Get Your Library Card

Library cards are free for residents of Glendale Heights or Glen Ellyn Countryside and provide you with access to library materials, as well as our online/electronic resources.

Because Glenside Library is a member of the SWAN network, your library card can also be used at any member library in Illinois.

District Map
What to Bring

To verify residence, current government-issued photo identification with the resident’s home address must be shown. If the address on the identification is not current, one of the following items must also be shown to verify residence: current property tax bill; a current title/lease/renter’s agreement; or a current utility bill postmarked within two months to the resident’s home address.

Borrowing Privileges

Residents Ages 18+

Full-service resident library cards are issued without charge to persons who are age 18 or older and reside within the boundaries of the Glenside Public Library District.

To verify residence, current government-issued photo identification with the resident’s home address must be shown. If the address on the identification is not current, one of the following items must also be shown to verify residence: current property tax bill; a current title/lease/renter’s agreement; or a current utility bill postmarked within two months to the resident’s home address.



Residents Under Age 18

A minor (under the age of 18) who resides within the Glenside Public Library District may have a card at any age; however, the signature of a parent/guardian on the children’s library card application form is required.

The cardholder listed on the account, or the parent/guardian if the cardholder is a minor (under the age of 18), is responsible for any library item charges that accrue on the account

Taxpayers

A library card valid for one year is issued to owner/officer of a business owning taxable property within the boundaries of the Glenside Public Library District. Proof of ownership in the form of a current property tax bill must be presented at the time of application and at subsequent renewals. One non-resident taxpayer card may be issued per parcel of taxable land owned. The non-resident taxpayer card may be used by the cardholder and family members residing at the same address or partners who jointly own the parcel of land.

The card offers the same service as a resident card, including reciprocal borrowing.

The cardholder listed on the account is responsible for any library item charges that accrue on the account.



Unserved Areas

A library card is issued for a fee to qualified non-residents and their family members residing at the same address. Non-resident cards are valid for one year. The card offers the same service as a resident card, including reciprocal borrowing.

The cardholder listed on the account, or the parent/guardian if the cardholder is a minor (under the age of 18), is responsible for any library item charges that accrue on the account.

To qualify, the individual’s principal residence must lie in an area unserved by any library and the Glenside Public Library District must be the closest public library that issues non-resident cards.

The availability of this non-resident card and the method for calculating the fee are reviewed annually by the Board of Library Trustees and are subject to change.



Unserved Students

A library card is issued without fee to a non-resident in an unincorporated area in Illinois who is a student in grades K-12 in a household that falls at or below the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Income Eligibility Guidelines. Cards are valid for one year and offer the same service as a resident card, including reciprocal borrowing.

Within the SWAN Consortium

Persons residing in library services areas that participate in the SWAN consortium must provide a valid unrestricted library card from their “home library” to use their card at the Glenside Public Library District.


Outside the SWAN Consortium

The Glenside Public Library District honors all current Illinois public library cards. Before standard reciprocal borrowing privileges are extended to a library outside of the SWAN consortium, a first-time reciprocal borrower must be registered in the library’s customer database by showing their Illinois public library card and verifying their current address by showing a government-issued photo identification with the reciprocal borrower’s home address. If the address on the identification is not current, one of the following items must also be shown to verify residence: current property tax bill; a current title/lease/renter’s agreement; or a current utility bill postmarked within two months to the resident’s home address.

Reciprocal borrowers are subject to all of the policies and procedures pertaining to Glenside Public Library District cardholders, with the exception that they may not submit interlibrary loan requests. Reciprocal borrower registration is valid for one year.

A library card can be issued to staff of organizations, such as businesses or churches, within district boundaries or staff of schools/daycares that serve children living within Glenside Public Library District boundaries. Each staff member must be authorized by their employer and registered with the Library as prescribed.

Digital Card

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