Borrowing

You are eligible to obtain a Greenwich Library card if you reside or own property in Greenwich, or if your place of employment or school are located in Greenwich.

Connecticut residents are entitled to borrowing privileges if they have a public library card from the town of their principal Connecticut residence. It is necessary to bring identification and a current, valid hometown library card to register.

If you do not live in Connecticut, and you do not either work or go to school in Greenwich, you may purchase a Greenwich Library Card for $125.00 that is valid for one year. This card allows access the physical collection only; due to vendor license agreements the library cannot provide access to the library’s digital collection. The names of your immediate family who reside at your address and who wish to use the card must be included on the application at the time of purchase.

A current CT driver’s license or CT Photo ID with a Greenwich residential address is acceptable identification.

Greenwich residents who have not yet updated their driver’s license information may provide current photo identification and proof of current residential address. A post office box is not sufficient address. Additional suggested forms for proof of current address include:

• Telephone Bill
• Cable Bill
• Electric Bill
• Automobile registration
• Automobile insurance card
• Property Tax Statement

People who work in Greenwich need to have photo identification with proof of residential address and proof of current employment in Greenwich. Suggested forms for proof of current employment include:

• Current pay stub with Greenwich address

People who go to school in Greenwich need photo identification and proof of current student status.

People who wish to purchase a Greenwich Library card need photo identification and proof of residential address. The $125 fee is payable online.

People whose principal residence is a Connecticut municipality other than Greenwich need to present a valid library card from their home library and photo identification with proof of residence in that municipality.

Cards do expire and each type of card has a different expiration date. An expired card cannot be used to borrow materials or use the digital collection. The expiration date is on the card.

To renew your library card, bring your card and appropriate ID to the Library or use our online form.

Your Greenwich Library card provides access to a vast array of books and digital material in addition to accessing a rich selection of databases from your home, office, or on the road.

Only Greenwich and Perrot Library card holders with accounts in good standing may access the digital and streaming collection of ebooks, audiobooks, music, etc.

Yes, the library does loan video games! Following are the loan rules for video games:

• The loan period is 7 days. The replacement cost for a lost video game varies depending on the purchase price. Video games may be renewed four times.
• Holds may be placed on video games.
• Five video games may be checked out on a patron’s card at the same time.

If Greenwich is your principal residence, you can take your current Greenwich Library card and appropriate identification to any public library in Connecticut and borrow materials. This is done under the auspices of the state borrowIT CT Program.

You may get a card at a service desk at any Greenwich Library location including Byram Shubert Library and Cos Cob Library. Or you can get a card through our easy-to-use online form.

To create a PIN:

• Visit any branch and the staff at the Check Out desk can assist you with creating a PIN.
• Contact us via phone, email, or online chat.

Your materials may be returned via the book drops conveniently located outside of all three libraries, before, during, and after Library hours. In addition, materials may be returned to a desk in person when libraries are open.

It is very important to report a lost or stolen card immediately since you are responsible for everything checked out on your card. You may call the Main Library (203) 625-6524, email, or you may visit the Check Out Desk at any of our libraries during working hours. As soon as you call, your card will be blocked to prevent further transactions.

To report a change of address, bring your Library Card along with one form of identification, or piece of mail, with your new address on it to the Check Out Desk of the Main Greenwich Library or to the Main Desk of either of its branches.

In some cases, a change of address can mean a change in the type of card you are issued.

The Express Library, available at the main Greenwich Library, Byram Shubert, and Cos Cob branches, is a small collection of high-demand, bestselling titles available for checkout. These titles are on a first-come, first-served basis and are checked out for a shorter period of time. They cannot be placed on hold. This collection is meant to satisfy our browsing patrons that might walk into the Library to find a number one bestseller that previously required the patron to be put on a waitlist. Express books can be checked out for 7 days with one renewal for an additional 7 days.

This service is only available to Greenwich and Perrot patrons only through their Bibliocommons account. Patrons with linked cards should place their requests with their home library. Please check the catalog before placing the request to ensure that we do not already own the title. Submissions can be made for both print and digital items as well as CDs and DVDs.

