Library Cards
Library cards are free and give you access to all library services.
Check out items from the library collection, download ebooks, use library computers, access online resources, and more!
Get a Library Card
Using Your Library Card
Your library card is good at all Saint Paul Public Library locations.
You can also register your card and use it at most public libraries throughout Minnesota.
Renewal Dates for Library Cards
Most library cards do not need to be renewed.
Educator cards, welcome cards, and non-resident cards require renewal.
If you have a card that requires renewal, you can see the renewal date in your online account settings. To renew your account registration, please contact the library.
Update Your Contact Information
Use this form to update your address, phone number, or email address.
Lost Cards
If you lose your library card, please contact any SPPL location as soon as possible. Library staff can stop your card until it can be found or replaced. You are responsible for all materials checked out on your library card until its loss is reported.
Inactive Cards
Library cards that have not been used in 4 years are deleted from the library's database.
Using Your Library Card Online
Use your library card to:
- View your account to see your current checked-out items, place holds, keep track of what you've read, and more.
- Check out e-books.
- Place interlibrary loan requests.
- Access online resources like newspapers archives, language-learning programs, skill-building tutorials, and more.
Passwords
Logging into your account and using some online services requires a password.
If your current email address is already included in your library patron record, you can have a reset link emailed to you.
If you cannot reset your password online, please contact the library.
Library Go
Frequently Asked Questions
Getting a Library Card
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To get a library card or to register a library card from another Minnesota public library system, you must have a photo ID, proof of date of birth, and proof of your current address. Visit any Saint Paul Public Library location to complete registration.
Find more information at https://sppl.org/library-cards/
Other options:
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Library cards are issued free of charge.
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Saint Paul residents who have never had a Saint Paul Public Library card can apply for an e-card.
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The Saint Paul Public Library participates in the Safe at Home address confidentiality program. Any adult applying for a library card who is in possession of an official Safe at Home program card will be registered using the program address.
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Residents of North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin may purchase a Saint Paul Public Library card.
The fee is $60 per year. Apply in person at any Saint Paul Public Library location.
Identification requirements
- Current picture ID with your name and current address, or a current picture ID and a piece of recently received mail with your name and current address.
Updating Your Library Card
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To update your account with a chosen or preferred name, please contact the library, opens a new window in person, by phone, or online. We will confirm we are updating the correct account by verifying certain information in your profile.
To update your legal name, please bring your updated identification with you to a library location.
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Visit any library location to update your address or you can use this form to update your account information online.
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Most Saint Paul Public Library cards do not expire.
Exceptions:
Educator cards, welcome cards, and non-resident cards require renewal.
If you have one of these types of cards, you can see the renewal date in your online account settings.
To renew your account's registration, please contact the library in person, by phone, or online. If your address has changed, please update your information online to keep your library record current.
Library cards that have not been used in 4 years are deleted from the library's database.
Using Your Library Card
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To check out e-books or e-audiobooks in the Libby app or on the OverDrive website, you need:
- a Saint Paul Public Library card, or
- a library card from the Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, or Washington County Library that has been registered with Saint Paul Public Library.
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Yes, as a Saint Paul Public Library cardholder, you can register and use your card at Minnesota libraries that participate in the Minnesota Reciprocal Borrowing Compact, which includes most public libraries statewide.
When you register and use your library card in other library systems, you agree to abide by that system's rules for use and borrowing.
Libraries that are not part of the Minnesota Reciprocal Borrowing Compact are:
- Clarkfield
- Crosby
- East Grand Forks
- Hendricks
- Taylors Falls