Library Cards
We're so excited you are interested in registering for a Longview Public Library card!
- You can use your library card to borrow books and e-books, download digital media, access online databases, and so much more!
- Please review the various ways you can obtain a library card below and select the option that best fits you.
- If you have any questions, come into the Library, give us a call at or Ask a Librarian.
Applying as a Resident
Library cards are free to all City of Longview, Washington residents who provide proof of city residency. Come into the Library or
apply online!
- The Longview Public Library is supported entirely by City funds. People living outside the city can check out library materials by purchasing a non-resident card to share in the costs of library
service. (Rural Library District residents are considered Longview residents during the period the District contracts with the Longview Public Library for services.)
- A library card is required to check out all library materials. Photo ID may also be used to access your account and check out materials. Residents can easily get a library card by filling out a short
application in the Library or by applying online and providing photo ID and proof of current address when you come to
the Library to pick up your card. Please note that we do not issue cards within 15 minutes of the library closing.
- Acceptable address identification includes but is not limited to a current driver's license, personal checks, official mail postmarked within the last month, a utility bill or rent receipt,
or a hunting license.
Minors Applying for Library Cards
There is no minimum age limit for a child to receive a library card.
- Young adults and children under age 18 may use their parent's ID for address verification.
- Parents may get their children library cards without the child being present -- for both resident and non-resident borrowers.
- There is no age restriction for checking out DVDs or Blurays. Parents who do not wish their children to be able to check these items out should notify library staff so that a
block can be placed on the card.
Cowlitz County Partial-County Rural Library District
The Cowlitz County Partial-County Rural Library District currently contracts with the Longview Public Library for library service.
- If you reside in
the following precincts you are already paying taxes for library service and are eligible to receive a Longview Public Library card at no additional cost:
Bakers, Beacon, Boondox, Coal Creek, Columbia Heights, Industrial Way, Lexington, Lone Oak, Mt. Solo, Nevada, Olson, Pacific, Ridgecrest,
Scenic, Sparks, Stella, View, and Willow Grove.
- Not sure if you live in the Rural Library District? Give us a call at 360.442.5300.
Reciprocal Borrowing between Longview and Kelso Libraries
The Longview and Kelso Public Libraries have a reciprocal borrowing agreement currently in place.
- If you have a library card in good standing at one library you are eligible for a free card at the other library. To receive a Longview Library card as a Kelso resident, bring us your up-to-date Kelso Library card, show ID and/or proof of address, and we'll
have you fill out a short application.
- For Kelso library card-holders good standing means that the card is active and has a total fine of $5.00 or less. For Longview library card-holders
good standing means that the card is active and has a total of $35.00 or less. Each library has different policies such as checkout time, number of items
checked-out, etc., and borrowers will have to follow the rules of each library for those materials checked out from that library.
- All items checked out
will need to be returned to the library from where they were checked out, i.e. library materials checked out from Longview should be returned to Longview.
Longview Business and Property Owners
If you are a Longview business owner or property owner, but aren't a resident of Longview or the Cowlitz County Partial-County Rural Library District, you
can get a Longview Library card at no additional cost.
- Property owners will need to show proof that they own property in Longview, a piece of current ID, and
fill out a short application to get a card issued in their name.
- Business owners will need to show their current Longview business license, a piece of current
ID, and fill out a short application to get a card issued in the name of the business. The library hopes to continue its outreach to small business owners with
the resources and materials that they have to help them succeed.
Longview Educators
The Educator Card provides support for educators so they may borrow library materials for use in classrooms and other educational settings in Longview and the Rural Library District.
- Educator cards can be issued to patrons who have proof of employment at a daycare, public or private school, or of being a homeschool provider. This can be established with one of the following:
- School or childcare identification
- School or childcare pay stub; if in-home childcare, patron may provide a business license
- Letter on school or childcare letterhead from the school administrator or childcare director
- A copy of the homeschool provider's Declaration of Intent as submitted to a local school district as required annually by the State of Washington
- Materials checked out using the educator card cannot be renewed. Charges for lost and damaged items still apply.
Cowlitz Tribe
Pursuant to RCW 27.12.285 the Longview Library Trustee Board authorizes members of the Cowlitz to obtain a library card with proof
of enrollment in the Tribe.
Applying as a Non-Resident
The non-resident fee for the Longview Public Library is based on a formula which takes the library budget and divides it by the
number of residents of the City of Longview.
- To apply for a non-resident card, come into the Library and bring photo ID and proof of address, fill out a short application, and pay the non-resident fee.
- Cash, credit/debit, and checks are all accepted.
- The current cost of a non-resident family library card:
- $100 per year (Senior rate is $50 for patrons over 62 years of age)
- $50 for 6 months
- $25 for 3 months
- Non-residents also have an opportunity to earn a family card by becoming an active member of the Friends of the Longview Public Library and volunteering a certain amount of time for
Friends events and projects. Visit the Friends page for more information.
- General library volunteers can also earn a card once they meet certain requirements. Learn more about volunteering here.
Library Service in Cowlitz County
America's tax-supported public libraries are unique and the envy of much of the rest of the world. Access to information, education, entertainment, and culture for
every citizen as a service of local government is unheard of in most other countries. Even in America it wasn't always this way, and in some parts of the State
of Washington it still isn't.
Cowlitz County is one part of the state without government-supported library service. While some local towns and cities within the county have funded libraries
for their citizens, the residents of the unincorporated area of Cowlitz County have on several occasions voted down an opportunity to tax themselves for library
service. As a result, those non-residents from the unincorporated area of the county who want library service must pay a direct fee (instead of taxes) to the
library they use if they wish to check out materials.
While the Longview Public Library belongs to the citizens of Longview, they are willing to share it with others. Anyone may walk in and use the collections,
as well as the database and internet computers, phone for information, and ask the staff for help. If, however, a non-resident wishes to borrow materials, the
citizen owners require that person to pay a fair share to help support the operation and maintenance of the library.
