FAQ

How do I get a library card?

Local Residents

A Library card is available to residents of Garland and surrounding communities. You must be 18 with a valid photo ID to get your own library card. Otherwise, a parent or legal guardian with ID will need to cosign. Please bring your unexpired official state photo ID (Texas driver’s license, Texas ID, Matricula, out of state license) with your full name and current address on the ID. If the ID does not show your current address, you must present proof of address. Acceptable items for proof of address include current utility bill, lease agreement, auto insurance or bank statement. The proof of address has to have your name on it.

Replacing a Card

If you had a card and need to replace it, bring your current, unexpired official state photo ID and a $2 replacement fee to any Garland library to get a new card.

What types of identification do I need to get a library card?

Please bring your unexpired, official state photo ID (Texas driver’s license, Texas ID, Passport, Matricula, out of state license) with your full name and current address on the

ID. If the ID does not show your current address, you must present proof of address. Acceptable items for proof of address include current utility bill, lease agreement, auto insurance or bank statement. The proof of address has to have your name on it. People with addresses in northeast

Texas will be eligible for full library cards. If you have any questions, call the Circulation Desk at 972-205-2524.

Do library cards expire?

Yes, they do. Every four years we require patrons to present an unexpired official state photo ID with current address at any Garland library. If you go to My Account in the library portal and click on the Personal Information tab, you can see the date your library privileges expire. Please renew on or before that date for continuous service.

Will I get charged if I don’t return an item?

While we are not charging late fines, we are charging for lost items. When an item is seven days overdue, your account will be charged the replacement cost of the item, plus a processing fee. You will be responsible for those charges until you bring back the overdue item.

Is there a library app?

Garland PL is Garland Public Library’s mobile app.

Access the library from your phone.

What can I do with Garland’s library app?

• Search the Nicholson Memorial Library System’s catalog for books, DVDs, audiobooks and more • Search for e-books and e-audio • Place holds on library materials • Access your account to see what you have on hold, have checked out and renew your materials • View locations and hours • Go to the library’s Facebook and Twitter pages • See the library’s upcoming events • Access and use your library card from your phone • Link family members’ cards to your app • Rearrange these options in Preferences so that what you use most is front and center • Available through iTunes and Google Play stores

FREE with your library card!

Help with Homework from The Library Online

It’s back to school time, and that means back to homework. But homework does not have to be a struggle this year. Students who want or need extra help can receive free homework assistance through the Garland library’s HelpNow online resource. HelpNow is part of The Library Online. The resource offers students several ways to get help with their schoolwork, including a tutoring service, state-aligned skills building, a writing lab, and study and collaboration tools. The popular online tutoring service allows students of all ages to connect one-on-one with a carefully screened tutor. Tutoring sessions can be conducted in English or Spanish. Tutors are available for students in kindergarten, first through 12th grades, and college in a wide range of subjects including math, science, social studies, English and reading. HelpNow’s skills-building service goes beyond general homework assistance. It uses state-aligned lessons to help students master core academic skills, such as reading, writing and mathematics. The writing lab allows students to receive live writing assistance or to upload papers or reports for analysis related to word choice, sentence fluency and organizational structure. Papers are returned to students within 24 hours with constructive criticism. HelpNow’s study and collaboration tools include resources to record and archive student work, create or select flashcards from a vast library, or set up group study areas for live tutoring with friends and colleagues. Students can set up their own test center to study for state and national tests and create Learning Accounts to save test results to share with a tutor for personalized skills-building lessons. The Library Online’s HelpNow resource can be accessed at the Garland libraries or from home computers. Services are available seven days a week from 3 to 10 p.m. To access HelpNow, visit Library.GarlandTX.gov and select Online Resources. A Garland library card can be obtained by presenting a valid Texas driver’s license or ID. Patrons under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to apply for a library card.

Coming soon! Library Outreach

Request outreach services from your Garland public libraries. If you would like library staff to host a booth or present information on library services and resources to your organization, visit our website at Library.GarlandTX.gov, to fill out our new outreach request form. Scan to fill out the form.

A LIBRARY CARD BRINGS STORIES TO LIFE.

A library card is available to residents of Garland and surrounding communities. You must be 18 or older with a valid photo ID to get your own library card. Visit any one of the four library locations to get your library card today. Any questions? Call 972-205-2524. We’ll be glad to help.

Friends of the Library Annual Book Sale

The Nicholson Memorial Library System’s Friends of the Library organization announces its Fall Book Sale at the South Garland Branch Library, 4845 Broadway Blvd. The book sale will be open to Friends members only from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 20. The sale will be open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Oct. 21 and 22. Admission to the book sale is free. Shoppers may find great bargains on a wide variety of adult and children's books, fiction and nonfiction, paperback and hardcover, and reference books, as well as puzzles, DVDs, audio books, computer games and more. Friends membership forms are available at all Garland library locations during normal operating hours and online at Library.GarlandTX.gov. To locate the printable form online, click on “About Us,” then “Friends of the Library,” and finally, click on “Membership Form.”

Book Donations

Take some time now to clean out your closets and bookshelves and donate the books and media that you no longer need or want. Items the library does not add to the collection are passed along to the Friends of the Library for their annual book sale. Items the library and the Friends will take include: ■ Books of all kinds: fiction and nonfiction ■ Books on all subjects ■ Books for all ages ■ Books in foreign languages ■ Magazines ■ DVDs ■ CDs

Donated items may be dropped off at any Garland library location. Monies earned by the Friends of the Library from their book sale are used for library programming and projects. Your donations benefit the Garland libraries!

Do you need to set up a new device, create an email account, or build a resume? Garland’s Central Library is now offering Book a Librarian — appointments with professional librarians who can help with these types of tasks. Patrons may register for a set number of 30-minute or hourlong appointments per month. Each in-person appointment will be staffed by a librarian who will help registrants with library resources or technology. Interested patrons may register for Book a Librarian online at the library’s website — Library.GarlandTX.gov. Due to liability issues, librarians are unable to assist patrons with tutoring; proofreading; or legal, financial or medical advice. Patrons using Book a Librarian must be Garland residents and have valid Garland library cards. The Central Library is located at 625 Austin St. in Downtown Garland. Please be aware that photographs and video may be taken at Library programs for use in print and/or electronic media at the Library’s discretion. For more information on Book a Librarian, visit Library. GarlandTX.gov or call 972-205-2533.

E-READING FOR EVERYONE

Have a smartphone or tablet? Great! We’ve got apps that will let you borrow digital e-books, audiobooks, graphic novels and magazines from your local library. You can download materials 24/7 and they’re FREE for Garland library cardholders.

Download the FREE Libby app from your favorite app store.

CONNECT WITH US AND DISCOVER MORE

@GarlandLibraryTX

@GarlandLibrary

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Library.GarlandTX.gov