Your Library Card
Who Can Get a Card:
Any resident of Perth County may obtain a Perth East Public Library card free of charge.
Thanks to the Perth County Information Network (PCIN), your Perth East Library card allows you to borrow items from Stratford, St. Marys, North Perth (Listowel, Atwood and Monkton) and West Perth (Mitchell) public libraries.
How to get a card:
To sign up for a card in person you will need identification with your current address and contact details, such as a driver’s license, Ontario photo card, or a utility bill.
The information collected for library cards needs to be updated every two years. Visit the library or call your local branch to renew your card.
Children (age 12 and under): A parent/guardian must be present for a child to get a library card. Parents/guardians assume responsibility for materials checked out by children.
Teens (ages 13 to 15): Teens can obtain a library card with a student ID card, official school letter, report card or a piece of mail with your address on it.
Adults: Adults can obtain a library card with a piece of ID or a piece of mail with your address on it.
Reciprocal Agreements:
PEPL also has reciprocal borrowing agreements with other libraries in the area. This allows library Patrons from participating communities to receive borrowing privileges at our location.
Communities included in our reciprocal agreement are:
- Huron County
- Oxford County (with the exception of Woodstock and Tillsonburg)
- Region of Waterloo (North Dumfries, Wellesley, Wilmont, and Woolwich with the exception of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge)
- Middlesex County (with the exception of London)
- Wellington County (with the exception of Guelph).
Residents of communities in the reciprocal borrowing agreement are welcome to get a Perth East Public Library card by coming in with a piece of identification with their address (ie. driver's license, age of majority card) and their home library card. Perth East Library cardholders can also go into any of these libraries with their identification and their PEPL library card to obtain a library card at that location..
Visiting Perth East:
If you are visiting the area for an extended period of time and are no from a location that is part of our reciprocal borrowing agreement, you can obtain a visitor card for $7 per month. Restrictions to checkouts apply.
Ontario School Curriculum:
For information regarding Ontario's School Curriculum visit the Ontario’s Curriculum and Resources site, which launched in June 2020 and continues to update. This site is part of Ontario's vision to modernize education in innovative ways, to better prepare our students for the demands of the future.
If you’re just getting started, you’ll want to learn all about the Ontario curriculum.
Important information for teachers
- See Program Planning and Assessment and Evaluation (on the menu at the top of every page of the site) for policy on the implementation of the curriculum across all subjects and grades.
- Look for the Curriculum Context button (in each curriculum) for information that supports the teaching of that specific subject. This section has information that guides educators as they develop lessons and programs.
One card... one million possibilities
Take full advantage of what all the Library has to offer and get your card today. Anyone who lives or owns property in Perth County is eligible for a free Perth East Public Library card! With this card, you will have access to not just the Perth East Library collection but material and resources from all the libraries in Perth County through The Perth County Information Network (PCIN). You can explore the entire PCIN collection on Bibliocommons, our online catalog. Beyond checking out books and other materials, your PEPL Card also gives you access to a range of online resources and services.
Any resident of Perth County may obtain a Perth East Public Library card free of charge.
Your library card is a permanent card, renewable every 2 years, and must be brought to the library every time you wish to borrow materials.
Thanks to the Perth County Information Network (PCIN), your Perth East Library card allows you to borrow items from Stratford, St. Marys, North Perth (Listowel, Atwood and Monkton) and West Perth (Mitchell) public libraries.
In order to access your library account online, place a hold, or to download ebooks or audiobooks, you will need a PIN. The library has assigned you a PIN and it is the last 4 digits of your phone number. You can change your PIN to an alternate 4 digit code in the online catalogue.
Do not give out your PIN, as doing so may permit access to information on your library account.
Every two years, your library card will need to be renewed. You can renew by visiting the library or calling 519-595-8395 during business hours.
To see when your library card expires, log into your library account in the catalogue, then click on My Settings in the top right corner.
You can check the status of your items anytime using the online catalogue.
- Log into your account using your library card or username and your PIN (last 4 digits of your phone number)
- Click on My PEPL then Checked Out.
- You will then see the due dates of your items.
- If something is coming due, click the Renew button. (please note that you will not be able to renew an item if another patron has placed a hold on it)
You can also call the library at 519-595-8395 during our open hours and ask a library staff member to check your due dates and renew the items.
Our Courtesy Reminder Service notifies users by email that their items are due back in three days. Contact the library at 519-595-8395 to take advantage of this useful service.
A reminder that this is a courtesy service - returning your items on time is your responsibility.
The Perth East Public Library provides a variety of materials, from books to DVDs, for your use and enjoyment. Each type of material has its own rule on the period of time for which they can be borrowed and the fee that accrues if they are returned past their due date.
| Library Material | Loan Period | Auto Renew | Fee Per Day | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Print Materials | ||||
| Regular Books | 21 Days | Yes | - | - |
| High Demand Books | 14 Days | No | - | - |
| Reference | 21 Days | Yes | - | - |
| Magazines | 7 Days | 1 week | - | - |
| Inter Library Books (borrowed from non PCIN libraries) | 21 Days | No | 1.00 | - |
| Book Club Kits | 42 Days | No | 1.00 | - |
| AV Materials | ||||
| Books on CD / KIT | 21 Days | Yes | - | - |
| Wonderbooks | 21 Days | Yes | - | 1 |
| Music CD's | 21 Days | Yes | - | - |
| Books on CD / KIT | 21 Days | Yes | - | - |
| CNIB | 21 Days | Yes | - | - |
| Special Formats | ||||
| Hotspots | 7 Days | No | 1.00 | - |
| MakerKits | 7 Days | No | - | - |
| Board Games | 14 Days | Yes | - | - |
| Launch Pads | 21 Days | Yes | 1.00 | 1 |
| Nintendo Switch Games | 21 Days | Yes | 1.00 | 2 |
| Nintendo Switch Console | 7 Days | Yes | 1.00 | |
| PC Connect Bus Pass | 7 Days | No | 2.00 | 1 |
| Park Passes | 7 Days | No | 2.00 | 1 |
| PERC Pool Pass | 7 Days | No | 2.00 | 1 |
FINE FREE (From April 4, 2022)
In March of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic began, all five library systems in Perth County suspended late fees on all library materials. Then in April 2022 the Perth County Information Network announced that all member libraries would continue to be Fines Free for the majority of library material, forever. Fines Free will officially go into effect on April 4th, 2022. Check out our Fines Free page to learn more.
AUTO-RENEWAL (From December 1, 2021)
With Auto Renewals, items on your account will automatically renew 3 days before they are due. Most physical items borrowed (books, DVDs, audiobooks, music CDs) are eligible for up to 3 auto-renewals.
The following are not eligible for auto-renewal:
- Items that have reached their renewal limit
- Items another customer has requested to borrow (items on hold)
- ILLO items (special items borrowed from another library system)
- Downloadable and streaming materials (i.e. eBooks and eMagazines)
- Book Club Kits
- MakerKits
- Hotspots
- Park Passes
- Reference materials
All library members will be signed up for Auto-Renewal but may opt-out at any time by contacting the library. Customers who are signed up for email notifications will receive a notice 3 days before their items are due indicating which items have been renewed and which have not. You can also check the status of your items at anytime using the online catalogue.
All fees for materials can be paid for at the circulation desk. Payment can be made by cash or cheque.