Credit card information entered on PayPal’s payment page is encrypted by PayPal. Greenwich Library does not store any credit card information.

All payments are non-refundable. You should examine your fines and fees carefully before making a payment. If you have questions, speak with a staff member before making payment. For assistance, contact us during library hours at (203) 622- 6524 or lendingservices@greenwichlibrary.org.

No, you will not be charged a fee for online payments.

Your library account will be credited immediately.

By Telephone

• Call (203) 625-6524 with your library card number during open Library hours.

Online

• You may renew your materials online here. Please note you will need your library card number and four-digit PIN.
• Email lendingservices@greenwichlibrary.org, use the app, or contact us via online chat and provide your name and library card number letting us know you’d like to renew.

In Person

• Bring your Library Card to the Check Out Desk and ask to have the items on your card renewed.

Yes, no matter how you renew, you will need to provide your library card number. If you come into the Library to renew, please remember to bring your library card with you.

Almost everything can be renewed. The exceptions are:

• Periodicals
• Museum and park passes
• Items that are on hold for another patron
• Items that have already been renewed twice

For more information on our loan policies, click here.

Because we want to return Interlibrary Loan books to the supplying library in a timely manner, ILLs can be renewed one time only for a period of one (1) week. If materials are needed for longer, please contact the ILL department at ill@greenwichlibrary.org.

When renewing an item over the website a pop-up box will appear showing whether your item was successfully renewed. If the item cannot be renewed the pop-up box will include an explanation. Items that were successfully renewed will show the new due date.

Most items may be renewed up to four times, assuming that the item isn’t on hold for another patron. Please bear in mind that the renewal period starts on the day that the item is renewed.

This means that if you wait until the day that an item is due to renew it, you will get the most time with the item. If you do this for a second renewal, you could have the item for the maximum possible checkout period.

Yes. As a courtesy, Greenwich Library emails all patrons who have provided an email address with a reminder notice when they have items coming due in two days. To modify, change or delete your email address please visit the My Settings section in your account.

If you have provided us with your email address but have not been receiving Greenwich Library email notices, they may have been going to your spam or other folder.

In order to ensure our entire community has equal access to our most popular materials, Greenwich Library makes it possible for everyone with a valid library card to place a hold request on an item.

With your library card, log into your account to view your holds.

You can also call Lending Patron Services (203-625-6524) during library hours with your library card number. Staff will be able to assist you with any questions regarding the status of your holds or library account.

If your hold has been denied, it is usually because there is a problem with your library record. Some common problems are:

• Your Card has expired.
• Your card has been issued by another town in Connecticut and has not yet been registered with Greenwich Library.
• You have a billed item on your account.

The next time you are in the Library, stop by the Check Out Desk and a staff member will be able to help you. Or call (203) 625-6524, use online chat, or email lendingservices@greenwichlibrary.org.

Periodicals, art prints, museum passes, and reference items cannot be requested.

Yes, a default time period of 180 days will be applied to all requests. If the hold request is not filled by this time, it will automatically be canceled and dropped from the patron’s record.

Please also note that suspended holds will also expire after 180 days if they are not reactivated by the patron.

You can pause a hold that is “not ready for pickup” by selecting the Pause Hold box next to the item on hold. While your hold is paused, you will continue to move ahead on the waiting list, but the hold will not be sent to your pickup location while it is paused. Use this option to manage your holds when you are away or don’t have time to read.

Please keep in mind that holds placed on items which have the status “available” must be retrieved from the shelf and there is only a limited number of staff to perform this service. Should a patron place so many hold requests that we feel it negatively affects our ability to provide this service to the entire community, the library will place limits on such requests.

You will receive an email from lendingservices@greenwichlibrary.org.

In the interest of fairness to other patrons, the amount of time that your items will be held for you cannot be changed.

In order to make sure that you are notified about your hold, it is important to make sure that you inform the Lending Staff if your email address changes.

