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Frequently Asked Questions
Expand/Contract Questions and Answers
Yes, we will attempt to borrow from other libraries items that we do not own. There is no charge for this service, but please note this may take 4 to 6 weeks or more. You must have a library card with no unpaid fines, and you are limited to five active interlibrary loan requests. Request forms are available at Library service desks, or requests can be made online through the online catalog. After logging in, click on "Send Request" at the top of the page, then change the "Request Type" to Interlibrary Loan/Recommend to Purchase. Requested items circulate for two weeks with no renewals, and overdue fines are $1 per day. Additional information is available on the Interlibrary Loan Policy page.
- Yes. To see information on genealogical resources and assistance, click here.
To place a hold on an item in the online catalog you will need the barcode number on your library card and your PIN. If you don't know your PIN you can obtain it by bringing a photo ID to any Library branch. In the catalog click on "Log In" at the top of the page and log in. When you find an item you want to place a hold on, click on the "Place Hold" button. You'll be prompted to select a pick-up branch. You can also place a hold on items by calling any branch library.
If items are available they will be pulled from the shelf the next business day the branch holding them is open. If you have an email address in your account you'll be notified by email when your items are ready for pick-up, of if you don't have an email in your account you'll be notified by phone. You can check your position in the holds queue by clicking logging in to the online catalog, clicking on My Account at the top of the page, then on the Holds tab of the My Account screen.To renew items:
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Call any branch circulation desk. Please have your card number handy when you call. The phone numbers of our libraries are available here.
- If you know your PIN, click here and sign in with your card number and PIN, then, in the Checkouts tab, check the boxes by the items you want to renew or click on "Renew All" to renew all your items, and click on the Renew button. Unless you've changed it, your PIN is the 4-digit number written on your card. If you don't know your PIN you can obtain it by calling any library branch and verifying your library card number and contact details.
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Bring the item(s) in to the circulation desk of any library branch.
Renewable items may be renewed three times for the same period as the original loan, unless they have been requested by someone else, in which case they cannot be renewed. Also, you cannot renew items online if you owe $10 or more in fines and/or fees; an account owing a balance of $10 or more is blocked until the balance is paid to less than $10. Interlibrary loan items may not be renewed.
Please note that 7-day items cannot be renewed online until 3 days before their due date, and 14-day items cannot be renewed online until 5 days before their due date. This restriction is necessary because an item's renewal date is calculated from the date due rather than the day it's renewed. Without the restriction an item could be renewed twice the same day it's checked out and immediately gain a checkout period 3 times its normal checkout period. For instance, a DVD could be checked out, renewed twice and immediately have a due date 21 days from the day it was checked out. However, this system also ensures you can renew an item early and still keep it the maximum period of time, as long as no one else has requested it.
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- To change your address, bring your card and photo ID to any branch and ask to have your address changed, or if you know your PIN you can do it online by following this link, logging in and clicking on the Personal Information tab. Click on "Change Address Information," edit your information, and click on the Save button. To receive email rather than paper notices, click on "Send Request" at the top of the page after logging in and send us a message letting us know the email address you'd like to have added to your account. Accounts with an email address in them will automatically receive email rather than paper notices. Please add the address "sirsi@stlu.sirsi.net" to your address book to ensure our notices won't end up in spam or junk mail folders.
- The Library’s job openings are posted with other St. Lucie County jobs at https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/stluciecountyfl. Click on "Show More" at the top of that page to see important information about applications. To apply for a job, click on the name of the position, then click on “Apply” on the next page. You’ll need to create an account and follow the instructions from there. Good luck with your job search.
- Any resident of St. Lucie County, along with students who attend school in the County and owners of businesses in the County, can get a free library card by filling out and signing a Library Card Application (en español aquí) and presenting it along with proof of residency and a photo ID at any St. Lucie County library. Children between the ages of 4 and 15 must have their parent's or responsible adult's signature on the card application. Non-county residents must pay an annual fee of $15.00 to obtain a library card. Additional information is available on the Library Cards and Circulation page.
