Applying for a Library Card
To obtain a Villa Park Public Library card, you will need to bring the following to the Library:
- Two forms of identification with your current Villa Park address (mail, utility bill, lease, etc.)
- A photo ID (doesn’t need to reflect current address if two other forms of ID are presented)
- If you are under the age of 18, you will also need a parent to accompany you and present the above ID.
- For Oakbrook Terrace residents, an application from the City of Oakbrook Terrace (see details below under City of Oakbrook Terrace residents)
- Under Illinois law, other non-residents must pay a fee for a library card.
If you lose your card or need to replace it, the fee is $1.00.
Click here to open Library Card Registration form
Haga clic aquí para abrir el formulario de registro de tarjeta de biblioteca
Online 
Library Card Registration!
If you don’t currently have a Villa Park Public Library card, you can apply for a temporary online card. To apply, you must live within the 60181 zip code. This temporary online library card will provide you access to our digital collections for 90 days. You will have full access to electronic resources, but you will be unable to check out any physical items until you visit the library and verify residency.
For more information about the application process click here.
To apply for a temporary online library card, click here.
What is my PIN?
Everyone who has a library card registered at Villa Park Public Library has a user record with confidential information about the user’s circulation activity. Each user record also contains a personal identification number (PIN) to ensure your library activity is confidential. We suggest a PIN number with a minimum of 4 numbers, but 6 numbers is preferred. If you need assistance with your PIN number, please visit the library in person, or call (630) 834-1164.
To reset your PIN, please click on “Forgot my PIN” on the My Account page of our online catalog.
Step-by-step instructions on how to change your PIN can be found here: https://swanlibraries.net/your-library-account/reset-your-pin/
For Residents of Villa Park:
Library cards are issued at no extra charge to Villa Park residents for a three-year period. All applicants will be asked to prove that their residence is within the legal boundaries of the Village of Villa Park by showing two forms of identification bearing their current address and a photo ID. Applicants under 18 must have a parent or guardian sign their application. Borrowers are responsible for all materials charged on their card.
If the applicant has only one ID with their current Villa Park address on it, then library staff will be able to issue the library card, however, the library card will be mailed directly to the applicant’s home within a few days to ensure the address provided has been verified and falls within the legal boundaries of the Village of Villa Park. If a patron has only one ID, two items may be checked out at the time of the library card application. Once the library card is received at home, patrons may check out with full privileges.
Family Fee Cards for residents of Unincorporated Areas:
For residents of unincorporated areas (such as Brandywine) library cards may be purchased on an annual basis. Credit cards are accepted for payment. Please ask at the Circulation desk for the current fee (the fee is a formula based on their property tax rates). Family Fee Cards entitle the holder to full use of the Library. Family Fee Cards are issued to family members living at the same address; each family member may request his or her own card. This card is good for one year and the applicant has to reapply once the library card has expired.
City of Oakbrook Terrace Residents:
The City of Oakbrook Terrace has an agreement with the Villa Park Public Library to provide the City’s residents with library services. Effective May 14, 2024, in order to obtain a Villa Park Library Card, residents will be charged $20 household (i.e. single family homes, apartments such as Versailles and Regency Place, including condominiums, i.e. Arbor 40 and Spring Club, and townhomes i.e. Berkshire and Oliviabrook). The library card provides full access to all of the library’s resources. Applications for Villa Park Library Cards are available at Oakbrook Terrace City Hall, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or at the Police Department when City Hall is closed. For more information regarding the library card program in the City of Oakbrook Terrace, please phone 630-941-8300 Ext. 201.
Cards for Kids
The State of Illinois passed the Cards for Kids Act to decrease barriers for any child 18 years or younger to obtain a free library card. The Cards for Kids legislation (PA 101-632) states that K-12 students living in unincorporated areas in Illinois are eligible to receive free or reduced lunches under the National School Lunch Program, as determined by Income Eligibility Guidelines established by the USDA, shall not be charged a nonresident fee to use the library.
