Library cards are free to all residents of Pennsylvania. Children 12 years old and older are eligible for their own library card. Library cards MUST be shown at time of checkout. Please notify the Library if you change your address or lose your card. Replacement donation for a lost card is $1.00.
The loan period for books, audio books, and videos is two weeks (14 days). The loan period for magazines and some books is 1 week (7 days). "Adult" cards are limited to borrowing 10 total items at one time and "student" cards are limited to borrowing 4 total items at one time.
Reserving books is a privilege. There is a 50¢ donation payable at the time the reserve is made and is non-refundable. You will be notified when the book is available and will be held for you for 24 hours.
Renewals may be made twice on most materials. Reserve books or Interlibrary Loan books may NOT be renewed. Renewals may be made over the telephone or online if the material is NOT overdue. Please be ready to provide the following information: your name, library card number, title, and author of book(s). Online renewals require your library card number and your password, which is your 7-digit phone number. You will be required to hand write in the new due date.
Reference materials (e.g., encyclopedias, local history books) cannot be taken out for circulation. However, the Librarian may photocopy any material for you for 25¢ a page, even IRS tax forms.
Interlibrary loan is a free service. If none of the libraries in the Erie County Shared Catalog own a book that you want, the Librarian can try to get it from other libraries. Give your request to the Librarian. Pick-up and returns of Interlibrary Loans are handled directly here at the Library. Please allow 2 weeks minimum for arrivals. There is a limit of 1 ILL person at one time and 1 ILL per person, per month. If the request is for a school project, report, or etc. the Librarian has the discretion to order 2 requests at a time.
Overdue fines are 25¢ per day, per item. There is a one-day grace period. 25¢ per day, per item is charged for books that are on a reserve list and for Interlibrary Loan material.
A book drop is located at the Library's front door if you wish to return material when the Library is not open. If the Library is open materials must be returned to the circulation desk.
Rice Avenue Community Public Library is a participant of the Statewide Library Card project called Access Pennsylvania. A blue and white sticker on your library card entitles you to borrow materials at any of the over 300 Access PA participating libraries. To get a sticker, go to your home library and ask for an Access PA sticker to be attached to your library card. Your home library is the library funded to serve the municipality where you live.