyone in the world access to their digital library, however there is no Libby access that I can find. This card appears to have no out-of-county fee attached, but I can’t be for sure since I don’t personally have this card. Read more here to see if this card works for you.

Sunnyvale Public Library

I personally have this card and didn’t have to pay a fee to get access to their digital library and they’re on Libby! I filled out the application here using my actual address and info was given instant digital access at Sunnyvale Public Library and it works on Libby!

Colorado

Garfield County Public Library offers non-resident cards for $10/year and gives you access to their digital library and Libby. Apply for your card here!

Delaware

Delaware City Public Library appears to offer a non-resident card, but I don’t personally have it. This link says that you can apply for a $40 fee and they are on Libby, so it may be worth a try!

Florida

Broward County Public Library

Online states that there is $38/year fee for non-residents, however when I completed the application and put in my information, it gave me instant access without requiring a payment. If they contact me for payment I will gladly pay it, as it’s been a great addition to my Libby account, but as of now I’ve not been contacted! You can apply here!

Citrus County Library

This isn’t a card that I currently have, but at $15/year it’s one I’m thinking about adding! The application is online here and it does give you access to Libby!

Lee County Public Library

This is another one that I haven’t personally used, but they offer 2 non-resident options; $15 for 3 months then $5/month after OR $60 for the year and will give you access to their Libby library. Apply here if you want this card!

Miami-Dade Public Library

If you live outside of the Miami‑Dade taxing district, you may purchase a library card (physical or e-card) for $65/year. Online they request to contact cu**********@md***.org for more assistance in obtaining your non-resident card or you can visit their website. Their Libby library shows access to 48 branches with this card!

Orange County Library

This is definitely one of the more expensive cards I’ve seen, which makes me wonder if it’s truly worth it for a non-resident card. It’s $75 for 3 months OR $125 for a year. Check out their Libby library and see if it would be worth it for you, and if so, apply for your card here!

Hawaii

Hawaii State Public Library allows non-residents to get a card for $25 for 5 years (yes – $5/year is what it breaks down to!) however, you have to apply in person for it. You can read more here about these cards!

Idaho

Nampa Public Library offers a non-resident card with 3 fee options and access to 26 branches on Libby. $52/year for non-residents OR $33/year for non-residents who are 60 years or older. There is also a 4 month option for $18. Apply for your card here.

Illinois

So apparently getting a non-resident card in Illinois is like a whole “thing” and something the state takes seriously. I didn’t spend much time researching it because once I saw the fees I was like WOAH! But if you want to do your own research, I’d start here!

Indiana

Indiana offers a non-resident card however you have to apply in person at any branch for the PLAC card and I believe it’s around $70/year, but the card gives you access to the online state library through Libby.

Louisiana

New Orleans Public Library is quite possibly my favorite non-resident card that I have and you can get yours for $50/year. This card has been the biggest asset to my Libby account since I got it in April 2023! Go to this website and it will walk you through emailing them to obtain your own card.

Maryland

Baltimore County Public Library allows non-residents to get an e-card for $50/year that allows access to Libby! You can apply here.

Massachusetts

Norton Public Library offers a SAILS e-card for $55/year/family that you can get here. They do have a Libby Library, and since it’s an e-card, I assume that’s included!

Michigan

East Lansing Public Library offers a non-resident card for $30/year/person or $40/year/family. It looks like you can apply for it online here and you can get access to Libby with their card.

Missouri

Kansas City Public Library

I was able to get a free non-resident card through the Kansas City Public Library, however it doesn’t allow access to most digital products, including Libby. If you want to see if it works for you, check out their website here.

Springfield-Greene County Library

They offer non-resident card for $80/year and it includes Libby access. The information and application is located here.

Montana

Non-residents can get a card through Billings Public Library for only $20/year! And you can apply online here to get instant access including Libby.

Nebraska

Omaha Public Library offers an e-card for non-residents for $6.25/month, $25/4 months or $75/year. To get this card visit their website and I believe you can either apply online or call.

New Hampshire

Concord Public Library

They have a non-resident for $55/6 months or $100/year and gives you access to the New Hampshire Digital Library on Libby. Apply here!

Griffin Free Public Library

They offer a non-resident card with digital access for $20/6 months or $35/year and it appears to offer the same Libby access as the Concord Library does. Granted I don’t have either card to verify this, you can read more about the GFPL here.

New Jersey

Newark Public Library has a non-resident card for $50/year and they do have a Libby Library that includes 137 branches! You can apply here.

New York

Monroe County Public Library

I love my Monroe County card, and at only $25/year, having this card as apart of my Libby library profile has been a great investment for me! Get your card here!

Queens Public Library

This is another card that I have that I’ve gotten a lot of use out of on my Libby account! While it’s $50/year, so double the Monroe County Public Library’s fee, the digital library is larger, and I’ve gotten to take advantage of reading books that have longer waits on other libraries. Get your card here.

North Carolina

Wake County offers the cheapest non-resident card for NC, coming in at $25/year. You can get your card here and get connected to the NC State Library system with just 1 card.

North Dakota

Fargo Public Library offers a non-resident card for $20/year and the application can be done online here.

Ohio

Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library

For $90/year you can get a card through the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library that includes access to Libby. Here is the link for their info!

Greene County Public Library

Their non-resident card is $25/year and their application appears to be pretty straight forward! I’ve also found their Libby library that has 64 branches included.

Oklahoma

Southeast Oklahoma Public Library has a $25/year/family fee for a non-resident card, and while they offer an online application for it, it’s not clear if you have to go in person to get full access for the card. Check out their website and see what you think!

Oregon

Multnomah County Library offers full access non-resident cards for $180/year and includes their Libby library at 19 branches. Their info can be found here.

Rhode Island

Providence Public Library offers a full access non-resident card for $155/year. Their info is here.

South Carolina

Richland Public Library’s non-resident card is $65/year with Libby access. Apply for your card here.

South Dakota

Siouxland Libraries is my newest card and I haven’t had a real chance to explore it. I opted to do the $17/3 months over the $63/year to determine if it’ll be worthwhile for me to add to my Libby profile permanently! Here is the link for the card!

Tennessee

Chattanooga Public Library has a non-resident card for $50/year, and while you can apply online, I’m not sure if you need to go by in person to fully activate it for Libby use. Their info can be found here.

Texas

Houston Public Library

This is another amazing card I have and utilize a lot! For $40/year it was 100% worth it for me to get it! Get your card here!

Arlington Public Library

There’s two non-resident options for APL; $25/year for limited access and $50/year for full access. I’m not sure which gives you access to use Libby, but I’m assuming it will be the full access card based on other libraries. More info can be found here.

Austin Public Library

For $30/quarter or $120/year, you can get a non-resident card for Austin Public Library, but again I’m not sure if this is a full access or limited access card. Their info is here if you want to research for yourself.

Utah

Salt Lake City Public Library has an $80/year non-resident card with Libby access and can be applied for here.

Vermont

Waterbury Public Library offers a non-resident card for $25/year. Their application is a paper one and there is a mailing address listed on there so you may can mail it in if you wanted to get their card.

Virginia

Fairfax County Library offers a non-resident card for $27/year with Libby access! Get your card here.

Washington

Seattle Public Library’s non-resident for $85/year and you can apply online here.

Wisconsin

The Milwaukee Public Library has a $100/year annual fee and gives you access to their Libby Library that has over 450 branches in their system – so this card may be worthwhile! Read about their card here.

What states don’t have non-resident cards?

From my research, these states don’t offer non-resident cards either at all, online, or require you to be in-person for your card to be active are:

Georgia, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, & Wyoming.

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