St. Louis County Library Board Expands Reciprocal Lending Program To Additional Library Districts In The Region

Press release from the St. Louis County Library:

August 30, 2021

St. Louis County Library (SLCL) is pleased to announce the addition of reciprocal lending agreements with Jefferson County Library, Scenic Regional Library and the Washington Public Library. At their August 16, 2021 meeting, the SLCL Board of Trustees approved adding reciprocal lending agreements with the three additional library districts. The agreements were approved the following week by the Board of Trustees at Jefferson County Library, Scenic Regional Library and Washington Public Library. Reciprocal lending between the districts will begin on September 1, 2021.

Kristen Sorth, Director of the St. Louis County Library, said, “We are so happy to partner with Jefferson County Library, Scenic Regional Library and Washington Public Library to expand access for library users in the region. Cooperation and collaboration between libraries enriches the access and experience of all library patrons.”

Currently, those residing within the Jefferson County, Scenic Regional and Washington Public library districts must purchase a $50 non-resident card (per household) to check out materials at the St. Louis County Library. Likewise, residents of St. Louis County must purchase a non-resident card with these districts to receive library services. Starting September 1, individuals living in these areas can apply for a free St. Louis County Library card and vice versa. There are currently 1,608 individual library cards issued in these three districts; many of these individuals visit SLCL’s Cliff Cave, Eureka Hills and Meramec Valley branches.

The reciprocal lending agreements were initiated by the library districts to remove barriers for library patrons, resolve the confusion from patrons about library access and foster regional cooperation.

In 2017, SLCL eliminated transactional fees with 11 area library districts. Starting September 1, SLCL will have reciprocal lending agreements with the following libraries:

Brentwood Public Library
Ferguson Public Library
Jefferson County Library
Kirkwood Public Library
Maplewood Public Library
Richmond Heights Public Library
Rock Hill Public Library
Scenic Regional
St. Charles City-County Library
St. Louis (City) Public Library
University City Public Library
Valley Park Community Library
Washington Public Library
Webster Groves Public Library

To learn more about getting a St. Louis County Library card visit https://www.slcl.org/content/library-cards.

Media inquiries about the reciprocal lending changes should be directed to Jennifer McBride, Communications Manager at 314-994-3300 ext. 2250.

This press release was produced by the St. Louis County Library. The views expressed here are the author’s own.