33 ms·

I don't know about your community, but in everywhere I've lived, library cards are free. I'm pretty sure anywhere they aren't free, the fees are pretty nominal

by natnat 16y ago

I don't know about your community, but in everywhere I've lived, library cards are free. I'm pretty sure anywhere they aren't free, the fees are pretty nominal (i.e. $2-$10 every few years or if you lose your card). Anyone can look at books inside of the library, though, regardless of citizenship or being able to afford the zero to ten bucks every few years they need to pay to take books home. For the homeless, this isn't even much of an issue, because the library is probably the best place they could read.

JoeAltmaier 16y ago
Thanks! Now I'll actually look up some library card prices. $26.22 per Peterborough resident $1 Unitah Co, Utah $0 CA if you're a resident, $10 for non-resident $0 Peoria, AZ for residents $0 (resident or youth) or $60 (non-resident) Austin TX So, most are free for residents, and pricey or unavailable for non-residents. What is a resident? Somebody with a driver's license, voter registration card or utility bill, typically. Which can be a significant barrier to a segment of the population. Not only the homeless, but bus-riding apartment-dwellers may be barred for instance.
- natnat 16y ago
  I was up until recently a bus-riding apartment-dweller, and my driver's license is from out of state. I was able to get a library card with my voter registration card, which I got with my electricity bill. In Boston, you can get it with just about any form of documentation, including a credit card, a health insurance card, a student ID, or a photocopy of your lease agreement, and it's free to sign up. It's a huge problem that homeless people can't get registered to vote, but I don't really see how shutting down libraries is going to solve any problems for the homeless. Like I said before, if you can't prove residence because you're homeless, you're probably better off reading the books inside the library anyway. Anyone can do that, regardless of residence.

by natnat 16y ago

JoeAltmaier 16y ago

Thanks! Now I'll actually look up some library card prices. $26.22 per Peterborough resident $1 Unitah Co, Utah $0 CA if you're a resident, $10 for non-resident $0 Peoria, AZ for residents $0 (resident or youth) or $60 (non-resident) Austin TX So, most are free for residents, and pricey or unavailable for non-residents. What is a resident? Somebody with a driver's license, voter registration card or utility bill, typically. Which can be a significant barrier to a segment of the population. Not only the homeless, but bus-riding apartment-dwellers may be barred for instance.

natnat 16y ago
I was up until recently a bus-riding apartment-dweller, and my driver's license is from out of state. I was able to get a library card with my voter registration card, which I got with my electricity bill. In Boston, you can get it with just about any form of documentation, including a credit card, a health insurance card, a student ID, or a photocopy of your lease agreement, and it's free to sign up. It's a huge problem that homeless people can't get registered to vote, but I don't really see how shutting down libraries is going to solve any problems for the homeless. Like I said before, if you can't prove residence because you're homeless, you're probably better off reading the books inside the library anyway. Anyone can do that, regardless of residence.