The student cardholder is entitled to the same privileges and services the library traditionally provides to residents. Only the student is eligible for a library card under the Cards for Kids Act.
To apply, the qualifying students must present documentation from the school or school district that indicates his/her eligibility for free or reduced-price lunches and a picture ID (driver’s license or state ID) with your current address. If your ID doesn’t have the current address, please bring a second form of ID such as automobile insurance, utility bill, checkbook, etc.
Temporary Library Cards
Individual: Individuals who reside within the village limits of Villa Park on a temporary basis are eligible to apply for a Temporary Resident Card, which is issued for a six month period.
To apply, residents must present:
- Appropriate current household identification, which establishes residency
- Copies of their lease or rent receipts
- A telephone number at or through which they can be reached by library staff.
*** Individuals are eligible for renewal but MUST reapply every six months.
Shelter: Individuals who reside on a temporary basis at Villa Park Public Library approved shelters within the Village limits of Villa Park may obtain a Temporary Resident Card, which is issued for a six month period.
Cards are issued to shelter residents upon presentation of:
- A letter of residency from the shelter on business letterhead and signed by an authorized staff member.
- A telephone number at or through which they can be reached by library staff.
***Individuals are eligible for renewal but MUST reapply every six months.
Veteran Library Card
U.S. Veterans may receive a library card, due to the Homestead Exemption, free of charge for their primary residence if they meet the following criteria:
- Have a service-connected disability of at least 70%
- Are exempt from paying property taxes on their primary residence
- Live in an unincorporated area of Villa Park/ Oakbrook Terrace
An unmarried surviving spouse of a veteran who previously qualified for the exemption, as well as an unmarried surviving spouse of a service member killed in action are also entitled to a non-resident card without payment of a fee.
To apply, the qualifying veteran or surviving spouse must present documentation from the county where they reside indicating their residence is exempt from paying property taxes.
If you are unable to make it into the library, let us know and our Outreach Staff will come to you.
Responsibility for Library Materials
If materials are kept past the due date, a daily fine is charged. Fines vary depending on the type of material checked out. Patrons may login to their library card account at any time to see what items they have checked out, as well as when the items are due. For overdue items: the first overdue notice is sent when the material is 10 days overdue; and a statement of fines and fees is sent when material is about four weeks overdue. Fines accumulate until the date of billing. Postage costs incurred to send overdue notices are added to the fines. If there is no satisfactory response to the statement within 14 days after the billing notice is sent, the account is referred to a collection agency and an additional collection fee is charged to the patron.
In the event of lost library material, please expect to pay the replacement cost of the material and fines. If the item is an Interlibrary Loan the cost of the item and processing fee as determined by the owning library will be charged. Payment of fines and fees may be paid by cash, check, or credit card.
Patrons can sign up for the following courtesy notices:
- Email notices (Hold Pickups, Hold cancellations, Overdues & Billing, and Courtesy notices)
- Text message notices (Hold pickups, Overdues & Billing, and Courtesy notices)
- Automated phone calls (Hold Pickups and Overdues/Billing)
- USPS Mailed notices (Overdues & Billing only)
Please see a staff member for assistance in signing up for notices.
Requesting and Reserving Books
Villa Park Library card holders may call Public Services at (630) 834-1164 to ask if materials can be held at the service desk, to reserve materials which are not on the shelves, to request an interlibrary loan, or to request the acquisition of materials not held by the library. Card holders with PINs may also reserve materials themselves on the library’s catalog in the library or via the Internet.
Reciprocal Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan
Villa Park residents’ library cards may be used at most other public libraries in Illinois. All card holders may request books or copies of periodical articles not owned by the library via the interlibrary loan program. Most interlibrary loans are free, but a small fee may be charged for photocopies or for books which must be borrowed from an out-of-state library. To request an interlibrary loan, contact the library at (630) 834-1164.