Non-resident library cards

[Anonymous]

I live just outside of the area, but can pay $27 to get a non-resident card for Fairfax County. I found this blog post that lists other libraries that offer non-resident cards. Some of the least expensive:

Houston - $40
Mecklenburg, NC - $45
New Orleans - $50
Queens - $50
Chapel Hill - $65

Part of me wants to stick with Fairfax, as it's close and I actually could borrow books from the branches, but I probably use online borrowing most often. I guess you have to weight a library having a large collection with it also having more people trying to access the books. Any thoughts?

[Anonymous]

are you in Virginia? If so I think you can get a card for free from DC (decent online selection, maybe higher competition for books) and from many Maryland counties, too.

I live in DC and have a montgomery county MD library card for free, and I could get one in each of the adjacent VA counties, just don't need it.

[Anonymous]

LCPL has free reciprocal borrowing with something like 11 counties. I would assume Fairfax is the same.

"The following jurisdictions participate in the regional reciprocal borrowing program: The cities of Falls Church, Alexandria and Winchester; the District of Columbia; Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William, Clarke and Frederick counties in Virginia; and Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles counties in Maryland; and cardholders of the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:LCPL has free reciprocal borrowing with something like 11 counties. I would assume Fairfax is the same.

"The following jurisdictions participate in the regional reciprocal borrowing program: The cities of Falls Church, Alexandria and Winchester; the District of Columbia; Arlington, Fairfax, Fauquier, Prince William, Clarke and Frederick counties in Virginia; and Montgomery, Prince George's, Frederick and Charles counties in Maryland; and cardholders of the Thomas Balch Library in Leesburg."

Fairfax County is the same!

[Anonymous]

yeah but OP is getting a non resident card for Fairfax. So it's unclear where OP is located - what does just outside mean? It's unclear what, if any, reciprocity exists for OPs location. But bottom line I'd explore that first, if you haven't already, OP.

[Anonymous]

I’m a DC resident. Can I get any of the MD or VA cards reasonably cheaply? Are any of the library systems particularly good for non fiction audiobooks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a DC resident. Can I get any of the MD or VA cards reasonably cheaply? Are any of the library systems particularly good for non fiction audiobooks?

I’m a DC resident and have cards for Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, and Montgomery County libraries. They all have reciprocal relationships with DC. IMO Arlington is the best one to have in terms of how large their selection is (e-both books and audiobooks) and how quickly holds become available.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a DC resident. Can I get any of the MD or VA cards reasonably cheaply? Are any of the library systems particularly good for non fiction audiobooks?

See the lists above. you can get a card from any of those listed - multiple counties in MD and VA.

[Anonymous]

If OP knows enough to find the non-resident pages of these libraries, they probably know about reciprocity and aren’t in the counties that have it with Fairfax.

$27 is the cost of a hardcover book these days, so I think Fairfax is a great deal!

[Anonymous]

Here’s a list with various options:

https://www.9thstreetbooks.com/how-to-get-a-library-card-online/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here’s a list with various options:

https://www.9thstreetbooks.com/how-to-get-a-library-card-online/

OP here. I linked to that blog pots in my original post.

Yes, I'm further away and my county doesn't have reciprocity with the ones mentioned here. Arlington doesn't do non-resident cards. I was really trying to see if anyone had the other cards I listed to see if paying more than the $27 for Fairfax was worth it. For example, while Houston is only $40 and is obviously a huge area, the wait times might be longer because of the population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a DC resident. Can I get any of the MD or VA cards reasonably cheaply? Are any of the library systems particularly good for non fiction audiobooks?

I’m a DC resident and have cards for Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, and Montgomery County libraries. They all have reciprocal relationships with DC. IMO Arlington is the best one to have in terms of how large their selection is (e-both books and audiobooks) and how quickly holds become available.

While Arlington is good, I have to say that Prince George's County has been better for me. I'm a Fairfax County resident.