Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Library Cards Nonresident Workers topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Library board considers allowing library cards for people who work in South Burlington but live elsewhere
Summary
Library director proposed allowing people who work in town but live elsewhere to receive a restricted library card that would permit physical checkouts but not access to certain digital resources; governance committee will take the proposal up for a future motion.
Jennifer, the library director, told trustees the library could allow people who work in South Burlington but live elsewhere to get a card that is limited compared with a full home-card account.
Jennifer said the library’s first option remains to ask people to get a home card from their residence library, but added the board already provides cards to city and school employees. “That’s always our first choice,” Jennifer said, describing the proposed worker card as a lower-access card for people who cannot reasonably use their home library.
Under the plan discussed, a worker or “home card” issued for employment purposes would allow physical checkout of materials but would not provide access to subscription digital resources that are restricted by library licensing, specifically Libby (overdrive/e-audiobooks), Canopy, Mango Languages and Consumer Reports. Jennifer and circulation staff said the proposal is intended to be free to users but limited in digital access.
Board members asked about likely take-up and account maintenance; staff said there is no current usage estimate and that the library periodically purges inactive cards after a specified but not yet stated period. The board discussed whether to advertise the option widely or keep it available quietly for people who inquire; several trustees recommended keeping it available on request rather than running a broad communications campaign.
No vote was taken. Jennifer said she will bring the proposal to the governance committee for formal consideration and potential motion at a future meeting.
