June 2024

Quick Facts

• Educators do not need to show proof of educator status.
• Educator cards are for teachers and educators who live or teach in the Free service area. This includes childcare, pre-school, kindergarten through college, online academies, home school education, GED, literacy, and other community educators.
• Educator cards have 6-week checkout/renewal periods (including Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks), 40 unfilled holds, and may have up to 2 lost items cleared per calendar year. For clearing any other bills or fees for educators, see Clearing/Waiving Fees.
• The Profile Name for Educators is 4_EDU.
• Add (EDU) as or after the middle name/initial.  This will help staff when looking up accounts by name or birthdate differentiate between personal and EDU accounts.

Procedure

1. When entering the name the patron goes by in the Basic Info tab, enter (EDU) as or after the middle name/initial to distinguish it from the educator's personal account.
    

   

    

2. The address entered should be the educator's residential address, as the account is for the individual, not the school.

3. Profile name in Basic Info is 4_EDU. See Entering new patron records.
    

   

    

4. If an educator lives outside of, but teaches in, the Free service area, enter a profile name of 4_EDU and add a HISTORY item to Extended Info, stating that the patron teaches in the free service area.
5. If an educator must register for both an Educator card and a fee registration:
   • Create or review the patron's fee registration for the current year. See Fee registration cards.
   • When creating the Educator account, manually set the Educator Privilege expires date in the Privilege tab to match the original fee registration.​
   • Enter a HISTORY item in Extended Info that includes the fee registration's expiration date and User Key.
   • Create a new account for the Educator card following steps 1-4 above.
6. If the patron reports that they are no longer an educator, the profile name is changed to 5_UPDATE until the patron can again provide proof of educator status.
7. Clearing Fees for Educators. 
   • ​See Clearing Fees for details and instructions on clearing fees for educators. 

Policy

Multnomah County Library will issue free Educator library cards to educators who live or teach in the Free service area. This includes childcare, pre-school, kindergarten through college, online academies, home school education, GED, literacy, and other community educators.

Educators who do not live or teach in the free service area may pay for a fee registration to get an educator card.

The Educator card is a separate account from the educator's personal account. An educator is not required to have a personal account. Educators may only have one educator card.

Educator cards are to be used only for materials for curriculum support or classroom use. Educators must use their personal library card for all library materials checked out for personal use. As with all library materials, it is library practice not to comment on materials being checked out. Educators may not check out other people's holds on their educator cards, unless they are also educators.

Use of Educator accounts:

• The individual educator is responsible for all bills on the Educator account.
• The checkout and renewal loan periods are six weeks, including Overdrive ebooks and audiobooks.
• Educators are not charged late fines or sent to the collection agency.
• Educators may have up to 2 lost item bills cleared per calendar, not school, year.
• Educators may have 40 unfilled holds at one time.
• Educator cards may not be used for Interlibrary Loan items.
• Educator cards may not be used for additional Internet computer time.
• All other policies and checkout limits are the same as standard library cards.

Standard identification requirements must be met to receive an Educator library card. See Library card requirements.

Rationale

Multnomah County Library is committed to working with schools and educators in our community.

There are many kinds of educators who support learning and can benefit from using educator library cards. 

Library items used for educational purposes may be needed for longer than the standard 3-week loan period.

Educators may have up to 2 lost items cleared from their accounts because they may share these items with their students. Educators may be the only way some youth can access library materials.