You can also check on the status of your holds online, by using the “My Account” menu option. From here, you can see all of your holds and their status. If a hold’s status is “Ready For Pickup”, you can come in and get it.

As with all of our patron record information, your email address is considered confidential. Greenwich Library does not share this information with anyone. For more about Greenwich Library’s Confidentiality Policy, click here.

When an item’s status is “Available”, it means that the item is in the Library. If you place an online hold for an “Available” item, you will not be able to pick it up until your online record indicates that the item is “Ready for pickup”.

The fastest way to have an item set aside for you is to call the Reference Desk during library hours at (203) 622-7910, and ask them to pull the item from our shelf and set it aside for you.

Holds may remain on the shelf for a maximum of 5 days for books/CDs and 4 days for DVDs.

In order to provide fair service to our entire borrowing community, the amount of time given to pick up your materials cannot be changed.

We ask that patrons pick up all items being held for them.

You must bring your family member’s card with you, or you will need to have your accounts linked. If you do not have your family member’s card, once your cards are linked, we can check out the items for you at the Check Out Desk.

ILL items are located on the self service hold shelf along with other holds.

Yes.

You can check on the status of your hold by using the “Account” link. This will tell you if a hold is “ready for pick up”, or not. You can also call, email, or online chat.

The self service hold shelves are located to the left of the Check Out Desk.

Hold slips contain the item’s information, the first four letters of your last name and the last four digits of your barcode; no other personal information is on the slip. Items are arranged alphabetically by a combination of your last name and card number.

For example, material for John Smith with card #21117001234567 will be filed under Smit, 4567.

A person cannot check-out an item that is not on hold for them. The self check machines will stop the transaction.

Anyone with a valid Greenwich Library card that is not expired or blocked may request Interlibrary Loans.

You may request books, DVDs, CDs, audiobooks or periodical articles. Digital materials (eBooks) are not available via interlibrary loan.

You can place an Interlibrary Loan request at any of the Information Desks at Greenwich Library or by submitting your request online: Request Interlibrary Loan.

You can also place a request at the Main Desk of the Byram Shubert or Cos Cob Libraries. Requests can be taken over the phone by calling the Reference Desk at (203) 622-7910.

Interlibrary Loan books will be held at the branch of Greenwich Library selected by the patron. PDF versions of periodical articles will be sent to the patron via email.

NOTE: Perrot Memorial Library has its own Interlibrary Loan Department. If a patron wishes to pick up an Interlibrary Loan at Perrot, the request must be placed with them. Please feel free to contact the Perrot Memorial Library at (203) 637-1066.

Interlibrary Loan books may returned to any Greenwich Library branch.

Interlibrary Loans are checked out for 3 weeks. They may be renewed once, for an extra 7 days.

Interlibrary Loan books may be renewed once for a 1 week period. If a longer renewal period is needed, please contact the ILL department at (203) 622-7944 or email at ill@greenwichlibrary.org.

Interlibrary Loans generally take at least two weeks to fill, and some can take as long as a month depending on the availability of the book and the location of the supplying library.

We will do our best to get Interlibrary Loan materials to our patrons as quickly as possible, but much of this process is out of our hands, since it involves staff at other libraries, as well as the US Postal Service, so please be patient.

If it has been more than a month since your request, and you haven’t heard from us, please feel free to call us at (203) 622-7944 or email at ill@greenwichlibrary.org.

Please limit your requests to three items per day. Patrons may have ten outstanding ILL requests at a time. Requests are considered outstanding if items are on order and/or checked out.

Patrons assume complete responsibility for all materials checked out on their library cards; therefore, lost or damaged materials will be billed to you at the replacement cost as invoiced by the lending library.

When Interlibrary Loan books arrive, you will be notified by email and given one week to pick them up.

If you have any questions that have not been answered in the FAQ, please feel free to call the Interlibrary Loan department at (203) 622-7944 or email at ill@greenwichlibrary.org. Thank you for using the Greenwich Library!