Effective Monday, March 14, 2011, the Free Library of Philadelphia will increase its out-of-area card fee to $35 annually. Those living, working, going to school, or paying taxes in Philadelphia will continue to get their cards free of charge, as will seniors (65+), military personnel, veterans, and Access PA cardholders.
This increase will help the Library to enhance its programs and collections. We hope our users here in Philadelphia and around the world will continue to enjoy the rich and unique holdings of the Free Library.
Have a question for Free Library staff? Please submit it to our Ask a Librarian page and receive a response within two business days.
Thank you for your interest in securing a Free Library of Philadelphia library card. The library system is currently accepting applications from overseas residents. In order to obtain a card we ask that you fill out the following application http://www.freelibrary.org/registration/Card_Application.pdf and mail it to us along with a $35 payment in U.S. dollars. As an alternate to our overseas patrons who might have trouble sending a payment in U.S. dollars we are allowing you to send a clear scanned copy of the application to erefcpsd@freelibrary.org If anything is unclear please type the information in the text of email as well. 5 to 10 business days after we have received your application we will send you a card number along with information about how to logon and pay the $35 yearly fee with a credit card . We will allow you 2 business days to complete the payment before deleting the record. Once you have made the payment please email a confirmation to erefcpsd@freelibrary.org so we can activate your card. You will not get a physical card due to mailing costs.
If you have access to U.S. funds, you can send a check or money order.
Thank you!
Michelle - Free Library