Library cards are available free of charge, if you are a resident or tax payer of Elgin County or St. Thomas; OR, if you are a member of a neighbouring library system with reciprocal borrowing privileges. Identification is required to get a library card at any of our branch libraries.
You will receive a plastic card, similar in appearance to a credit card, which contains your library account number. If you lose this card, there is a replacement fee of $1.00.
An adult must sign the card for a child, up to and including a child in grade 8, in order for it to be valid. A parent or guardian assumes full responsibility for the choice of material which the child borrows from the library and any fees incurred.
Your library membership entitles you to borrow materials, access the online catalogue, place holds, and use our online reference resources. Click here for more information about library membership.
In My Library Account, you can see what items you currently have on loan, renew those items (when applicable), and change your PIN (Personal Identification Number). These options are available by clicking on My Library Account anywhere from within the library catalogue.
To access your account, you will first need a PIN. Your PIN can only be obtained in person at any Elgin County Library branch location. To get your PIN, present your library card at the Public Service Desk at your library.
To access your account in the library catalogue, enter your full 14-digit library card number. Enter your PIN, then select Submit.
A patron may change his/her PIN number by following these steps:
Your PIN will be changed to the value that you enter in the 2nd and 3rd lines.
If you have already logged into the catalogue with your library card number and password, take the following steps:
If you have not already logged in with your library card number and password,
If you will be unavailable to pick up library materials you are waiting for or if you are not ready to receive them, you can Freeze your holds.
If you know you will be unable to pick up a hold prior to a specific date, you can contact your branch library to ask that your hold be modified to be unavailable until the date you specify with branch staff.
If Elgin County Library doesn’t own an item you wish to borrow, submit an interlibrary loan request and we will try to borrow the item from another library system for you.
Computers are available for public use at each of our branch locations. They can be booked in advance for 1 hour time slots. Patrons need a library card to use the computers in the library and by using their library card they agree to adhere to the Elgin County Internet Policy and Guidelines. Call or email one of our branch libraries to book your computer time.
To register for library programs, you have 3 options:
Below is an introduction to the online calendar and some steps to get you started:
How to Cancel a Library Program Online
Every branch is wheelchair accessible. Staff are willing to help you access materials that are beyond your reach.
The Elgin County Library does not have a branch at its main office location, although an appointment can be made to conduct local history or genealogy research with staff from the Archives. At the main office location, materials are ordered and made shelf-ready for distribution to the branch libraries. Staff at the main office oversee the administration of the library system, request materials from other library systems, perform in-depth research, and conduct regular rotations of materials in the branch libraries.