Stop in at any of the eighteen (18) public libraries in Bucks County with proof of your identity and residence in Bucks County, complete a brief application, and you can leave the library with your new card. For options proving your identity and residency, please refer to this Proof of Identity and Address document. For additional information regarding public library cards in Bucks County, please refer to our Library Cards Policy.
If you can’t get to a library in person, you can apply online for a temporary library card which will provide access to our E-resources. This application may take up to three (3) days to process. You will have up to three (3) months to stop in the library for your physical card. After three (3) months, your temporary online card will no longer be valid.
Your library account has a PIN and a password. The password must be eight (8) characters including a number, lowercase and uppercase letters, and a special character. The password is used to log into My Account on our website: FreeLibraryNT.org.
Your PIN is a 4-digit number you chose at the time you received your library card. It is required to use our self-service kiosks and for most of our online e-resources.
You have two options:
Log into My Account online using your library card number and password; choose My Account Details; choose the Edit link next to PIN and enter a new PIN.
You may also visit your library with your library card and ask a staff member to help you change the PIN on your account. For security, your old PIN is not accessible to staff and they will enter a new one for you.
A person must be at least 14 years old to apply for their own library card. Children under the age of 14 may also have their own library card but their parents/legal guardians are required to be present when applying for a card. Please see our Library Cards Policy for additional information.
Yes, if you have a current PA Driver’s License (photo ID) you may ask for assistance from the staff to check out materials. This is a temporary solution, however. If you cannot locate your library card, you should replace it with a new one.
Library card holders are required to contact the library to report a lost library card. This will allow the library staff to secure your account by deactivating the card. Replacing a lost library card will cost $3.00.
A borrower must hold a current library card and their account must be in good standing. For additional information about borrowing materials, please see our Borrowing and Returning Material Policy.
Please refer to our Loan Rules Table.
Yes, log into My Account. Go to My Account Details; scroll to the bottom for Other Settings; edit Historical Overview. You can also choose to have the system alert you while checking out that you are borrowing an item you’ve previously borrowed. You also have the option to turn this setting off so none of your borrowing history is maintained.
cloudLibrary does not allow you to see your checkout history. However, you can save each item you borrow and track them that way.
Hoopla does allow you to see your checkout history.
Libby maintains your history under the Shelf icon on the app. Click on Timeline option.
No. All library materials borrowed from public libraries in Bucks County may be returned to any public library in Bucks County.
Using the library’s catalog, locate the item you’d like to reserve, click on the blue Place Hold button, log in using your library card number and your password, and choose the library where you’d like to pick up your material. If you have an email address on your account, you will be notified when the material is ready to be retrieved from your library. If you decide you no longer want the material you placed on Hold, please return to your account and cancel the Hold.
Holds that have arrived and are ready to be picked up by patrons will be held for seven (7) days before being returned to the owning library or our shelves.
No. Materials on Hold for a family member must be checked out on the same card on which the Hold was placed. Please refer to our Holds Policy for additional information.
The museum pass program at FLNT currently requires a Family-level (or higher) membership with our Friends organization. For additional information, please head to our Museum Passes page.
Mobile hotspots are not available to be placed on hold to allow for equal access to all patrons. However, if there is one available when you call the library, it can be held at the Reference Desk for the remainder of the day and must be retrieved by closing time.
Our automatic renewal service will now take care of renewals for you! All items eligible for renewal will be automatically renewed ONE DAY before their due date (up to the maximum number of renewals). Please be aware that not all items will auto-renew (like magazines, hotspots, or museum passes). For additional information on which items are permitted to be renewed and how many times they can be renewed, please see our Loan Rules Table.
Any items on your account eligible for renewal will be renewed automatically at 9 PM the day before their due date.
Most physical items are eligible for renewal as long as another patron has not placed a Hold on the item and your account is in good standing. For additional information, please see our Loan Rules Table.
Items will NOT renew automatically if:
There is a Hold on the item by another patron;
The item has already been renewed the maximum number of times;
Your account has a balance of more than $20 in fees;
Your account is blocked or expired;
The item is part of a non-renewable collection such as Lucky Day, magazines, etc.;
The item was requested from outside of Bucks County through the Interlibrary Loan system.
If you have an email address associated with your account, you will receive an email notification the evening before your items are due. The email will list which items were successfully renewed (in green font) and which were not renewed (in red font). You can make changes to your email notifications via your online account or by calling or visiting a Bucks County library.
You can also check your due dates via your online account. Please note: the auto renewals run at 9 PM the day before they are due.
Yes. If you wish to renew an item prior to its automatic renewal date, simply renew it through your online account or speak to a staff member at any Bucks County public library. Renewal requests are NOT accepted via voicemail or email. Manual renewals will extend the borrowing period from the date of renewal.
No. If you do not want your items to auto renew, you can return them before the due date.
Yes. For additional information regarding the amounts of different fees, please see our Fines and Fees Schedule. Also, please see our Fines and Fees Policy.
An item approximately forty-five (45) days overdue will generate an invoice in the system and the patron will be charged the replacement cost of the item. For additional information, please see our Lost or Damaged Materials Policy.
The library does not accept items purchased by patrons to replace something they’ve lost or damaged.
No. Once an item is paid for, the item now belongs to the patron. For additional information, please see our Lost or Damaged Materials Policy.
There are multiple ways to resolve an account balance. You may pay the balance online using My Account or you may pay the balance in the library using cash, personal check, or credit card. For additional information, please see our Forms of Payment Table.
1) Customer receives a courtesy notice three (3) days before the due date of an item;
2) Customer receives a return request notice after a courtesy notice and before the first overdue notice if there is a Hold on an item;
3) Customer receives 1st overdue notice at seven (7) days; a 2nd notice at fourteen (14) days, and a 3rd notice at twenty-one (21) days;
4) After forty-five (45) days, a lost/damaged material invoice for the long overdue item is generated in the system and emailed to the customer;
5) At FLNT, we use Unique Management Services for collection of balances. Accounts which have balances of $25 or more for forty-five (45) days are referred to the agency. The account is then charged an additional $12 material recovery fee to cover the costs billed to the library for the referral. This is a non-refundable fee and required to be paid by the customer.
Yes, please refer to our instructions for Mobile Printing.
The library does not have a fax machine available at this time.
At this time, the library does not offer either service. However, for Notary assistance, please call Northampton Township @ 215.357.6800.
Privacy is essential to the exercise of free speech, free thought, and free association. Courts have upheld the right of privacy based on the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. Confidentiality of library records is a core value of library service nationwide. Free Library of Northampton Township (FLNT) endorses the American Library Association’s Code of Ethics which states, in part: “We protect each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired, or transmitted.”
FLNT is governed by the Pennsylvania Library Code, Title 24, Chapter 16, which states, part:
“The library and its staff do not disclose or distribute borrower circulation records, computer signup information, or other personal information to outside parties except as required by law or with the user’s authorization.”
This includes disclosure or distribution of information upon request by a parent/guardian/caregiver for a child’s records or a family member’s records.
For additional information, please see our Privacy and Confidentiality of Library Records Policy.
