Access My Account
From the “My Account” feature, you are able to:
- See items checked out & their due dates
- Renew items checked out
- Place, cancel, or suspend a Hold Request
- View requested items that are available for pickup & the date the items will be held till
- View any fines owed on your account
- Change your PIN# or email address
If you have not used your Library Card number for several years, your Library Card may have been removed from the system. If your card is not recognized, you will need to apply for a new one by visiting your local Kern County Library branch.
Contact or visit your local Kern County Library branch with your Library Card number and current contact information (address, email, & phone number).
Your Library Card expires every 3 years as a way for us to make sure that we have your current contact information.
Your Library Card may be expired or you may have more than $5 in fines. Call or visit your local Kern County Library branch for more information.
Your pin by default is the last 4 digits of your phone number, at the time of registration. If you are unsure of what phone number you used, please contact the Kern County Library directly to update your account.
You can change your PIN by logging into “My Account,” and selecting the Review Address/PIN or Profile link.
Checkout / Renew / Request
You can request that we try to find the item for you to borrow, via Interlibrary Loan. If you choose this option and the item is received for you, there will be a $5 hold fee.
Please Note: Some libraries may charge an additional fee, but you would be contacted for approval of this additional fee prior to the item being sent.
If the item is available for request in the library’s system, there is no charge to have it sent to your local library location.
However, we do charge an expired hold fee, if the item is received at your requested location and is not cancelled or picked up by the hold till date.
When an item is placed on request, the system will try for 365 days to get you the next available copy of the item. After 1 year, the hold will cancel if it has not been filled. Be sure that you cancel the request if you no longer need the item.
You may have up to 30 items on request at one time.
You can renew materials online through the “My Account” link.
Please Note: The new renewal date will be 3 weeks from the date of renewal (1 week for DVD/VHS). It is recommended that you print a copy of your account after renewing. You may also renew via our tele-messaging system by calling (866) 290.8681 or by calling your local library branch.
Most items can be renewed twice (some restrictions apply):
- Items on request for another person cannot be renewed.
- Items already overdue must be renewed by library staff.
- Items which have already been renewed 2 times cannot be renewed again.
- While DVD/VHS items can be renewed, your account will be charged $2 + tax for each renewal.
Most items are not charged a fee to checkout, though we do charge for the following:
- DVD/VHS $2 + tax (per title)
- Rental Books: $0.25 per day (not available at all locations)
DVDs and VHS items can be checked out 7 days, while all other items can be checked out for 3 weeks.
You may have a total of 30 items checked out at any given time.
We are a part of the San Joaquin Valley Library System, and members in the system share their resources with each other. This means that the item you request may have copies that belong to locations outside of Kern County.
When you place a request, you are placed on the list after anyone else that has already placed a request for the title. When an item is checked in, it will look at the item to see if there are any requests. If there are, it will then look at which library system owns the item. It will determine if there are any borrowers with a pickup location from the same jurisdiction that owns the item before filling any other request from any other systems. It will only look at the #1 position on the list IF there are NO holds for anyone with a pickup location in the library system where the item belongs.
Example #1: An item that belongs to Kern County is checked in; the first 49 people on the list have pickup locations in Fresno, Coalinga, Tulare, and Merced. Number 50 is the first hold that has a Kern County pickup location; the system will fill the hold for #50 since the book belongs to Kern County.
Example #2: An item that belongs to Fresno is checked in. There are 10 requests, but NONE of them has a pickup location in Fresno. At this time, the system will fill the request for the person in position #1.
This message usually means that the item you are trying to request does not belong to Kern County Library and has a setting of “New,” which limits requests to only registered borrowers of the library jurisdiction that owns the item (i.e. Fresno, Tulare, Porterville, etc.). If you come across a title that gives you this message, fill out the Suggest a Material Purchase form located on the Contact KCL page of our website to encourage Kern County to buy a copy.
Getting a Card
You can use your Kern County Library card at any library in the San Joaquin Valley Library System, which includes public libraries in Coalinga-Huron, Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Porterville, or Tulare counties.
We have a Computer Use Only card which can be issued. There is no charge for this card, but you must have some form of Photo ID. The Photo ID must include your first and last name.
If you are unable to provide proof of California Residency, we offer an Out of State Library Card with checkout privileges. This Out of State Library Card has an Annual Fee of $25 due at the time of registration.
We will ONLY accept the following as proof of identity for a regular Library Card:
- DMV-issued Driver’s License or Identification Card
- Border Crossing Card
- Mexican Matrícula Consular Card
- Military ID
- Passport
- Prison ID
- Permanent Resident Card
We will ONLY accept the following as proof of residency:
- California-Issued:
- Driver’s License or ID
- Car Registration
- Mortgage / Rent / Lease Agreement
- Temporary CA Driver’s License or ID
- US Military ID
- Utility Bill with California address (current last 30 days)
- Checkbook (imprinted with a California address)
- Following California documents when presented with a recently delivered piece of mail:
- Employment ID
- School ID
- Assistance: WIC, Food Stamps
- Check Cashing Card
All California Residents are eligible for a FREE Kern County Library card. (Proof of identity and residency are required.)
However, if you already have a card in Fresno, Coalinga-Huron, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Porterville, or Tulare counties, you will not be able to receive a Kern County Library card. Your current Library Card in one of those counties will work here in Kern County, as we are all a part of the San Joaquin Valley Library System.
Technology
Yes, most libraries have a fax machine. Fax charges are as follows (sent/received):
- Domestic: $1 per page
- International: $5 first page & $2 each additional
No, at this time we only have Black & White copiers.
Most locations have coin-operated copy machines. These locations will charge $0.15 per single side copy. If you visit a Library location that does not have a coin-operated copy machine, the charge for a copy will be $0.15 + tax for a single side copy.
No, at this time we do not have scanners, only copy machines.
No, at this time we do not have the ability to print from Wi-Fi devices. You will need to use the public computers if you wish to print.
Yes, all Kern County Library branches offer free Wi-Fi access.
We provide access to OpenOffice, LibreOffice, and access to the internet with Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Mozilla Firefox.
No, you need to make your reservation by using on of the reservation computers located inside the Library.
We charge the following for prints:
- Black & White: $0.15 + tax (per page)
- Color: $1 + tax (per page)
We require that you have a Kern County Library card, or one issued at a San Joaquin Valley Library System location, to use the public computers.
Yes, there are public computers available for use at every Kern County Library location.
