Patron account and service options

April 2024

Quick Facts

  • Some patrons may have difficulty getting a library card due to the requirements (name, address, or ID). Patrons who have fees, live in foster families, need address confidentiality, or meet with the library’s Community Resource Counselors may have other challenges.
  • This page lists options and includes links to other Commons  pages for details.
  • Patrons can use PO Boxes, General Delivery, or TPI addresses to register for an account and receive mail. Share the Address and ID Handout with patrons who don’t have a residential address and/or need ID.
  • Some patrons may use the Oregon state Address Confidentiality Program, a Salem PO Box address, for safety. See Requirements for accounts.
  • Help patrons with fees on their account use the library, see the Clear fees page.
  • Community resource counselor referral form and resource list may be helpful to patrons beyond using the library.
  • Ready to Respond and the trauma informed service toolkit have information on services and communication. 

Jump to

Procedure

Address confidentiality program

Patrons who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking may use a Salem PO Box address to protect their safety.  

  1. Enter the Salem PO Box as the only address.
  2. Add a History field saying “Address OK.”

Can't apply for a library card in person

  1. Applicants can apply for an online temporary account.
    • Patrons will be emailed their temporary online account number.
    • Patrons without email are asked to call the Contact Center to get their account number.
    • This account number can be used to access all e-content and place up to 5 holds.
  2. Patrons may qualify for Library Outreach Services, please refer them to LOS at 503.988.5404, to see if they qualify for delivery or mail services.
  3. If an applicant is unable to come to the library, and does not qualify for Library Outreach Services, ask the patron to contact the Contact Center at 503-988-5123 or help@multcolib.org and a library card may be sent via mail.

Clearing fees

Staff may help patrons use the library by Clearing fees.

Important: It may not be safe to ask if billed items can be returned. Patrons may not be able to safely retrieve and return materials.

  • Clearing of fees must be documented in a History field. For example, CLR_PATRON $18.00 CEN/CC 2/6/2024
  • Library location staff may clear fees once every three years for each patron. Additional fees may be cleared by calling the Contact Center. 
    • Individual staff may clear up to $20.00.
    • Staff working together can clear fees up to $50.00. The initials of both staff should be included in the History field.  For example: CLR_PATRON $31.00 CEN/AL with SD 3/6/2024.
  • Fees may be cleared when patrons have life situations that make it difficult or impossible to pay fees. These situations may include:
    • Safety
    • Family, medical, emergency (fire, flood, etc.) or financial reasons
    • Theft of identity, identification, library cards or items
    • Confusion about library policy or services
    • Conflicting information: the patron reports they never checked out an item currently on the account. Mark the items as Lost from their checked out items, then clear the Lost fee.

Community resource counselors

  • The community resource counselors are at the library Monday through Friday.  
    • For up-to-date information on their specific schedule, please see Susan Voss-Rothmeier's Google Calendar or the community resource counselor's schedule.
    • PICs may call the community resource counselors directly Mon-Fri.
  • When the community resource counselors are not working
    • If the patron is in need of immediate assistance, call the Multnomah County Crisis Line at 503-988-4888 to request support and see if a response from Project Respond is possible.
    • If the patron is not in crisis use the referral form.
      • On those days, let your patrons know it may take a couple of days for the community resource counselors to respond.
      • Counselors are unable to correspond with patrons by email initially, so this form requests a patron phone number.
      • If the patron does not have a number, a community resource counselor might be able to arrange a visit at a branch if needed.
      • Have the patron remain in touch with you about scheduling.
  • Resource lists

Foster families

It is important to ensure foster family confidentiality of personal information.

  • Patrons may use the any available privacy options, such as name and birth date.
  • A foster child may use a PO Box or their caseworker's office address as the residential address in the patron record.
    • No note is needed for addresses in the free service area.
    • For addresses outside the free service area, document it in the HISTORY field that the "Address is OK."

Clear fees for items that cannot be returned to the library. Call the Contact Center, and not ask the patron or family to do so, if fees are over $50.00. 

No address

Address requirements include options for patrons who do not have a residential address.

  • Proof of address is not required.
  • Patrons may use a mail service, general delivery, PO BOX, or any other address where they can receive mail.
  • If a Patron is unable to provide an address, they can use the TPI (Transition Projects Inc) address.
    • TPI’s address is 650 NW Irving St, Portland 97209
    • TPI does not require ID or signing up in advance to receive mail.
    • Tell patrons that all library mail will go to that address.
  • See the Address and ID Handout for more options. Some of the services on this handout may require ID, signing up in advance or for people to be staying at that location to use their mailing address. 

No identification

  • There are many identification options, including:
    • ID from TPI or HOPE resource centers
    • Jail identification paperwork
    • Online student identification for students K-12
    • Tribal ID
    • TriMet ID
  • If a patron does not have identification, there are organizations that provide identification assistance. This information is available for patrons on the Address and ID handout.
  • If a patron cannot meet ID requirements to get a library card, an exception may be made on an individual basis by a PIC, supervisor, or the Contact Center.

Patron wants more privacy

  • Each patron will determine what name or names they want on their account. The name on their ID does not have to be entered into the account.
  • See Name fields for more details on entering names.
  • Holds are shelved with the first four letters of the patrons last name, first initial, and last four digits of the patron's library card to protect patron privacy. If the patron wants more hold privacy staff can offer to change the patron's name to whatever they would like or replace their last name with their User Key.

Policy

Library policy allows staff to help patrons in many situations so they can get a library card or continue to use the library.

Rationale

The library recognizes that people experiencing hardship might need more assistance so they can use the library. All patrons deserve the opportunity to use the library.

Contact for details
circulation-manual-team@multco.us
Manual category
Circulation
Tags
Access services
Accessibility
Accounts