Table of Contents
Your Library Card
Register for a new library card
City of Keene residents and qualifying non-residents (see eligibility requirements below) can apply for a free Keene Public Library Card by:
- Completing one of the following online applications
- Adult Library Card application
- Youth Library Card application (must be signed by parent or guardian)
- Visiting the library’s circulation desk and completing an application (photo ID and address verification required)
Non-residents can purchase a Keene Public Library card by:
- Visiting the library’s circulation desk and completing an application (photo ID and address verification required)
- Paying a membership fee, at one of the rates listed below, using cash or a personal check
Short-term or temporary residents of Keene 18 years of age and older can apply for a free 90-day Keene Public Library Card by:
- Visiting the library’s circulation desk and completing an application
- Providing the following documents and information:
- one form of government-issued photo ID
- a letter from an administrator of their temporary residence confirming the expected length of their stay
- a phone number or email address
- a mailing address at temporary residence
- Temporary cardholders may check out up to six items
- Temporary cardholders do not have access to interlibrary loans, Keene State College collections, Library of Things, Garden Tools and Outdoor Gear collections, and some online resources
Renew an existing library card
City of Keene residents can renew their library card in-person or by calling 603-352-0157.
Non-residents and qualifying non-residents can renew their library in-person during normal operating hours.
Register for a Cheshire County Special Borrowers card
Residents of Cheshire County, (Alstead, Chesterfield, Dublin, Fitzwilliam, Gilsum, Harrisville, Hinsdale, Jaffrey, Keene, Marlborough, Marlow, Nelson, Richmond, Rindge, Roxbury, Stoddard, Sullivan, Surry, Swanzey, Troy, Walpole, Westmoreland, and Winchester),who would like to only borrow from the Garden Tool Library and Outdoor Gear Library collections, can register for a free Cheshire County Special Borrowers card by:
- Visiting the library’s circulation desk and completing an application (photo ID and address verification required)
- Signing a Library of Things, Garden Tools and Outdoor Gear Library Terms of Use and Waiver of Liability.
This card can not be used to borrow Items from the library’s main collection, the Library of Things collection, or Keene State College’s Mason Library. This card also does not provide Cheshire County Special Borrowers access to Museum Passes or digital resources, such as Overdrive, hoopla, of kanopy.
Get a Library Card: Eligibility
The following are eligible for a free Keene Public Library card:
- City of Keene residents
- Keene property owners
- Full-time City of Keene employees
- Out-of-town students attending school in Keene
- Off-campus Keene State College students
- Other full-time college students attending school in Keene
- Full-time Keene School District teachers & tutors
- Institutions located in Keene
Keene State College Students, Faculty, & Alumni may use their college-issued IDs to check out physical materials from the Keene Public Library. College-issued IDs do not provide access to Keene Public Library online resources, which includes digital collections through OverDrive, hoopla, or Kanopy, research databases, or museum passes. Borrowed materials may be returned at either library, regardless of where they were checked out.
Non-residents who are ineligible for a free Keene Public Library card may purchase a card. An annual or semi-annual fee is set by the Library Board of Trustees and the City of Keene. As of January 1, 2024, the charge is:
- $40 for six months or
- $75 for one year
- $65 per year for Seniors 62 years+
- The Library does not offer family cards. All cards are individual and non-transferable, and the cardholder must be present to use the card.
- Children under age 18 may receive a library card. A parent or guardian must accompany them when they are applying for cards, sign for financial responsibility, pay the required fee, and accept and understand library policy regarding children’s use of the Internet.
- The card is valid for six months or one year from the date of purchase.
- Renewal of out-of-town cards:
- The new expiration date will be one year (or six months) from the original date when renewing before the expiration date.
- When renewing after the expiration date, the new expiration date will be one year (or six months) from the date of purchase.
- Gift certificates are available for purchase.
- When a person purchases a library card as a gift for someone else, Library staff will fill out a receipt so that both the person and the Library will have a payment record. A gift certificate will be issued.
- The gift card recipient brings the gift certificate to the library, fills out an application, and activates the new card.
- A library card issued from a gift certificate is valid for one year from the date the recipient activates the card.