WebJunction

What if I don't live here?

During the summer of 2003, the Illinois State Library conducted a survey of public library directors on the issue of non-resident library cards. Public Act 92-0166, effective July 1, 2002, requires non-residents to obtain library cards at the "closest" public library. This was a change from the previous requirement that non-residents could buy a library card at any public library but such cards were restricted "local use only", meaning the card could only be used at the library of purchase.

Pursuant to Public Act 92-0166, the Illinois State Library proposed administrative rules to implement the new legislation. These rules were approved by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, the State agency that is mandated by the General Assembly to review and approve administrative rules for state government agencies.

The purpose of the administrative rules for non-resident library service is to clarify the intent of the legislation. Specifically, the term "closest" public library was not defined either in Public Act 92-0166 nor did the legislative debate on the issue give any indication of the intent of the term. The rules also delineated the process of libraries for adopting policies for issuing non-resident cards, the responsibilities of the library systems in relation to non-resident cards, and included the fee formula to be used by libraries for non-resident cards.

For additional information on these changes in non-resident cards you may want to read "The Findings of the Illinois State Library Non-Resident Card Survey". 

Related Resources

Non-Resident Fee Calculation

The minimum fee for a nonresident library card is calculated using a formula provided by the Illinois State Library. The formula for this fee appears on this page in the Illinois State Library publication called Serving Our Public.