- The circulation period for all items is 2 weeks, except for DVDs which check out for 1 week. As long as an items hasn't been requested by another user it may be renewed 3 times. Users are limited to a maximum of 6 adult DVDs, 6 juvenile DVDs and 6 Ebooks at one time, and a total of 50 items of all types
- Print materials: $.10 per day
Media items: $.25 per day
ILL items: $1.00 per dayFines are not counted on days when libraries are closed. With the exception of interlibrary loan items, there is a maximum overdue fine of $2.50 per item. Fines may be paid by visiting any branch library or by mail, and are payable in cash, money order or personal check. Questions about fines or replacement cost fees should be directed to the branch where the item was checked out from, or to the Overdues Assistant at 462-2787.
To pay by mail, please make the check out to the St. Lucie County Library System and send it to:
Delphine Newton, Circulation Assistant
Fort Pierce Branch Library
101 Melody Lane
Fort Pierce FL 34950Please make sure your current phone number is on your check, and also add your library card number and your license number, or the ID number you gave us when you registered for a card, so we can be sure to credit your payment to the correct account.
- Yes, free wireless Internet if available at all branch locations. You will need to agree to the Library's policies, but you will not need a password to connect. Look for the network named SLC_Library_Public_Wifi. Please remember that no wireless network is completely secure, and that the safest connections are those that begin with https rather than http.
- Library accounts expire each year to remind you to make sure your contact information is up-to-date. If you have a valid email address in your account, 28 days before your card expires you’ll receive an email letting you know it’s about to expire, with a request to confirm or update your contact information and instructions on how to renew it. If you don’t have an email address in your account you can find your expiration date by logging in to the online catalog and checking the Personal Information tab. Your expiration date appears below your library.
When it’s time to renew your account we ask that you check your contact information, and let us know if anything needs to be updated. If everything is correct you can renew your account yourself by clicking on the renew button that appears in your account 28 days before your account is due to expire. You can also renew your account by calling any of our libraries. Detailed instructions with images are available in this PDF. - Hours vary by branch. Click here to see a list of branches and their hours, along with a list of holiday closings.
- If you have a library card you can sit down at any available computer and log yourself in. If you don't have a card you'll need to visit the service desk to get a visitor's pass. All computers are filtered for adult content and children's computers have some additional content restrictions. Sessions at the adult computers are for 45 minutes and sessions at the children's computers are 30 minutes, though additional time is automatically granted as long as no one is waiting. Wireless access is also available. Information about software, printing and specialized hardware is available here, and our computer policies and procedures are available here.
If you can't find an item you have borrowed you will be responsible for the replacement cost of the item. Please visit any branch library to reimburse the library for the purchase price in cash, money order or personal check. If necessary a payment plan can be arranged.
If an item is damaged beyond repair you will be responsible for the replacement cost of the item. In most cases you can choose to replace it with an identical copy, though it must be truly identical; for instance, a copy of a book must have the same ISBN as the original. Please contact the owning branch library to confirm your replacement can be accepted in lieu of payment. Some damage can be repaired, and it is sometimes possible to replace a damaged disc that is part of a multi-disc set, in which case you will be responsible only for the cost of repairing the damage or replacing the disc.
- Report the loss at once to any branch library by phone or in person. You are responsible for materials taken out with the card until the card is reported lost or stolen. A fee of $1 is charged for a new card.
- Renewal dates are calculated from the date due rather than the day items are renewed, so if you renew a DVD 3 days before its due date you have 10 more days rather than 7. However, in order to prevent someone from checking an item out and immediately gaining an entire new checkout period—for instance renewing a DVD the same day it’s checked out and having a 14-day checkout period, or renewing twice and getting a 21-day checkout period—it’s necessary to limit the renewal period to the last few days of the checkout period. The renewal period for DVDs begins 3 days before their due date and the renewal period for 14-day items begins 5 days before their due date.
- All St. Lucie County Library items can be returned at any St. Lucie County branch during regular hours. All branches have outside returns where books can be returned when libraries are closed. If you have fragile items such as DVDs and CDs to return, please secure their cases with rubber bands to avoid damage before returning them in after-hours returns, or return them inside the library during regular hours.