How Do I...

A free library card is available to all Maricopa County residents with photo ID and separate proof of address (utility bill, post-marked mail, car registration, etc.). Non-Maricopa County residents may also obtain a card for $40 a year with ID and proof of address. Learn more about getting a library card.

For Avondale residents, your library card expires in 3 years. For non-Avondale residents your library card expires in 1 year.

We need to verify your address and other contact information is still correct. To renew your library card, you have a few options:

• You may come in to an Avondale Public Library location with your library card, a government issued ID, and proof of address (if different than listed on your ID).
• If your address hasn't changed, you may call the library to renew your library card at: 623-333-2665. Please have your library card number and your account information ready.
• If your address hasn't changed, you may renew your library card online by filling out the form located here*: https://www.avondalelibrary.org/services/my-account/library-card-renewal

Please be aware that if your account owes more than $10.00 we will be unable to renew it until the balance is paid off. If your account owes $.01 - $9.99 we will renew your account for one month as a courtesy until the balance can be paid off.

*Please allow up to 2 business days to process your online renewal request.

There is no age requirement to receive a library card. A parent or legal guardian must present a photo ID with proof of current address for a minor (children under 18) to get a card. Both parent and child must be present in order to register for a library card.

Students in grades K through 8th, who are county residents, may be issued an Avondale Public Library Student card if they have a current student ID issued by a Maricopa County school recognized and accredited by the state of Arizona and an acknowledgement form filled out by their parent or guardian. The student ID serves as proof of address. The card must be renewed annually. All other required information is the same. The card allows unlimited computer access but limits materials borrowing to five items at a time. No DVDs or items in our Beyond Books collection may be checked out on this card. Students do not accrue overdue fines on this account, but will be held responsible for lost or damaged items.

Students in grades 9th through 12th who are county residents may be issued an Avondale Public Library card if they have a current student ID issued by a Maricopa County school recognized and accredited by the state of Arizona or can provide documentation of registration in a recognized and accredited school in located in Maricopa County. The student ID serves as proof of address. The card must be renewed annually. All other required information is the same. The card allows unlimited computer access but limits materials borrowing to five items at a time. No DVDs or items in our Beyond Books collection may be checked out on this card. Students do not accrue overdue fines on this account, but will be held responsible for lost or damaged items.

Your card is valid at the Avondale Civic Center and Sam Garcia Western Avenue Libraries. Your library card allows home access to the Avondale Public Library catalog and research databases.

We encourage all family members to obtain their own library card. Be sure to let us know right away if the card is lost or stolen.

No, you do not. You only need an email address. Just connect to Avondale-WiFi, click register, provide your email address and name. You will need to connect to the provided email address to receive your login passcode which will be good for 7 days. 

Report the loss immediately by calling us at 623-333-BOOK to prevent unwanted charges to your account. You can replace your library card by showing a photo ID.

You can replace a library card by showing photo ID. Minors under the age of 18 must have a parent or legal guardian present with photo ID to replace a card.  

Please notify the library as soon as possible if your address, telephone number or email has changed.

To access your account online, you can click on the My Account link. You will then need to enter your library card number and PIN (the last four numbers of your phone number) to log in. For student or children's cards use the year you were born for the PIN.

Your PIN/password is the last 4 digits of the telephone number we have on record for you. If you have a student account, your PIN is your four digit birth year. It is used to log in to your library account online and when accessing the library's public computers. 

You can have up to 30 items checked out on your card at any one time, including a maximum of 15 DVDs.

Books, DVDs, and Audiobooks are loaned out for a 3 week period. New Books and Interlibrary Loans, for 2 weeks. Beyond Books and Wonderbooks, for 1 week. Renew your items online by using your library card number and your PIN. You can also call us at 623-333-BOOK.

When you check out your materials, you will get a receipt with the items and their due dates listed. If you have an e-mail address on file with us, you will receive a 3-day courtesy advance notice letting you know your items are coming due.  Keep your contact information current, as the library is not responsible for late or non-delivery of notices. 

You can reserve a title on our website through our online catalog. You can also call us at 623-333-BOOK and we will put the item on hold for you. You will need to have your library card number and PIN available to place a hold. You will be notified via email when your item becomes available. The item will be held for pickup for 7 days. 

The Civic Center Library has a return book drop outside and inside. The inside book drop is only available during regular business hours. The Sam Garcia Library has an outdoor drop box, along with a self check-in that offers a receipt. The self check-in is only available during regular business hours. When in doubt, you can always bring your items to staff sitting at the desk during open hours.

Items not available through the Avondale Public Library can be requested through our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service. There is no fee for requesting items through Interlibrary Loan unless required by the loaning library. CD's and DVD's are not available through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). 

The fine for Interlibrary Loans (ILLs) is $2.00 per day. There are no longer late fines for regular library materials. If an item (hotspot, book, Beyond Book, Wonderbook, DVD, Audiobook, etc) is returned damaged the patron will be charged for the cost of the item. If the item is not returned, the patron will be charged the cost of the item. This charge and cost is used by the library to replace the item with a replacement copy for the public. Thank you for your understanding and please try to return items in good condition for the next patron. Thank you! 

Use the outside book drop or use the self-check-in to return your items on time. You may also renew most items. Items that are eligible for renewal will automatically renew 2 days before they're due.   You can also renew your items manually 3 ways: online, by phone (623-333-BOOK), or in person.

Items that are eligible to renew will automatically renew 2 days before they're due up to 5 times. Stopping conditions that will block a renewal include:

• Item has been renewed 5 times already
• Another patron has requested your item
• Item is an interlibrary loan (ILL)
• Your account has expired
• Your account has fees of $10.00 or more assessed

If you have an email address on file with the library, you will receive a reminder notice of checkouts that will let you know the due dates and whether or not items have renewed. While automatic renewal is a convenient feature, it is still the patron's responsibility to keep track of their item due dates as renewals may not process due to the stopping conditions mentioned above. To check the status of your account and items checked out, please login to your library account or call the library at 623-333-BOOK.

As long as your fines are under $10.00 you may check out items and have library computer usage privileges. Once your fines go over the $10.00 limit, you must pay them down below that limit in order to check out items or use library computers.

MAX (Maximizing Library Access), brings together Maricopa County's 14 out of its 15 public library systems, allowing its resident to borrow from a shared collection of library materials without the need for individual library expansion.

When you search for a book in the Avondale Public Library (APL) catalog and APL does not have it, MAX will prompt you to login using your APL library card barcode and PIN to search for the item in MAX. If another library system near us has the item, you can put it on hold and choose Sam Garcia Library, or Civic Center Library as a pickup location. You will be notified when it's ready for pickup. 

 MAX items policy: 

• Only books may be put on hold in MAX, not DVDs, not audiobooks, etc.
• Not NEW items either. Anything within 6 months of APL's release is considered NEW.
• MAX items take anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks to arrive, remember, the item is coming from a different library system (Mesa, Scottsdale, Peoria, Glendale, Tempe, etc.) [only Phoenix does not participate].
• You can place up to 5 MAX item requests at a time (per patron, per library card account). 
• MAX items do not have renewals.
• MAX items have a 3 week checkout period.
• If a MAX item is not returned, is lost, is damaged, etc. a $20 replacement charge will be charged to that library account. 
• MAX items can not be returned into the Book Drop, Check-In Machine, or Check-In Shelf. MAX items must be returned in-person to a staff member at the service desk. 
• A hot pink notice is placed on the MAX item holds, please do not take off this notice, it's important it remains on the item.