SOUTH BEND, In. – The St. Joseph County Public Library introduced the Adult Access Card, which enables people with inactive library cards to check out books and other materials.

With a traditional library card, when the charges for overdue items exceed $20, the card becomes inactive. However, the Adult Access Card will provide cardholders with the opportunity to limit their potential charges.

The St. Joseph County Library says that the Adult Access Card will benefit low income families who are impacted by the difficulties in paying overdue charges.

Kris Springer, the Customer Service Manager at the Main St. Joseph County Library, says that “all it takes is for a person to move a few times, misplace a few items, and suddenly their card is inactive. We created this card for the person who felt like they were never going to be able to check anything out again. We want to invite them back and have them reconnect with the Library.”

The Youth Access Card, introduced in 2016, is the inspiration for the Adult Access Card. Both cards offer the same advantages.

The Adult Access Card becomes available on September 3, and with it you can check out up to 5 items at a time.

The cardholder is still responsible for returning library materials, but with the Adult Access Card, there are no overdue or replacement charges for items not returned.